KPI examples for every company: inspiration by department and sector
KPIs — key performance indicators — help companies measure what matters. But many organizations struggle with choosing the right KPIs. This guide collects concrete KPI examples by function, sector and objective. You will not only receive lists, but also an explanation of how to use them effectively in reporting and decision-making. Whether you work in sales, finance or logistics: here you'll find practical KPIs to make your performance visible.
What are KPIs and why are they important?
KPIs are measurable values that show how effective a company, team or individual is in achieving goals. They act as a yardstick for success. In contrast to general metrics, KPIs are directly linked to strategic objectives. Without KPIs, you're steering blind: you measure numbers but don't know whether they contribute to your bottom line.
A good KPI answers three fundamental questions:
- What do we want to achieve?
- How do we know we're making progress?
- When should we intervene?
A KPI that does not answer these questions provides little value. Think of vague measurement points such as “improving satisfaction”. That sounds good, but without a concrete goal and measuring point, no one knows if you're on track. The strength of a KPI lies in its sharpness.
KPIs are also crucial when it comes to change management: they help your employees understand where the priorities lie and make performance visible. Without measuring points, successes are difficult to recognize and failures are difficult to correct.
KPI examples by department
Sales
The sales department is perhaps the best-known domain for KPIs, but good sales management goes far beyond just sales figures. You want to measure what happens in the entire funnel — from prospecting to contract.
Examples:
- Revenue growth compared to last quarter — shows whether sales strategies work
- Average order value - insight into sales quality
- Lead to customer conversion rate — measuring the effectiveness of sales efforts
- Sales cycle in days — how fast do you convert leads?
By monitoring these KPIs by seller, product group or region, you get sharp insights into where the potential lies to make adjustments.
Discover more examples of Sales KPIs here.
Marketing
Marketing is about visibility, engagement and conversion. KPIs in this department are essential to efficiently use your marketing budget.
Examples:
- Website visitors per channel — which channels deliver traffic?
- Click-through rate (CTR) — which campaigns are performing?
- Lead generation (MQLs) — how many marketing qualified leads does your content provide?
- Marketing ROI - revenue per euro spent
Good marketing KPIs also provide input to sales and product development: what's up with your target group?
Discover more examples of KPIs in marketing here.
Finance
A company's financial health requires more than a final balance sheet. KPIs in finance make profitability, cash position and cost efficiency measurable.
Examples:
- Net profit margin — how much profit is left after all costs?
- Gross margin by product category — where are you losing profits without even realizing it?
- Cash conversion cycle — how fast do you convert sales to cash?
- Unit costs — where can you produce or buy more efficiently?
These KPIs often form the core of executive reports and strategic decisions.
Discover more examples of financial KPIs here.
HR
In HR, everything revolves around people and they are difficult to summarize in numbers. Nevertheless, KPIs offer guidance in optimizing recruitment, retention and engagement.
Examples:
- Retention rate — how many employees stay longer than 1 year?
- Time to hire — how quickly can you fill open positions?
- Sick leave per month - insight into well-being and employability
- eNPS (employee net promoter score) — how satisfied are your employees?
HR KPIs are becoming increasingly important as labor market tightness increases.
Read more about KPI examples in HR here.
Logistics
Efficiency, error-free and cost control are key in logistics. KPIs help detect delays, surpluses, and inefficiencies.
Examples:
- Delivery time by order type — how quickly do you meet customer expectations?
- Inventory rotation - how fast does your inventory sell on?
- Delivery error rate — how many orders go wrong?
- Cost per delivery unit — what does it cost to deliver a package to the customer?
Learn more about the good examples of logistical KPIs here.
KPI examples by sector
KPIs for manufacturing companies
- OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) — ratio of usable output to capacity
- Rejection rate — extent to which output does not meet quality standards
- Lead time per product — from raw material to end product
- Downtime per machine — direct impact on productivity
In production environments, KPIs provide tight control and continuous improvement through lean or Six Sigma principles.
Get started with your production KPIs here.
Construction sector
- Budget variance per project — how much does a project cost extra?
- Site delays (in days) — where is the schedule going wrong?
- Cost per square metre — benchmarking project types
- Resource utilization — optimal use of teams and machines
The right construction KPIs make the difference between profitable and loss-making projects. Here's how to best approach this.
E-commerce
- Webshop conversion rate — what percentage of visitors actually buy?
- Return rate — indicator of product quality and customer expectations
- CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) — total value of a customer relationship
- CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) — how much does it cost to bring in a customer?
E-commerce KPIs help you optimize margins, service and customer value in a hyper-focused way.
Discover the most important e-commerce KPIs that you should definitely follow here.
Transport
- Load rate — vehicle utilization
- Fuel cost per kilometre — direct impact on margin
- Average customer wait time — efficiency and customer satisfaction
- Margin per trip or shipment - insight into profitability per journey
In transport, KPIs provide sharpness, planning and profit. See how KPIs make transport companies more profitable here.
B2B Wholesale
- Inventory rotation - how fast does your stock turn around?
- Out-of-stock ratio — how often do you incur no sales?
- Gross margin per product or customer — focus on profit instead of volume
- Order frequency and customer retention — are your customers loyal and active?
In the wholesale trade, it is mainly inventory, margin and customer behavior that make the difference.
This is how you, as a wholesaler, manage with the right KPIs.
B2C Retail
- Turnover per square metre — how much does your retail space generate?
- Receipt value and conversion rate — insight into buying behavior
- Dead stock and seasonal rotation — how long do products sit still?
- CLV and use a customer card — are you building a loyal customer base?
Retail KPIs make store data useful for daily adjustments and strategic choices.
Learn how KPIs make your shop floor smarter here.
Set up and measure KPIs
Good KPIs don't happen by themselves. They must:
- Align with strategic goals
- Be understandable to the teams that run them
- Be measurable and controllable
Use the SMART method:
- Specifically: what exactly to measure?
- Measurable: what data do we use?
- Acceptable: has the KPI been supported?
- Realistic: Is the goal attainable?
- Time-related: when should it be reached?
Tools such as Insight Data, Qlik Sense, PowerBI and Excel make it possible to monitor, filter and visualize KPIs in real time. Important: don't just define KPIs top-down, but also involve operational staff for realism and support.
Learn how to set up SMART KPIs here.
KPI dashboards: visualizing with impact
A KPI without visualization is like a car without a dashboard. By displaying KPIs visually, you increase:
- Understandability
- Response speed
- Ownership
Dashboard best practices:
- Use charts with clear timelines
- Avoid overuse of colors or visuals
- Focus on anomalies and trends
- Let users filter by department, customer, or region
Examples:
- A sales dashboard with sales per salesperson vs. target
- A financial dashboard with margins per product line
- An operational dashboard with weekly delivery reliability
Explore the InsightData Apps with clear and interactive dashboards.
Common mistakes with KPIs
- Measuring too many KPIs → loss of focus and overview
- No connection to strategy → KPIs become separate figures
- No follow-up → KPIs without action are a waste of time
- No support → KPIs are not taken seriously by teams
Limit yourself to a maximum of 10 KPIs per dashboard and provide context (e.g. objective or historical comparison).
Summary and next step
KPIs are the backbone of data-driven work. They help you make better decisions, make faster adjustments and assess team results more objectively. But that only works if you:
- Choose the right KPIs
- Follow them clearly and visually
- She connects to actions
Learn how to set up a good KPI Dashboard here
Learn how InsightData shows KPIs for different sectors here.
Which BI software is the best: here's the ultimate comparison.
A good KPI dashboard shouldn't be expensive, contact us for an informal conversation.