Metrics & Reporting

Reading the Census monthly retail report alongside POS data

The Census retail report estimates monthly sales across US retail. What it measures, how it differs from POS scan data, and how to read both.

Sep 5, 20264 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Dashboards vs. reports: when each works for retail data

Dashboards vs reports for retail data: dashboards monitor what you already understand, reports explain what changed. How to choose between them.

Aug 21, 20264 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Seasonally adjusted vs. raw sales numbers

Seasonally adjusted data removes the usual calendar pattern to show the trend. When to use it, when raw numbers are better, and why it's revised.

Aug 19, 20264 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Automating a report without automating an error

An automated report repeats a mistake at scale and in silence. The controls that make automation safe.

Jun 5, 20264 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Reading a syndicated report critically

A syndicated report is a product with methodological choices inside it. The sections to read first and the questions they should answer.

May 27, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Substitution analysis without loyalty cards

Independent retail rarely has shopper identifiers. What can still be learned about switching from transaction data alone.

Apr 10, 20264 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Reading a data quality report

Quality reports are published and rarely read. The fields that actually matter and what an unusual value implies.

Mar 28, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Seasonal adjustment: what it does and what it hides

Adjusted figures make periods comparable and remove information at the same time. When to use them and when to read the raw series.

Mar 11, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Leading vs. lagging indicators in retail, explained

Leading vs. lagging indicators in retail: which metrics hint at what's coming, which confirm what happened, and how to put both to work.

Feb 14, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Monthly retail reporting: why cadence matters

Why monthly retail reporting is the industry's working rhythm: fresh enough to act on, stable enough to trust, and how to build the habit.

Feb 13, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Sales velocity benchmarks: comparing very different stores

How to build a fair sales velocity benchmark when stores differ in size, traffic, and assortment: normalization, comparable sets, and pitfalls.

Jan 26, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Measuring brand loyalty without loyalty cards

How to measure brand loyalty with scan data when stores run no loyalty program: velocity stability, share durability, and the honest limits.

Jan 23, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

CPG benchmarking: measuring your brand against the channel

What CPG benchmarking means, why channel context beats internal targets, and how to compare your brand fairly using independent retail scan data.

Jan 12, 20265 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Holiday sales in convenience stores: reading demand

Why holiday sales in convenience stores follow their own pattern, which calendar traps distort comparisons, and how to define a fair holiday window.

Dec 26, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Weather impact on retail sales: signal vs. noise

How weather impact on retail sales actually works in scan data, why it's overused as an explanation, and three checks to run before crediting the forecast.

Dec 24, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Seasonality in convenience stores: reading the calendar

What seasonality in convenience stores really means, how calendar effects distort monthly comparisons, and how analysts separate trend from calendar.

Dec 22, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

How to read a same-store sales report

How to read a same-store sales report: what the comp base means, why dollars and units differ, and how much weight one month should carry.

Dec 20, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Unit sales vs. dollar sales: reading the same month twice

Unit sales vs dollar sales: why the two diverge when prices move, and a short checklist for deciding which number to trust for which question.

Dec 19, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Retail KPIs explained: AUR, UPT, and basket size

Retail KPIs explained in plain English: what AUR, UPT, and basket size measure, how the three connect, and how to read them without overreacting.

Dec 17, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

SKU velocity: reading the speed of the shelf

What is SKU velocity? How units per store per week measures the speed of the shelf, and how to use velocity without misreading it.

Nov 26, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Market basket analysis: what baskets show that totals don't

Market basket analysis explained: how studying which items sell together reveals shopping occasions, placement clues, and promotion pairings.

Nov 21, 20255 min read

Metrics & Reporting

Same-store sales, explained

What is same store sales? A plain definition, how the comparable-store base is built, and why analysts trust it as a measure of real retail growth.

Nov 14, 20255 min read

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