Timing Filters

Timing Filters let you answer the question "when?" for any attribute you've already filtered on.

The main filters define what you're looking for — a specific app, a payment method, a platform plan. Timing Filters let you add when StoreCensus first detected that attribute, when it changed, when it was active, or when it disappeared.

Important: dates reflect when StoreCensus detected the signal

All dates in Timing Filters are based on when StoreCensus detected the signal during its crawls — not when the store owner actually installed an app, enabled a payment method, or changed their plan.

StoreCensus crawls stores on a regular schedule. If a store installed an app on January 5th but StoreCensus didn't crawl that store until January 12th, the detection date is January 12th. This means:

"First Became True" does not mean the original install date. It means the first time StoreCensus observed the signal.
"Removed During" does not mean the exact uninstall date. It means the first crawl where the signal was no longer present.
Date ranges in Timing Filters are best used for relative comparisons and trend analysis rather than pinpointing exact event dates.

How to use Timing Filters

First, select at least one value in a main filter — for example, select an app in the Apps filter.
Scroll to the Timing Filters section at the bottom of the filter panel.
Click + Add Timing Filter.
Choose the Attribute (e.g. Apps), the specific Value (e.g. a particular app), the Event type, and a date range.
Click Apply to run the search.

You can add multiple timing filters. Each one is applied with AND logic — a store must match all of them.

The four event types

Every attribute StoreCensus tracks is stored as a history of detection records. Each record has a start date (when StoreCensus first detected the signal) and an end date (when StoreCensus stopped detecting it, or a far-future placeholder meaning "still detected today"). The four event types query different parts of that history.

First Became True

"When did StoreCensus first ever detect this attribute on this store?"

Matches stores where the very first detection record for the selected attribute falls within your date window.

What "true" means: StoreCensus detected the signal for the first time. For an app, that's the first crawl where the app was observed installed. For a payment method, it's the first crawl where it was detected enabled. For a platform plan, it's the first crawl where that plan was observed.

Key point: If a store had an app, it disappeared from detection, and then reappeared later, only the original first detection date counts here. The reappearance does not qualify.

Changed During

"Did StoreCensus detect a new instance of this attribute during the window?"

Matches stores where any detection record for the selected attribute started within your date window — not just the first one ever.

How it differs from First Became True: "Changed During" catches re-detections. If StoreCensus first detected an app on a store in 2022, then stopped detecting it, then detected it again in January 2025, a "Changed During January 2025" filter would match that store. "First Became True" would not, because the first detection was in 2022.

What does NOT count: Removals. Those are captured by "Removed During."

Active During

"Was this attribute detected on this store at any point during the window?"

Matches stores where the attribute was present in StoreCensus data at some point that overlaps with your date window.

How overlap works: A store qualifies if:

The attribute was first detected before or on the end of your window, AND
The attribute was still detected at or after the start of your window (i.e. it hadn't already disappeared before your window began)

For apps specifically, the store must also currently have the app detected as installed today. Stores where the app was detected during the window but has since been removed will not appear. If you need to find stores where the app was detected during a window regardless of current status, use "Changed During" instead.

For all other attributes (technologies, payment methods, platform plans, shipping countries), "Active During" performs the same overlap check without the current-status requirement.

Removed During

"Did StoreCensus stop detecting this attribute during the window?"

Matches stores where a detection record for the selected attribute ended within your date window — meaning StoreCensus observed the signal was no longer present.

This is an event, not a state. "Removed During January" means StoreCensus detected the removal in January — not that the store was in a removed state throughout January.

Re-detections are included: If StoreCensus detected an app removal in January and then detected a reinstall in March, the store still appears in "Removed During January." The filter only looks at whether a removal was detected in the window, not the store's current status.

Quick reference

Event	What it checks	Sees detections?	Sees removals?
First Became True	First-ever detection date falls in window	✅ First detection only	❌
Changed During	Any detection start date falls in window	✅ Including re-detections	❌
Active During	Detection period overlaps window	✅	✅ (if active during window)
Removed During	Detection end date falls in window	❌	✅

Examples by attribute

Apps

Scenario: You want to find stores where StoreCensus first detected [HumanPresence] Shop Protector in Q1 2025.

