Top 10 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Retailers

There are hundreds of KPIs that your retail business could monitor, but which are most valuable? Here are 10 key performance indicators you should be tracking.

But first, what are KPIs in Retail?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are essential metrics that all retailers need to track. This helps them analyze the status of their business. Dive into the world of KPIs and uncover your business's strengths, weaknesses, and untapped potential!

There are hundreds of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for a retail business. Which ones should you monitor to help you plan for the future? Are some KPI’s more valuable than others for retailers?

Top 10 KPIs

1. Conversion Rate

Your conversion rate measures how successful your store or website is. It is calculated by dividing the total number of visitors by the total number of shoppers who made a purchase. The key performance indicator provides insight into the effectiveness of the sales team. It also reveals the attractiveness of the product or service to potential customers.

Conversion rate is a valuable metric for eCommerce businesses with an online presence. It provides insight into how well your website's forms and landing pages are performing. By reviewing this data, you can identify areas of opportunity to enhance user experience on your storefront.

If you're seeing lackluster conversion rates, it's time to shake up your strategy. Consider expanding the products and services you offer, investing in sales training for staff or running heat map tests on your website - all of which can help enhance user experience and ramp-up those numbers.

2. Sales Per Employee

Sales per employee is calculated by dividing your net revenue by your total number of employees. Maximize your staffing efficiency and drive down labor costs by monitoring individual employee sales performance. Leverage this data to pinpoint overstaffed or understaffed shifts and strategically adapt your workforce to ensure optimal sales productivity.

Optimizing sales per employee can elevate your business strategy by establishing clear targets, anticipating seasonal staffing needs, and efficiently allocating resources for training, compensation, and incentives.

3. Sales Per Square Foot

As a business, you understand the importance of a carefully designed space and attractive product displays. These can encourage customers to make a purchase. Sales per square foot can be calculated by dividing your net sales by sales floor, showroom, or gallery space.

You will discover the true value of your store's real estate by measuring the cost of upkeep and staffing against its generated sales revenue. This metric reveals the productivity of your store's layout, space use, and merchandise displays. It helps guide you towards smart business decisions.

Calculating your sales per square foot may expose the necessity to explore cost-effective venues or expand into the digital realm, where customers can conveniently shop without stepping into a physical store.

4. Inventory Turnover Rate

The inventory or stock turnover rate measures how much merchandise a retail business sells within different time periods. These time frames include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. It’s calculated by measuring the cost of goods sold divided by the cost of the average amount of inventory you have on hand. 

Your inventory turnover is likely to change during the year. This can happen during seasonal slow periods and peak times like holidays. You should aim for turnover to increase from quarter to quarter. Encountering an unexpected slowdown in turnover, devoid of seasonal influences, signals the necessity for strategic intervention.

5. Gross and Net Profit

Gross profit is your selling price minus the cost of goods sold. Net profit is calculated by subtracting all expenses from all generated revenue.

Analyzing key performance KPIs of gross and net profit gives businesses insight into their financial performance. This helps them identify potential areas for improvement. Strategic changes can then be made to enhance profit margins and ensure a thriving future.

For example, a low gross profit could be tackled by discovering alternative product sourcing methods, ultimately reducing the cost of goods. Similarly, unsatisfactory net profit can be addressed by reassessing staffing and infrastructure to cut down unnecessary expenditures.

6. Year Over Year Growth

Achieving consistent growth is crucial for retailers as it paves the way for a thriving future. Analyzing yearly performance enables valuable insights, empowering businesses to identify potential roadblocks and implement targeted recovery strategies. Furthermore, grasping positive growth percentages aids in establishing achievable future goals, ensuring a trajectory of success.

Remember that numerous financial choices remain in your hands, despite uncontrollable elements such as economic downturns. This empowers you to enhance and sustain annual growth.

7. Online vs. Brick and Mortar Sales

Optimizing your business resources for maximum impact is critical when managing both an online and physical retail store. By closely analyzing sales metrics and revenue patterns, you can gain valuable insights into how each channel influences the other, helping you create a seamless and effective consumer shopping experience. Understanding the dynamics between in-store sales and online interactions is key to maximizing profits and managing resources wisely.

For example, prior online interactions may boost in-store sales, while store visits may lead to future online purchases.

8. Return Rate or Refunds Requested

Assess the quality of your products and customer satisfaction. Track the return rate and refund requests as key performance indicators, this will help you effectively evaluate your offerings. Naturally, it's essential to comprehend the rationale behind these returns, so gather comprehensive information throughout the return process.

If the return rate is above 10%, look into potential issues such as quality control, advertising, or sales team performance. This will help identify the underlying cause.

9. Customer Retention and Positive Reviews

Establishing a solid foundation of loyal patrons is vital for a thriving retail business. Stimulate customer loyalty by consistently offering exceptional products and services, resulting in favorable reviews. These testimonials inform potential clients about your business's credibility and trustworthiness, increasing conversion rates.

Boost your sales and enhance customer loyalty by effectively monitoring customer retention metrics and analyzing online reviews. Improve customer service and optimize sales funnel automation by identifying areas for improvement and capitalizing on your strengths. This will result in loyal, highly-valued clientele.

Need help managing and earning reviews? Give Chekkit a try - risk free for 14 days!

10. Average Spend

Average spend can be calculated by dividing your total revenue by the total number of sales transactions.

If customers visit your store, either online or in-person, but your average spend is low, you can increase it. Make changes to your store design and product placement to do so. Additionally, you can train your salesforce to upsell and cross-sell. Boost your bottom line even further by offering enticing product bundles, implementing tiered pricing discounts, or introducing monthly membership services!

Track Your Retail KPIs for Success

Elevate your retail business performance by monitoring KPIs, optimizing processes, and embracing innovative software solutions to boost sales and enhance customer satisfaction. With a solid grasp on crucial retail KPIs, you're now ready to confidently navigate monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting, mastering your business performance analysis.

Unlock the full potential of your retail business by closely examining key performance indicators (KPIs). These invaluable metrics act as a compass, guiding you towards areas of success and highlighting opportunities for growth. By staying well-informed of your KPIs, you can confidently implement effective strategies and drive your sales to new heights.

Author:
Micah
January 4, 2024

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