Analytics is no longer a “Dashboard” – it’s moving to “Conversations”
I was looking at a simple report on Shopify recently — orders over time. A standard analytics view which all revenue tracking people will see. Nothing unusual. But then something interesting happened …
Instead of navigating filters , dimensions and configurations , I saw an icon where it prompted me to refine it further just by asking a question .. So , I just typed a question:
“Can I group orders by category and also see max and min order value?”
And the system understood. It created a refined query and the report with the exact data I asked for. That’s when it hit me. WoW!!!!
“Analytics is quietly changing and taking a new Avataar”
For years, analytics meant:
– dashboards
– predefined reports
– filters and dropdowns
– structured queries
You needed to know – where to click , what to select , how to interpret etc.
Now, the interface is shifting.
From: Learning the tool — To: Speaking your question on standard pre-defined reports.
This is not just convenience .. it’s a fundamental shift.
Earlier:
Data –> Structured –> Dashboard –> Insight
Now:
Data –> Question –> AI –> Insight
The barrier is no longer technical skill , it is clarity of thought and that changes everything. Because now :
– a business user doesn’t need to learn analytics tools , they just need to ask better questions.
– a founder doesn’t wait for reports , they explore in real time.
– teams don’t depend on analysts for every query , they collaborate with data directly.
What Shopify is doing here is subtle .. but super powerful. They are not just improving analytics – they are changing who can access insight. And when access expands, behaviour changes :
– more questions get asked.
– more patterns get discovered.
– more decisions get informed.
This is the beginning of something bigger. Analytics is no longer about building dashboards. It is about enabling conversations with data.
The winners in this new world won’t be those who build the best reports but they will be the ones who ask the right questions , at the right time.
Until next time .. happy thinking !!
Author – Sumit Rajwade, Co-founder: mPrompto
