Measurement and reporting
Articles on measurement and reporting for ecommerce agencies.
GA4
Slack
WordPress
Shopify
Stock photos and example labels, not customers.
In this section
An outline for a monthly client report
A monthly report should answer one question first and show its work second. This outline keeps the headline number honest and the supporting detail easy to check.
6 min read→ Guides
MER vs ROAS on one page
If a client only reads one paragraph of your report, it should explain why two numbers that sound alike disagree.
4 min read→ Templates and checklists
A UTM audit checklist for client accounts
Untagged or inconsistent links are the quiet reason analytics cannot say where visits came from.
5 min read→ Templates and checklists
A weekly client update email template
A client reads a short, honest email. A long one gets skimmed and a vague one gets a phone call.
4 min read→ Guides
Break-even ROAS: a worked example with made-up numbers
The formula fits on one line. The work is deciding which costs belong in the margin.
5 min read→ Guides
How to run a simple holdout test for an ecommerce store
When you must know whether a channel works, attribution is not enough. A holdout test is the simplest honest answer.
6 min read→ Guides
What to do when MER drops
A falling MER is a symptom. The fastest way to make it worse is to cut budget before you know the cause.
6 min read→ Templates and checklists
A report quality checklist you can copy
Put this on one page and tick it before every send. It takes five minutes and prevents most embarrassing errors.
3 min read→ Guides
How to set a MER target with a client
A target that nobody can derive will be argued about every month. A target built from the margin can be checked.
4 min read→ Guides
How to read a cohort table for an ecommerce store
A cohort table shows whether customers come back. Read it row by row, and compare groups at the same age.
5 min read→ GuidesHow to report a promotion without flattering the numbers
A promotion lifts every number on the dashboard. The report has to say how much of that lift the ads can actually take credit for.
5 min read→ Guides
Setting ad targets when shipping costs change
A shipping change moves the break-even line. If the target stays where it was, the ads look better or worse than they really are.
4 min read→ Guides
Planning ad budgets around seasonality
A seasonal peak can make a weak month look strong and a normal month look weak. Plan against the calendar, not against the last four weeks.
5 min read→ GuidesReading MER in a subscription store
In a subscription store the first order is only the start. A single day of MER does not show whether the customer ever pays again.
5 min read→ Guides
Ten numbers for a client dashboard, in reading order
A dashboard with thirty numbers gets skimmed. A dashboard with ten defined numbers gets read, questioned and acted on.
4 min read→ GuidesHow to read a CPM change in an ad account
CPM is the price of a thousand impressions. When it moves, the cause is usually the audience, the mix of places or the competition for the same people.
4 min read→ GuidesHow to read a CTR drop in an ad account
CTR is the share of impressions that get a click. When it falls, the ad is the first suspect and often the last one to check.
4 min read→ GuidesHow to read a conversion rate change for an online store
Conversion rate is orders divided by sessions. A change in it is easy to blame on the ads. The order of checks decides whether you find the real cause.
5 min read→ Guides
A five-minute daily check for an ecommerce ad account
Most ad problems grow for days before anyone looks. A short check each morning catches them while they are still small.
4 min read→ Templates and checklistsA tracking QA checklist template for campaign launches
Tracking problems are cheaper to find before the spend starts than after the report looks wrong. A short QA pass before launch, and a check on day one, finds them while the spend is still small.
5 min read→ Guides
How to read a new customer rate change in an online store
The new customer rate is the share of orders from people who have not bought before. It moves when the ads bring new buyers, and also when the repeat base changes size.
4 min read→ Guides
How to read an average order value change in an online store
Average order value is revenue divided by orders. A higher number feels like progress, but it can come from one large order, a discount rule or a shift in what people buy.
4 min read→ Guides
How to read a return rate change in an ecommerce store
A return rate that jumps can mean a product problem, a sizing problem or returns that simply arrive late. Each one needs a different action, so find out which one it is first.
4 min read→ Guides
How to read the gap between platform ROAS and blended ROAS
Platform ROAS and blended ROAS rarely match. The gap is not an error to fix. It is a set of differences to explain before any budget decision is made.
5 min read→ Guides
What a payback window tells you about ad spend
A payback window is the time it takes a group of new customers to return their acquisition cost in margin. It shows how long money is tied up, which matters as much as the ratio.
4 min read→ Templates and checklistsA weekly metric review template for the internal team
A weekly review that starts from a blank page takes an hour to read and often ends without a decision. A fixed page puts the decision first.
4 min read→ GuidesHow to triage a sudden spend spike in a client ad account
A spend spike is an alarm, not a diagnosis. Confirm the number first, then find out whether the money was well spent before anything changes.
5 min read→ GuidesHow to explain a flat week to an ecommerce client
A flat week is not a failure, but it still needs a clear answer. Say what happened, what did not change, and what you will check next.
4 min read→ GuidesReading blended and platform numbers together without double counting
Blended numbers and platform numbers answer different questions. Put them side by side with their definitions, or they will be argued about forever.
5 min read→ GuidesHow to build a promo calendar for an ecommerce client
A promo calendar shows every offer before it runs, so spend, margin and reporting can be planned together instead of argued after the fact.
5 min read→ GuidesHow to write a metric tree for an ecommerce ad account
A metric tree starts from one number the client cares about and breaks it into the parts that move it. It shows where to look when that number changes.
5 min read→
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