How do I get my store talking to Xero?
For standard Shopify or WooCommerce setups, a connector app does it in an afternoon; the craft is in the settings: how fees, refunds, GST and payouts map. Done carelessly it reconciles wrong quietly, which is worse than not at all.
The longer answer
In practice.
The decisions inside the afternoon
Daily summary invoices or per-order detail; where gateway fees land; how
refunds and partial refunds map; GST treatment on shipping; which clearing
account matches payouts. Wrong answers here surface months later as an
accountant's bill.
When connectors run out
Multi-channel stores, split payouts, wholesale alongside retail, or volumes
where per-order invoices drown Xero. Then a small custom sync with proper error
handling earns its keep, per e-commerce.
The test of done
A month reconciles to the cent against the bank feed without a human
adjusting anything, and exceptions raise their hand instead of hiding. That
standard, per data & reporting, is
non-negotiable around money.
Same rabbit hole