Product Performance Reports
What this feature does
The Product Performance Reports feature shows you which items in your catalog are flying off the shelves and which ones are sitting idle. You can see your best-selling products, identify underperforming items, and understand how many unique products you're actually selling. This report transforms your sales data into actionable insights about what customers love, what they're ignoring, and where you should focus your menu or inventory efforts.
Who it is for
This feature is essential for business owners, managers, and anyone responsible for menu planning, inventory management, or product decisions. Whether you run a restaurant deciding which dishes to feature, a hotel evaluating room packages, or a retail store managing product lines, this report helps you make smart decisions about what to offer and what to remove.
When to use it
Review your Product Performance Reports regularly to keep your offerings fresh and profitable. Check it weekly to identify fast-moving items that might need more inventory or ingredients, analyze it monthly when planning menu changes or new product launches, or examine it seasonally to understand how customer preferences shift throughout the year. It's also invaluable when deciding which items to promote, discount, or discontinue.
Key concepts
Best Performer: This is your star product—the item that generates the most revenue during your selected time period. It might not be your highest-priced item, but it's the one that brings in the most total money through a combination of price and sales volume.
Least Performer: The product that generates the lowest revenue. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad product—it might be new, seasonal, or a specialty item. However, consistently low performers might be candidates for improvement, repricing, or removal from your catalog.
Products Sold: The total count of unique items that had at least one sale during your time period. This helps you understand how much of your catalog is actually being purchased versus sitting unused.
Sales Revenue per Product: The total money each product generated. This is calculated by adding up all the revenue from orders that included that particular item.
Product Quantity: How many units of each product were sold. A product might have high revenue because it's expensive (low quantity, high price) or because it's popular (high quantity, moderate price).
Top Products Chart: A visual ranking of your best-performing items, typically showing your top 10 products. This makes it easy to see at a glance which items are driving your business.
Common questions
Why is my most expensive item not my best performer?
Revenue is about total money earned, not just price per item. A moderately priced item that sells 50 times will generate more revenue than an expensive item that sells only 5 times. Your best performer is the product that successfully combines good pricing with strong customer demand.
Should I remove products that show as least performers?
Not automatically. Consider why they're underperforming first. Is it a new item that customers haven't discovered yet? A seasonal product during its off-season? An item that's poorly described or photographed? Sometimes products need better marketing rather than removal. However, if an item consistently underperforms and you've tried promoting it, it might be time to replace it with something more appealing.
How can I turn my least performers into best performers?
Start by investigating why they're not selling. Is the price too high compared to similar items? Is the description unclear? Is it hidden in your menu or catalog? Try improving product photos, rewriting descriptions, adjusting prices, or featuring it in a combo deal with your best performers. Then monitor the report to see if your changes make a difference.
Can I see how individual product performance changes over time?
Yes, by comparing different date ranges. For example, run the report for last month and then for this month to see which products are trending up or down. This helps you identify seasonal patterns or spot when a once-popular item starts losing appeal.
What if I have too many products to analyze effectively?
The report automatically focuses on your most important items by showing the top and bottom performers. Focus your attention there first. For a deeper analysis, consider running reports for specific product categories separately (if your business has them organized that way), or look at different time periods to narrow down what needs your attention most urgently.