Ecommerce automation
Ecommerce reporting automation
Online sellers often have several versions of the truth: the store's dashboard, each marketplace's reports, the payment provider's payouts and the accounts. They disagree because each defines sales differently and includes or excludes refunds, discounts, shipping, tax and fees in its own way. Ecommerce reporting automation pulls the data together on a schedule, applies one set of definitions, shows what each product and channel really contributes after costs and checks the result against the accounts.
This page covers ecommerce-specific figures. Dashboard design and recurring report documents are covered on the reporting dashboard and report generation pages.
Illustrative diagram
- Gross sales
- Less discounts
- Less refunds
- Net sales
- Less costs and fees
- Contribution
Figures that need defining
| Figure | Decisions |
|---|---|
| Gross sales | Before or after discounts; including shipping or not |
| Net sales | After refunds; tax excluded; treatment of gift cards |
| Orders | Counted when placed, paid or shipped; cancelled orders excluded |
| Contribution | Net sales minus product cost, fees, shipping and packaging |
| Repeat purchase rate | Share of customers ordering again within a set period |
One definition, written down
Agree each definition once with whoever owns the figures, often the owner and the accountant, and apply it to every channel. A marketplace's sales report and your store's dashboard may both be correct by their own rules yet differ noticeably; your own report should restate both in your definitions. Record the definitions alongside the report so readers know exactly what each number includes.
Revisit definitions when you add a channel or change how you handle shipping or gift cards.
What each product and channel really earns
Revenue alone hides big differences. A product sold on a marketplace may carry selling fees, fulfilment charges and higher return rates; the same product on your own site carries payment fees and your own shipping costs. Allocating these costs by order, using actual fees from payout reports and shipping costs from labels, shows contribution by product and channel. Product costs need to be recorded and kept current for this to work.
Data sources to combine
Sales
- Store orders and refunds
- Marketplace order reports
- Wholesale or offline sales
Costs
- Product costs
- Payment and marketplace fees from payouts
- Shipping label costs
Checks
- Accounting figures for reconciliation
- Advertising spend, if reported together
Reconciling with the accounts
Each month, compare report totals for net sales, refunds and fees with the accounting figures for the same period. Differences often trace to timing, such as orders placed in one month and refunded in the next, or to items treated differently. Explain them once and adjust definitions or mapping where needed. A report that reconciles earns trust; one that does not gets ignored.
Example: a weekly trading report
Illustrative example — not a client case study
Situation: A seller on its own site and two marketplaces builds a weekly trading report by hand from four exports, and the figures never match the accounts.
- Definitions for net sales, orders and contribution are agreed with the accountant.
- Store, marketplace and payout data load nightly into one place and are restated in those definitions.
- The weekly report shows net sales and contribution by channel and product; month-end totals are reconciled.
What this shows: The weekly report took no assembly time, and month-end differences were small and explained. This example is illustrative.
Repeat customers and cohorts
Looking at customers by the month they first ordered, and how many order again within three, six and twelve months, shows whether the business is building loyal customers or relying on constant new ones. Calculate it from store orders using a consistent customer identifier, and treat marketplace customers separately where their contact details are not available to you. Watch for duplicate customer records, which make repeat rates look lower than they are.
Compare cohorts before and after changes such as a new loyalty scheme.
Reporting app or your own data store?
Ecommerce reporting app
Suits you when
- Your channels are supported
- Standard definitions suit you
Watch out for
- Check how it defines net sales and fees
- Subscription often by order volume
Your own data store and reports
Suits you when
- Several channels or unusual costs
- Definitions must match your accounts exactly
Watch out for
- Build and maintenance
- Needs an owner
Where to start
Start by agreeing definitions and reconciling one month of figures by hand. That shows which data sources and adjustments the automated report must handle.
Refresh timing
Load data overnight for daily and weekly reports, and reload recent days for a short period, since refunds, fees and marketplace adjustments can arrive after the order. Mark recent figures as provisional until they settle.
Questions about ecommerce reporting automation
Why do store and marketplace figures disagree?
Each defines sales differently for discounts, refunds, shipping, tax and fees.
What is contribution?
Net sales minus product cost, fees, shipping and packaging.
Who should agree the definitions?
The owner and accountant, recorded alongside the report.
Which data sources are combined?
Store and marketplace orders, payouts, shipping costs, product costs and accounting figures.
Should reports reconcile with the accounts?
Yes, each month, with differences explained.
Where is dashboard design covered?
On the business reporting dashboard pages.
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