Custom Reporting is exactly what it sounds like - reports that are custom built. They are needed so businesses can collect, order and analyse data in a way that is useful and relevant to them based on what is available within their specific working environment. Standard or off-the-shelf reports on the other hand, offer generic reports with templates and metrics that are usually designed to appeal to the masses without consideration for specific nuances, limitations or requirements within any one individual company. For businesses in the ecommerce industry, custom reports are widely used due to the vast amounts of data they generate, the different channels from which the data comes and the varying formats in which it is received.
Whilst custom reports are all of course different (they're custom after all!), they tend to include some or all of the following components -
A report is only as good as the data that underpins it. Ecommerce organisations tend to have many different data streams from many different sources so pulling it altogether into something coherent can be a complex and drawn out process. Conversion rates, campaign success, customer demographics and trends are all important pieces of data for ecommerce organisations as is inventory, delivery and support performance. Custom reporting allows businesses to gather all of this data - regardless of where it comes from and the format it is in - and structure it in a way whereby it can be used to provide comprehensive and complete insights.
Once the data itself has been collected and organised consistently, businesses can then look to utilise intelligent reporting tools to transform it into something meaningful. Platforms like Power BI and Tableau are strong contenders in this space, providing businesses with powerful reporting capabilities. They allow companies to generate reports from raw data, turning complex information into clear, relevant and structured insights. Reporting tools are useful for showing detailed data over a specific time period - often in the form of graphs and charts.
Similar to - but not the same as - reporting tools, dashboards are generally used to give a high level snapshot in time of key performance metrics. They also have a strong focus on data visualisation through the use of graphs and charts and allow users to use advanced filters to segment and drill down into data. Dashboards are meant to be understandable by all.
Creating custom reports for bespoke ecommerce websites and platforms is easy. What's not so easy is creating custom reports that are actually useful and relevant. For the latter, you need the right technology, the right expertise and a solid understand of what the business actually wants to see.
Here’s how the process typically unfolds -
Define goals and requirements
Before touching a single data point you need to work out what the report should actually do. Is it tracking customer buying habits? Keeping an eye on stock? Checking if a marketing campaign was worth the spend? Figuring this out makes sure the report is genuinely useful and not just something you can send to the management team for them to shelve and never look at again.
Identify key data sources
Ecommerce platforms spit out data from everywhere - analytics, CRMs, inventory systems, payment gateways - the list goes on. Pulling these together and making sure they talk to each other is what gives you a complete picture of performance across the board.
Clean and structure the data
Raw data is quite often a mess. Duplicates, missing fields and random formatting can turn reports into a nightmare. Cleaning it up, setting validation rules and optimising databases means the numbers you’re looking at are actually trustworthy.
Pick the right tools
Not every business needs a collection of flashy, complex dashboards. Some might benefit from Power BI or Tableau whilst others just need automated weekly summaries of sales and stock levels for examples. Choosing the right tool keeps reports functional and prevents them becoming overwhelming when they simply don't need to be.
Make it look good
Do you enjoy squinting at endless rows of numbers? Thought not and your audience probably feel the same. Clean charts, tables and heatmaps are a great way to identify patterns and anomalies without having to dig into the granular details.
Automate where possible
Manually creating reports is slow, error prone and in some cases a complete waste of time. Automating with scheduled data pulls or live dashboards keeps everything up to date without much manual effort at all.
Lock it down (if you need to)
Not everyone needs to see everything. Financial data and customer details should only be visible to people with the correct credentials. Role based permissions can be used to provide access to these individuals only and stop sensitive info ending up where it shouldn’t.
Test, tweak and repeat
Unless insanely simple, reports are barely correct first time. Check the numbers, check the loading speed and check that normal humans can actually understand it. Collect feedback and make adjustments. Then do it all again next time you build or update a report.
By the time you’ve been through this process, you should have reports that actually tell you something useful.
A well put together ecommerce report:
shows clear insights into customer behaviour, sales trends and how the business is running
is easy for every relevant team member to read and understand, even the non techies
is automated wherever possible to save time and avoid human error
allows quick filtering, segmentation and drill down so you can get to the detail where needed
Unfortunately for us all, a well structured reporting system doesn’t just build itself. Having a team of skilled developers, data analysts and business strategists is critical and ensures that reports are accurate, insightful and fully aligned with business requirements. Whether it’s custom data integrations, advanced analytics or predictive modelling, a knowledgeable and experienced team can transform raw numbers into meaningful business intelligence.
