The "Which Report Do I Need?" Question
You know you need better data insights, but which report actually solves your problem?
Common scenarios:
- "My bank deposit doesn't match my sales dashboard" → Payout Check
- "I don't know if I'm actually making money after fees" → Margin Breakdown
- "I keep running out of stock on bestsellers" → Stockout Forecast
- "My ads spend keeps growing but I don't know if it's working" → Ad Spend Reality
- "I have too much inventory sitting around" → Dead Stock Cleanup
This guide compares all report kits so you can pick the right one for your specific need.
Financial/Profit Reports
Payout Check
What it does:
Reconciles your bank deposits to actual sales, breaking down all fees, refunds, and adjustments.
Questions it answers:
- "Why is my bank deposit $847 less than my sales dashboard shows?"
- "Am I being overcharged on fees?"
- "Which orders are in which payout batch?"
- "How much did refunds cost me this month?"
Best for:
- Shopify, Stripe, PayPal sellers
- Anyone confused by payout timing
- Accountants reconciling books
- Fee transparency concerns
Output:
- Payout summary with fee breakdown
- Order-level payout mapping
- Fee variance analysis
- Refund impact calculation
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Margin Breakdown
What it does:
Calculates true profit per SKU after COGS, platform fees, payment fees, shipping, and returns.
Questions it answers:
- "What's my actual margin after ALL costs?"
- "Which products are losing money?"
- "What's the impact of free shipping on profitability?"
- "Should I keep selling this SKU?"
Best for:
- Stores with thin margins
- Multi-SKU catalogs
- Pricing decisions
- Product portfolio optimization
Output:
- SKU-level profitability
- Margin waterfall (price → net)
- Loss-making SKU alerts
- Category performance comparison
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Discount Profit Check
What it does:
Shows which discount codes are profitable vs money-losing after all fees and costs.
Questions it answers:
- "Did my Black Friday sale actually make money?"
- "What's the maximum safe discount for each product?"
- "Which promo codes drive profit vs volume?"
- "Should I run this promotion again?"
Best for:
- Heavy promoters
- Flash sale businesses
- Clearance/liquidation strategies
- Margin-conscious sellers
Output:
- Discount code profitability
- Break-even discount calculator
- Safe discount ranges by SKU
- Promo performance comparison
Inventory Reports
Stockout Forecast
What it does:
Predicts which SKUs will stock out and when, calculates reorder points and quantities.
Questions it answers:
- "What should I reorder this week?"
- "How many units of each SKU?"
- "Which products are at risk of stockout?"
- "What's my safety stock target?"
Best for:
- Stores with 50+ SKUs
- Preventing lost sales from stockouts
- Optimizing cash tied up in inventory
- Seasonal businesses
Output:
- Days until stockout per SKU
- Recommended reorder quantities
- Safety stock calculations
- Lead time-adjusted forecasts
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Dead Stock Cleanup
What it does:
Identifies slow-moving inventory, calculates carrying costs, suggests liquidation pricing.
Questions it answers:
- "Which products aren't selling?"
- "How much cash is tied up in dead inventory?"
- "What discount level will move this stock?"
- "Should I liquidate or hold?"
Best for:
- Overstocked sellers
- Fashion/seasonal businesses
- Cash flow improvement
- Warehouse space optimization
Output:
- Slow mover identification
- Carrying cost analysis
- Liquidation pricing recommendations
- Turnover rate by SKU
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13-Week Cash Flow
What it does:
Projects weekly cash in/out accounting for payout delays, inventory purchases, and operating costs.
Questions it answers:
- "Will I have enough cash in 6 weeks to pay suppliers?"
- "When will I get paid for last week's sales?"
- "Can I afford this inventory purchase?"
- "What's my cash runway?"
Best for:
- Growth businesses
- Inventory-heavy operations
- Avoiding cash crunches
- Financing/loan planning
Output:
- Weekly cash position forecast
- Payout timing model
- Inventory cash impact
- Scenario analysis (best/worst case)
Growth/Analytics Reports
Customer LTV & Cohorts
What it does:
Tracks customer lifetime value and repeat behavior by acquisition cohort.
Questions it answers:
- "Which marketing channels drive the most valuable customers?"
- "What's my average customer worth over 12 months?"
- "Are repeat purchase rates improving?"
- "Which cohorts have best retention?"
Best for:
- Retention-focused businesses
- Subscription/consumable products
- Optimizing marketing spend
- Understanding customer behavior
Output:
- LTV by cohort
- Retention curves
- Repeat purchase rates
- Channel quality comparison
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Ad Spend Reality (Blended ROAS)
What it does:
Calculates true marketing ROI combining all ad platforms with actual revenue.
