In short: Since April 14, 2026, Shopware collects GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) automatically - for all shops from version 6.7.8 with a connected Shopware Account and accepted contractual basis. The functionality is built into the core: you install no app from the store and see no classic extension - just a settings page under Settings > System > GMV Reporting. The calculation uses net values (no taxes), minus discounts and vouchers, including shipping costs - and importantly: returns do not reduce GMV. Only two aggregated values are transmitted once per day: the GMV total and the order count.
Why everyone suddenly cares about GMV
GMV is the metric behind the Fair Usage Policy: if you use the Community Edition and your store exceeds 1 million € annual GMV, you must switch to a paid plan (Rise, Evolve, Beyond) to keep using the Shopware Account and Store. Below the threshold, nothing changes. For commercial plans, GMV additionally forms the basis for price tiers.
Until early 2026 this relied on self-reporting. That is over: collection now runs automatically - which is why it pays to understand what exactly is being measured.
How Shopware calculates GMV
The official calculation logic according to Shopware:
- Net values: taxes are not included.
- Discounts and vouchers reduce GMV.
- Shipping costs are included.
- Returns do not reduce GMV - the value measures order volume, not your actual proceeds.
This also explains why your GMV almost always comes out higher than the revenue in your accounting or analytics tool: an order of 100 € net counts in full even if it is returned completely. If you estimate your GMV from your P&L, you systematically underestimate it - and in industries with high return rates (fashion!) that can make the difference between being below or above the 1 million € threshold.
Built in: no app, no store download
The most common question I hear about this: "Which extension does that - and can I uninstall it?" The answer:
- GMV reporting is deeply integrated into Shopware and ships with regular updates. There is nothing to install from the store and no classic entry you would manage like a normal plugin.
- The functionality is visible as a settings area under Settings > System > GMV Reporting.
- The technical prerequisites: version 6.7.8 or higher, a connected Shopware Account (correctly stored license host), a reachable Admin API and an accepted contractual basis (GTC v3.2+).
- And yes: according to Shopware's documentation, once the prerequisites are met, the GMV reporting service cannot be manually deactivated or uninstalled (documented as of 6.7.13.0). That is consistent - a voluntary measurement would not be one.
Important context: if you connect no Shopware Account to your shop, you also do not use the store and account services - then the reporting chain does not engage at that point. The price, however, is giving up store plugins and all account services, which is not a realistic option for most shops.
What is transmitted - and what is not
Shopware transmits two aggregated values once per day: the cumulative GMV and the number of orders. No individual transactions, no customer data, no carts. From a privacy perspective this is uncritical - it is a license compliance measurement, not a data drain. For the details, see the official GMV reporting documentation and Shopware's news on automated collection.
What you should do as a merchant
- Recalculate your GMV using Shopware's logic - not accounting logic. Net, with shipping, without deducting returns. If you are above 800,000 €, the topic belongs on your agenda.
- Do not plan a cat-and-mouse game. Ideas like "we'll just stay on an old version" trade a licensing topic for a security and maintenance problem - the worst trade there is.
- Above the threshold: negotiate, don't wait. Switching to a plan is a negotiation with real leeway - the earlier you approach it actively, the better your position.
- Below the threshold: relax. For the vast majority of CE shops, exactly nothing changes - except that reporting now runs automatically instead of via self-declaration.
My conclusion: automatic GMV collection is, on balance, an improvement for merchants - it replaces manual reporting duties with a transparent, documented mechanism. It is only uncomfortable for those who have ignored the topic so far. Which is exactly what this article is for.