If you’re an e-commerce business owner, then you know that a business report is an important way to track your company’s progress and performance. But what should you actually include in your report? Here are some essential elements:
- Sales data–This is probably the most important metric for any e-commerce business. Include a breakdown of your sales by product, channel, and time period.
- Customer data–Knowing who your customers are is essential for any business, but it’s especially important for e-commerce businesses. Include demographic information about your customers, as well as data on their buying habits and preferences.
- Traffic data–Another essential metric for e-commerce businesses is website traffic. Include a breakdown of your traffic by source (organic, direct, referral, etc.), as well as data on conversion rates. This is especially crucial for progress reports, where you’ll want to track changes in traffic and conversion rates over time.
- Expenses–Of course, you’ll also need to include a breakdown of your expenses in your business report. This includes both variable and fixed costs, such as inventory, shipping, and marketing.
- Profit margins–Once you have your sales and expenses data, you can calculate your profit margins. This is an important metric for any business, but it’s especially important for e-commerce businesses, where margins are often razor-thin.
Finding all this data in an easy-to-understand and compact form may be impossible. Accounting insights software can be very helpful with this task, and can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes you to finish your report. If you want to learn how to present this data in your report, check out our post on how to document data in business reports. For now, let’s discuss a few tools that can help you write your business report and some things to keep in mind while writing it.
Tools That Can Help
There are many different tools that you can use to write a business report; however, not all of these tools will be equally helpful. Here are a few of the most popular and effective options:
- Microsoft Word – Microsoft Word is a versatile tool that can be used for a variety of different purposes. It’s especially well-suited for writing business reports, as it has a wide range of features that make it easy to format and organize your data.
- Google Docs – Another popular option for writing business reports is Google Docs. One of the main benefits of using Google Docs is that it’s free, which can be a major advantage for small businesses. Another upside of Docs is that it allows teams to collaborate on documents in real-time.
- Canva – Canva is a popular graphic design tool that can be used to create professional-looking visuals for your report. While it’s not technically a word processing tool, it can be used to create charts, graphs, and infographics that will make your report more visually appealing.
- Grammarly – Grammarly is a proofreading and editing tool that can be used to improve the clarity and quality of your writing. It also has a useful Chrome extension that can check your grammar and spelling as you write in Google Docs.
Things to Keep In Mind
There are a few key things to keep in mind when writing a business report:
1. Make Sure Your Data Is Accurate
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to make sure that the data in your report is accurate. This means double-checking your sources and doing your due diligence to ensure that the data is accurate.
2. Be Clear and Concise
When writing a business report, it’s important to be clear and concise. This means being as specific as possible and avoiding unnecessary jargon. Remember, your goal is to communicate information, not to impress with your vocabulary.
3. Use Visuals
As we mentioned earlier, visuals can be a great way to make your report more understandable and engaging. Charts, graphs, and infographics can be especially helpful in conveying complex information.
4. Edit and Proofread Your Work
Before you publish or share your report, make sure to edit and proofread it. This will help ensure that your report is free of errors and easy to understand.For more content on how data can help your business grow, take a look at our recent post on using data-driven attribution.
