In B2C retail, it's all about getting the right products to the right customer at the right time. But how do you know if that works? Measuring is knowing and KPIs are the building blocks of any well-thought-out retail policy. Whether you're running a boutique chain, supermarket, or lifestyle brand, these KPIs help you manage sales, inventory rotation, and customer value. In this article, we review the most important KPIs per domain and provide tips for incorporating them visually and practically into dashboards.
Store sales and revenue KPIs by location
The turnover figures are often the starting point of any retail analysis, but in themselves they say little. Without context, you miss crucial signals. That is why relative KPIs such as turnover per square meter, average receipt and conversion rate are indispensable.
1. Revenue per square meter
What? Total turnover divided by retail area
Use:
- Benchmark branches with each other
- Identify underperforming locations
Action:
- Review store design and product positioning
- Consider downsizing or innovating on low turnover/m²
2. Average Order Value (AOV)
What? Average value per purchase
Use:
- By branch, by seller, by period
- Signals cross-sell or promotional impact
Visualization:
- Colour-coded bar chart by store
- Performance ranking with evolution compared to last month/year or even by day.
3. Conversion rate
What? % of visitors who buy effectively
Use:
- Only possible with visitor counters
- Crucial to understanding marketing ROI
Action:
- Train store staff to upsell
- Analyze the difference between busy days with low conversion
4. Comparison between locations or sales teams
Use a location comparison dashboard that includes:
- Total revenue, revenue/m², average order value
- Conversion, customer satisfaction score
- Visitors vs. turnover rate
- Add filtering by region, store type, or time period.
Retail inventory management and rotation KPIs
Inventory is both a blessing and a pitfall in retail. Too much stock = cash loss, too little = dissatisfied customers. Retailers who steer this way book better margins and avoid waste.
5. Product lead time
What? Average time between inbound delivery and sale
Use:
- By article, brand or product group
- Signals slowed products
Action:
- Promotions for long lead time items
- Adjust order frequency
6. Stock-out ratio
What? % of days a product was unavailable
Use:
- Recognize top sellers that are often missing
- Combine with lost sales
Dashboard:
- Alert for stockouts >5 days
- List of products with frequent shortages
7. Inventory coverage
What? Number of days/weeks that inventory is sufficient at the current sales rate
Use:
- Per store or distribution center
- Signals overstock or imminent shortages
8. Dead stock
What? Items without sale in X days (e.g. 90)
Use:
- By season or segment
- Important during fashion seasons or limited shelf life
Action:
- Discounts or outlet campaigns
- Decision to remove the product range
9. Seasonal storage
What? Temporary stock peaks for specific campaigns
Use:
- Combine with forecast and promotion calendar
- Avoid delivering too early or too late
Promotion and marketing effectiveness KPIs
Promotions and discounts are essential in retail, but they cost a margin. That's why KPIs such as uplift, ROAS and margin impact are essential for making smart decisions.
10. Promotional success and uplift
What? Extra sales during promotion vs. normal
Use:
- Only useful if the baseline is known
- Also measure impact on other SKUs
Visualization:
- Line graph: normal sales vs. promo period
- Bar chart with uplift% per action
- Price realization index: track the average effective sales price over time. If you're not using it yet, download our white paper about this KPI here.
11. ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
What? Revenue per euro spent on ads
Use:
- By campaign, channel, or region
- Essential for performance marketing
Dashboard:
- Filter by channel: SEA, social, flyers
- ROAS <1 = loss-making
12. Discount impact on margin and traffic
What? Balance between volume increase and decline in margin
Use:
- Promotions with a lot of traffic but low margins = alarm
- Also measure long-term effect (repeat purchases?)
Action:
- Limit aggressive discounts
- Focus on bundles or added value
Customer Behavior and Loyalty KPIs
A loyal customer is worth gold. In B2C retail, loyalty programs, segmentation, and repeat purchases can provide strong insights and increase margins.
13. Recurring purchases
What? % of customers returning within X days
Use:
- Strong indicator of customer satisfaction
- Important for sectors such as beauty, food, kids
14. Customer segments
What? Grouping based on behavior, value, or preference
Use:
- Make a difference between price seekers and loyal buyers
- Adapt communication by segment
Visualization:
- Radar or scatter plot: turnover vs. frequency
- Month-to-month cohort analysis
Contact us about how we can map your customer churn.
15. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
What? Total expected value of a customer over time
Use:
- Important in marketing decisions
- Combine with a retention fee
Action:
- Invest more in customers with high CLV
- Avoid waste with unprofitable groups
16. Use of loyalty cards and loyalty campaigns
What? Sell shares via customer card/app
Use:
- More participation in programs
- Link to segments and retention
Retail dashboards: visual control on the shop floor and head office
Good dashboards make KPIs negotiable in the team. In retail, the difference between the shop floor and head office is important, each with its needs and insights.
Color-coded KPI tiles
Use visual KPI tiles for quick interpretation:
Filtering by location, category, or period
A good retail dashboard lets you:
- Filter by store, region, brand, or seller
- Compare with previous periods or years or with other branches
- Zoom in to categories with different numbers
- Gives you insight into the contribution margin of all your products with a revenue mix by margin class. Download the white paper about this KPI here if you're not using it yet.
Dashboards by role
- Store Manager: Sales vs. Target, Inventory, Top Sellers
- Marketing: conversion, ROAS, promotion analysis
- Finance: margin, return actions, CLV
- Management: overview of KPIs with deviations
Integration with POS and inventory software
- Connect your dashboard to your checkout and inventory platform:
- Real-time data without export
- Alerts in case of declining inventory or spikes in returns
- Automatic calculation of rotation and margin
Summary: B2C retail KPIs at a glance
- Sales: turnover per m², receipt, conversion
- Inventory: rotation, stock-outs, dead stock
- Marketing: uplift, ROAS, promotional impact
- Customer: repeat purchases, CLV, loyalty card
- Dashboarding: tiles, filtering, POS integration
By focusing on these KPIs, you not only increase your turnover, but also your customer value and margins and strengthen the relationship between the shop floor and strategy.
Learn more about other KPIs below.
Do you also sell online? Then these e-commerce KPIs are essential to keep your webshop running.