Analytics Dashboard
Your store's analytics dashboard provides insights into sales, inventory, and customer behavior. Understanding these metrics helps you make informed decisions about stocking, pricing, and marketing.
Detailed analytics dashboards are currently in development. This guide describes planned analytics features based on the data already being collected from your store operations.
Accessing Your Dashboard
From the Store Website
- Log in to your store's admin panel
- Navigate to Analytics in the main menu
- View your dashboard overview
From the Mobile App
Analytics are currently available through your store's web admin interface. Mobile analytics access is planned for future updates.
Dashboard Overview
Your analytics dashboard displays key metrics across several categories:
Sales Metrics
- Total revenue
- Orders processed
- Average order value
- Revenue trends over time
Inventory Metrics
- Total items in stock
- Low stock alerts
- Items sold
- Inventory turnover
Customer Metrics
- Total customers
- New vs. returning customers
- Wishlist activity
- Active book club/challenge participants
Time Period Selection
Analyze your data across different timeframes:
Available Time Periods
Quick Select:
- Today: Current day's activity
- Yesterday: Previous day's performance
- Last 7 Days: Week-over-week trends
- Last 30 Days: Monthly patterns
- Last 90 Days: Quarterly performance
- Year to Date: Annual progress
Custom Range:
- Select specific start and end dates
- Compare custom periods
- View historical data
Changing Time Periods
- Locate the date selector at the top of the dashboard
- Click to open the calendar view
- Select a preset period or choose custom dates
- Dashboard updates automatically
Key Metrics Explained
Revenue
Total Revenue: Sum of all completed orders in the selected period
- Includes shipping and tax
- Excludes refunded orders
- Shows gross revenue (before processing fees)
Revenue Trends: Visual chart showing revenue over time
- Daily/weekly/monthly granularity based on time period
- Helps identify sales patterns and trends
- Compare current period to previous period
Orders
Order Count: Number of completed orders
- Online orders through BookWish
- POS transactions (if integrated)
- Both pickup and shipping orders
Average Order Value (AOV): Revenue ÷ Number of orders
- Indicates typical purchase size
- Use to track upselling effectiveness
- Benchmark for promotions
Top Sellers
Best-Selling Books: Ranked by quantity sold
- Shows most popular titles
- Indicates inventory needs
- Reveals customer preferences
See Popular Books for detailed bestseller analytics.
Inventory
Current Stock Levels: Items available for sale
- Total inventory count
- Low stock warnings (customizable threshold)
- Out of stock items
Inventory Turnover: How quickly stock sells
- Calculated as: Sales ÷ Average Inventory
- Higher = faster selling inventory
- Helps optimize stock levels
Customer Activity
Wishlist Adds: Books added to customer wishlists
- Leading indicator of future sales
- Shows customer interest
- Helps with purchasing decisions
Club/Challenge Participation: Community engagement
- Active club members
- Challenge participants
- Discussion activity levels
See Customer Insights for deeper customer analytics.
Comparing Time Periods
Period-Over-Period Comparison
Compare current performance to previous periods:
Week-over-Week: Compare this week to last week
- Useful for: Short-term trends, promotional impact
Month-over-Month: Compare this month to last month
- Useful for: Seasonal patterns, growth tracking
Year-over-Year: Compare to same period last year
- Useful for: Long-term growth, seasonal comparison
How to Compare
- Select your primary time period
- Click Compare to Previous Period
- Dashboard shows:
- Current period metrics
- Previous period metrics
- Percentage change (+ or -)
- Visual indicators (green for up, red for down)
Interpreting Comparisons
Green (Positive) Changes:
- Revenue up
- More orders
- Higher average order value
- Increased customer activity
Red (Negative) Changes:
- Revenue down
- Fewer orders
- Lower average order value
- Decreased activity
Context Matters:
- Consider seasonality (summer vs. winter)
- Account for holidays and events
- Factor in promotions or campaigns
- Compare to industry benchmarks
Dashboard Sections
Sales Overview
Quick snapshot of sales performance:
- Today's sales
- This week's sales
- This month's sales
- Trending up or down indicators
Recent Orders
Latest transactions:
- Order number
- Customer name
- Order total
- Order status (processing, shipped, completed)
- Quick actions (view details, print receipt)
Low Stock Alerts
Items needing attention:
- Book title and ISBN
- Current stock level
- Recommended reorder quantity
- Quick reorder action
Wishlist Demand
Most-requested books not in stock:
- Book title
- Number of wishlists it's on
- Suggested action (stock it!)
- Potential revenue if stocked
See Wishlist Demand for details.
Exporting Data
Available Exports
Export analytics data for external analysis:
Sales Reports:
- CSV format
- Includes all transactions in period
- Customer details (if permitted)
- Product details
Inventory Reports:
- Current stock levels
- Inventory value
- Movement history
Customer Reports:
- Customer list
- Purchase history
- Wishlist data (anonymized)
How to Export
- Navigate to the analytics section you want to export
- Click Export button
- Choose format (CSV recommended)
- Select date range
- Download file
Using Analytics to Make Decisions
Stocking Decisions
Use analytics to optimize inventory:
- Stock more of consistent bestsellers
- Investigate why some books don't sell
- Monitor wishlist demand for stocking ideas
- Balance inventory based on turnover rates
Pricing Strategies
Inform pricing with data:
- Track impact of discounts on sales volume
- Monitor average order value trends
- Compare margins across categories
- Test price points with data
Marketing Insights
Guide marketing efforts:
- Promote books that are trending up
- Create bundles around popular titles
- Time promotions based on sales patterns
- Engage customers with high wishlist items
Operational Improvements
Optimize store operations:
- Adjust staffing based on busy periods
- Schedule promotions during slow times
- Improve checkout based on cart abandonment
- Streamline popular fulfillment methods
Limitations and Notes
What's Currently Available
BookWish collects data on:
- All sales transactions
- Inventory levels and movements
- Customer wishlist activity
- Community engagement (clubs, challenges)
What's Coming
Planned analytics features:
- Visual charts and graphs
- Advanced filtering options
- Predictive analytics
- Custom report builder
- Mobile analytics app access
- Integration with external BI tools
Data Privacy
We respect customer privacy:
- Customer data is anonymized in aggregate reports
- Individual purchase details require proper access
- Comply with data protection regulations
- Customers can opt out of certain analytics
Getting Help
Interpreting Data
If you're unsure how to read metrics:
- Hover over metric names for explanations
- View example scenarios in help docs
- Contact support for guidance
- Join bookstore owner community
Technical Issues
If analytics aren't displaying correctly:
- Refresh the page
- Check your subscription status
- Verify data permissions
- Contact technical support
Feature Requests
We're always improving analytics:
- Submit feedback on wanted features
- Vote on planned improvements
- Share use cases with the team
- Participate in beta testing
Next Steps
- Explore popular books analytics
- Review customer insights
- Learn about inventory management
- Set up wishlist demand tracking
Regular analytics review helps you spot trends early, capitalize on opportunities, and address issues before they impact your bottom line. Set aside time weekly to review your dashboard.