Attribute: Apps
Value: [HumanPresence] Shop Protector
Event: First Became True
Date range: Jan 1 2025 – Mar 31 2025

This returns stores where StoreCensus first observed Shop Protector installed during Q1 2025. Stores where it was detected before Q1 and then re-detected in Q1 are excluded.

Scenario: You want to find stores where StoreCensus stopped detecting Klaviyo in the last 90 days — potential switchers to pitch an alternative.

Attribute: Apps
Value: Klaviyo
Event: Removed During
Date range: 90 days ago – today

This returns stores where a Klaviyo removal was detected in the last 90 days, regardless of whether it has since been re-detected.

Scenario: You want stores where Recharge was detected at any point during 2024 — they were subscription merchants that year.

Attribute: Apps
Value: Recharge
Event: Changed During
Date range: Jan 1 2024 – Dec 31 2024

This returns stores where any Recharge detection started during 2024. Use "Changed During" rather than "Active During" here if you want to include stores where Recharge is no longer detected today.

Platform Plan

Scenario: You want to find stores where StoreCensus first detected a Shopify Plus plan in the last 6 months — recently upgraded merchants who may need enterprise-tier tools.

Attribute: Platform Plan
Value: Plus
Event: First Became True
Date range: 6 months ago – today

This returns stores where the first-ever Plus plan detection falls in the last 6 months.

Scenario: You want stores where a Shopify Plus plan was detected at any point in 2024, even if it was detected before.

Attribute: Platform Plan
Value: Plus
Event: Changed During
Date range: Jan 1 2024 – Dec 31 2024

This catches any store where a Plus plan detection record started during 2024, including those that may have had a gap and been re-detected.

Technologies

Scenario: You want stores where StoreCensus first detected Google Analytics 4 in the last 90 days.

Attribute: Technologies
Value: Google Analytics 4
Event: First Became True
Date range: Last 90 days

This returns stores where GA4 was first observed in the last 90 days.

Scenario: You want stores where Hotjar was no longer detected in the last 60 days — they may be looking for an alternative session recording tool.

Attribute: Technologies
Value: Hotjar
Event: Removed During
Date range: 60 days ago – today

Payment Methods

Scenario: You want stores where StoreCensus first detected Klarna in the last 30 days — they're now BNPL-enabled and may be open to other BNPL or checkout tools.

Attribute: Payment Methods
Value: Klarna
Event: First Became True
Date range: Last 30 days

Shipping Countries

Scenario: You want stores where StoreCensus first detected shipping to Germany in the last 90 days — they may need EU compliance, VAT, or localization tools.

Attribute: Shipping Countries
Value: Germany
Event: First Became True
Date range: Last 90 days

Combining Timing Filters with main filters

Timing Filters work alongside your main filters, not instead of them. The main filter defines the universe of stores (e.g. "has Klaviyo detected"), and the Timing Filter narrows it by when (e.g. "first detected in Q1 2025").

Example: To find stores that currently have Klaviyo detected AND where StoreCensus first detected it in Q1 2025:

In the Apps filter, select Klaviyo (Yes).
Add a Timing Filter: Apps → Klaviyo → First Became True → Jan 1 – Mar 31 2025.

Both conditions must be true. The main filter ensures the store currently has Klaviyo detected; the timing filter ensures the first detection was in Q1 2025.

Why your results may be smaller than before

If you previously used the old install date range filter and are now using Timing Filters, you may notice smaller result counts. This is expected and correct.

The old date range filtered broadly across all apps by detection date. Timing Filters are scoped to the specific app and event type you select, so they are more precise. "Active During" on a specific app will always return a subset of what a broad date filter returned, because it is scoped to that one app and that one window.

Supported attributes

Attribute	Supports Removal?
Apps	✅ Yes
Technologies	✅ Yes
Payment Methods	✅ Yes
Shipping Countries	✅ Yes
Platform Plan	❌ No
Markets Pro	❌ No
Checkout Extensions	❌ No

Attributes that don't support removal only show three event options: First Became True, Changed During, Active During.