Custom reporting is not only useful for the ecommerce business itself, it is also useful for the prospects and customers who use the online store. Reports can shape and improve the shopping experience tenfold and allow businesses to provide their customers with the following -
Personalised shopping
Custom reports give businesses a way to analyse customer behaviour - browsing patterns to order history and preferences - all of this lovely data can be put to work to:
Better customer support
Who doesn't yearn for better customer support these days? Through the use of custom reports, support teams can access real time data which allows them to:
Smarter inventory management
How frustrating it is when you find the product you've spent a lifetime looking for - the holy grail - only to be hit with the 'out of stock' screen. All is not lost however as custom reports on inventory trends can:
A better checkout process
Understanding why people aren't buying does not stop at product analysis. The dreaded abandoned cart issue is a big one for ecommerce and is often because the checkout process is a trial in and of itself. Custom reporting on checkout statistics can:
Improved delivery experience
Customers expect fast, reliable shipping and clear updates on their orders and with the amount of competition out there, repeat custom can be dependent on it. Custom reports can help by:
With well structured custom reports, ecommerce businesses can ditch the guesswork and make the right decisions that genuinely improve customer satisfaction and subsequently retention rates.
Marketing campaigns are usually a huge deal for ecommerce companies and the data that drives these campaigns can be the difference between success and failure. Custom reports provide detailed consumer insights, everything from preferences and behaviours to the point at which they abandon their baskets. This information can be used to ensure marketing campaigns hit the right audience, in the right way every time.
Email campaign performance - A custom report can be developed that allows businesses to analyse open rates, click through rates and conversion rates which in turn, allows them to refine subject lines, content and send times for better engagement.
Social media engagement - Through custom reports, engagement trends across platforms can be tracked which can highlight the best types of content and post logistics (post times for examples) that drive the highest engagement
Ad campaign effectiveness - Ad campaigns and subsequently their ROI (linking ad spend to actual sales) is another possibility custom reporting can provide, allowing businesses to reallocate budgets to the best performing channels and highlight those that need to be improved.
Customer segmentation - Custom reports can be used to segment prospects and existing customers based on their behaviour, demographics and purchase history. This allows for more intelligent and personalised marketing.
Cannel attribution - Through the use of custom reporting, businesses are able to understand which channels (ecommerce website, affiliate links, Social Media etc) contribute the most conversions. This in turn, ensures marketing efforts can be focused on the most effective channels.
Whilst custom reporting is a fantastic tool, especially for ecommerce businesses where data is so crucial - it does come with it's own set of challenges. Let's take a look at some of them as well as ways to overcome them.
| Challenge | Description | The Solution |
| Data overload | Ecommerce platforms generate huge amounts of data which can make it difficult, particularly for companies with limited resource, to filter out what’s relevant. | Businesses can define relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) that directly relate to their goals which can help ensure the focus remains on the data relevant to report on these metrics only. |
| Inconsistent data | If a business's sales, inventory, marketing and customer service data are kept in separate systems, this can lead to inconsistencies and leave the organisation unsure of which system is actually correct. | Businesses should integrate their systems where applicable. This allows data from multiple sources to be consolidated into a single source meaning everyone can access the same data, at the same time. |
| Complexities measuring ROI | Finding a way to understand the true return on investment (ROI) of a marketing campaign can be complex. | Businesses must make sure they are tracking their customer's journey's across all platforms and able to link any sales conversions back to the relevant campaigns to ensure they are getting the full picture of their marketing efforts ROI. |
| Limited technical expertise | Ecommerce businesses will not necessarily have the in-house expertise to build and manage their own custom reporting tools which can of course be a very obvious barrier. | Businesses can use a third party company (such as Cool Code Company!) who do have the necessary expertise to build these reports and build them well. |
We love a good case study here at Cool Code Company so let us introduce you to Eco Power Direct - an 'accidental' ecommerce business who found themselves unable to move ahead with their initial plans of launching a physical store just prior to the covid pandemic, and instead, opting to launch as a fully digital shop instead.
See how we helped them create their digital brand, develop a fit for purpose ecommerce website with custom integrations and grow into the successful business it is today here - Eco Power Direct - A Change of Plan.
Custom reporting can create so many opportunities for ecommerce businesses providing the insights they need to optimise their operations, vastly improve customer experiences and ultimately give them the data they need to achieve their goals. A good reporting system doesn’t just present numbers; it highlights trends, areas for improvement and shows businesses where they are performing best and with the right expertise and approach, can become a vital part of any ecommerce organisations strategy.
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