Questions it answers:
- "What's my real ROAS across all channels?"
- "Are my ads profitable after costs?"
- "Which platform delivers best returns?"
- "What's my true CAC?"
Best for:
- Multi-channel advertisers
- Performance marketers
- High ad spend businesses
- Attribution clarity
Output:
- Blended ROAS calculation
- CAC by channel
- Contribution margin ROAS
- Platform comparison
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Returns & Refunds Analyzer
What it does:
Breaks down refund costs by SKU, identifies problem products, calculates total refund impact.
Questions it answers:
- "Which products have highest return rates?"
- "What are refunds actually costing me?"
- "Should I discontinue this high-return SKU?"
- "What's my true net revenue after returns?"
Best for:
- High-return categories (apparel, electronics)
- Quality control issues
- Product discontinuation decisions
- True profitability analysis
Output:
- Return rate by SKU
- Total refund cost (product + fees + shipping)
- Problem SKU identification
- Refund trend analysis
Decision Matrix: Which Report First?
If You Have 1 Hour, Start With:
Priority 1: Payout Check
- Fastest ROI (finds missing money immediately)
- Critical for financial accuracy
- Foundation for other analyses
If You're Losing Money, Start With:
Priority 1: Margin Breakdown
- Shows true profitability per SKU
- Identifies loss-making products
- Reveals hidden cost leaks
If You're Out of Stock Often, Start With:
Priority 1: Stockout Forecast
- Prevents lost sales
- Optimizes inventory investment
- Reduces emergency reorders
If You're Growing Fast, Start With:
Priority 1: 13-Week Cash Flow
- Prevents cash crunches
- Models inventory purchases
- Critical for scaling safely
The Complete Report Stack
Most successful businesses use 3-5 reports regularly:
Financial Stack:
1. Payout Check (monthly)
2. Margin Breakdown (weekly)
3. Discount Profit Check (after each promo)
Inventory Stack:
1. Stockout Forecast (weekly)
2. Dead Stock Cleanup (monthly)
3. 13-Week Cash Flow (weekly update)
Growth Stack:
1. Ad Spend Reality (weekly during active campaigns)
2. Customer LTV (monthly)
3. Returns Analyzer (monthly)
The All-In Stack (Complete Picture):
Daily:
- Sales summary (simple revenue/orders)
Weekly:
- Margin Breakdown
- Stockout Forecast
- Cash Flow update
Monthly:
- Payout Check
- Customer LTV
- Dead Stock Cleanup
- Returns Analyzer
Quarterly:
- Strategic review using all reports
- Cohort analysis deep-dive
- Supplier performance review
Report Kit Combinations That Work Together
Some reports complement each other perfectly:
Combo 1: Profit Clarity
Payout Check + Margin Breakdown
- Payout Check: reconcile what you got paid
- Margin Breakdown: understand why profit is what it is
- Together: complete profit picture
Combo 2: Inventory Optimization
Stockout Forecast + Dead Stock Cleanup
- Stockout: what to buy more of
- Dead Stock: what to liquidate
- Together: optimal inventory mix
Combo 3: Marketing Intelligence
Ad Spend Reality + Customer LTV
- Ad Spend: measure acquisition efficiency
- LTV: measure customer quality
- Together: true marketing ROI
Combo 4: Cash Management
13-Week Cash Flow + Payout Check
- Cash Flow: predict when cash arrives
- Payout Check: verify predictions
- Together: eliminate cash surprises
Not sure which report to start with? Connect your store and we'll recommend the best report kit based on your business type and data.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
Learn from these common pitfalls to ensure success
Trying to use every report at once and getting overwhelmed
Solution: Start with ONE report that solves your biggest pain point. Add more only after the first is delivering value.
Choosing reports based on what sounds cool instead of what you'll actually use
Solution: Pick the report that answers a question you ask yourself every week. Excitement doesn't matter - utility does.
Not scheduling reports and forgetting to run them
Solution: Set up automation immediately. If you have to remember to generate a report, you won't use it consistently.
Generating reports but never acting on insights
Solution: End each report review with one specific action. Reports without actions are just pretty spreadsheets.
How to Verify Your Numbers
Ensure accuracy with these verification steps
You can explain what each report kit does in one sentence
You've identified which report solves your specific business problem
You know which 2-3 reports you'll use regularly vs occasionally
You understand which reports work well together
You have a plan for which report to set up first and why
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use multiple report kits on the same data?
Do different report kits cost different amounts?
Which report should a new e-commerce business start with?
What if I need data that's not in any existing report kit?
Can I customize or modify report kits?
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