The Ultimate eCommerce Profitability Dashboard: What to Track and Why

In today’s competitive eCommerce world, profitability is no longer about simply watching your sales grow. It’s about tracking the right metrics — in real time — to ensure that growth actually translates into sustainable profit. Too many Amazon and Shopify sellers get caught up in “vanity metrics” like top-line revenue, only to discover that hidden costs are quietly eating into margins.

That’s where an eCommerce profitability dashboard becomes a game changer. A well-designed dashboard gives you a single source of truth: real-time visibility into SKU-level performance, contribution margins, landed costs, advertising ROI, and variance tracking.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what your profitability dashboard should include, why it matters, and how using the right KPIs can help you scale smarter, grow faster, and increase the value of your business — whether you’re selling on Amazon FBA, Shopify, Walmart, or all of the above.

Why You Need a Profitability Dashboard

eCommerce businesses operate in a low-margin, high-complexity environment. Costs like freight, duties, advertising spend, and marketplace fees are constantly changing. Without visibility, you risk scaling unprofitable SKUs, overspending on ads, or mispricing products.

A profitability dashboard solves this by:

• Centralizing key financial and operational data (no more spreadsheet chaos).

• Highlighting SKU-level profitability so you know exactly which products are making or losing money.

• Tracking contribution margins (CM1 & CM2) to ensure pricing, ads, and fees still leave room for profit.

• Reconciling variances between estimated and actual costs, preventing silent leaks.

• Supporting exit-readiness by creating audit-proof documentation buyers can trust.

Instead of scrambling to pull numbers from multiple systems, you have real-time clarity at your fingertips.

Core Metrics Every Profitability Dashboard Should Include

The key to an effective dashboard is balance. Too few metrics and you miss hidden leaks. Too many metrics and you drown in noise. Here’s what matters most:

1. Contribution Margin (CM1 & CM2)

Your foundation.

• CM1 = Net Sales – Landed COGS
  – Includes factory costs, freight, tariffs, and duties.

• CM2 = Net Sales – Landed COGS – Variable Fees
  – Adds FBA fees, transaction costs, refunds, and fulfillment.

Why it matters:
CM1 tells you if your pricing covers product costs. CM2 shows if you can scale profitably after selling costs. Without these, sellers often scale SKUs that quietly bleed cash.

2. Landed Cost per SKU

Break down every SKU’s true cost, including:

• Supplier invoice (factory unit cost)

• Freight & logistics (allocated by CBM or weight)

• Customs duties and tariffs

• Insurance, inspection, labeling, packaging

Why it matters:
Incorrect landed cost allocation leads to inflated margins and mispricing. A dashboard should automatically reconcile invoices to ensure accuracy.

3. Advertising ROI (ACOS & TACOS)

• ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale): Ad spend ÷ Ad sales.

• TACOS (Total Advertising Cost of Sale): Ad spend ÷ Total sales.

Why it matters:
ACOS tells you ad efficiency. TACOS tells you long-term profitability. Together, they show whether ads are scaling your brand or draining profit.

4. Variance Tracking

Track the difference between forecasted vs. actual costs:

• Freight estimates vs. final invoices

• Tariff assumptions vs. customs bills

• Ad budgets vs. actual spend

Why it matters:
Untracked variances create blind spots. By surfacing them, you protect margins and negotiate better terms with suppliers and freight partners.

5. Cash Flow & Inventory Turnover

• Days of Inventory on Hand (DOH)

• Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC)

• Stockouts and overstock risk

Why it matters:
Cash is king in eCommerce. A profitability dashboard should tie unit economics to cash flow, ensuring you scale without starving your business of liquidity.

6. Refunds, Returns & Chargebacks

• Refund rates per SKU

• Cost impact of returns (shipping + lost margin)

• Chargeback frequency (for Shopify or DTC sellers)

Why it matters:
Refunds destroy profitability if left unchecked. Monitoring these metrics highlights quality issues, fulfillment problems, or misleading listings.

7. Overhead Allocation & Exit Readiness

• Operating expenses (fixed & variable)

• EBITDA contribution per SKU or channel

• Documentation trail for buyers or investors

Why it matters:
Buyers pay higher multiples for businesses with audit-ready financials. A dashboard that connects SKU-level profitability to overall EBITDA boosts valuation.

Designing Your Dashboard: What to Track and Why

A best-in-class dashboard should be layered and visual. Here’s a structure you can follow:

Layer 1: Executive Overview

Metrics: Revenue, Net Profit, CM1, CM2, TACOS, Cash Flow
Purpose: High-level snapshot of financial health.

Layer 2: SKU-Level Performance

Metrics: Landed Cost, CM1, CM2, Refund Rates
Purpose: Identify top performers and margin killers.

Layer 3: Variance Insights

Metrics: Forecasted vs. Actual Freight, Tariffs, Ad Spend
Purpose: Spot hidden leaks, prevent surprises.

Layer 4: Growth Metrics

Metrics: Advertising ROI, Inventory Turnover, Cash Conversion
Purpose: Guide scaling decisions.

Layer 5: Exit-Readiness

Metrics: Audit-ready cost allocations, Documentation Trails
Purpose: Prove financial clarity to buyers, unlock higher multiples.

The Biggest Mistakes Sellers Make with Dashboards

1. Tracking only revenue and gross margin
   → Leads to scaling unprofitable products.

2. Ignoring landed cost detail
   → Inflates profitability and misguides pricing.

3. Using spreadsheets instead of automation
   → Manual updates = errors, delays, and stress.

4. Failing to reconcile variances
   → Creates surprises that drain cash and trust.

5. Not aligning dashboard to exit goals
   → Buyers want clear CM1, CM2, and audit-ready books.

How SellerVue Simplifies Profitability Tracking

Most eCommerce sellers still juggle Google Sheets, QuickBooks, and scattered reports. That’s why SellerVue was built — to give sellers one place to track profitability with audit-ready accuracy.

With SellerVue, you can:

✅ Build POs, match invoices, and allocate freight & duties per SKU
✅ Track CM1 and CM2 in real time across all channels
✅ Automate variance tracking (estimate vs. actual costs)
✅ Centralize invoices, customs docs, and shipping bills
✅ Access dashboards designed for sellers and investors alike

On average, SellerVue clients recover 2–3% of revenue in hidden cost leaks, while also boosting their exit valuation with clean, verifiable financials.

Final Thoughts

An eCommerce profitability dashboard isn’t just a reporting tool — it’s a decision-making engine. By focusing on CM1, CM2, landed costs, advertising ROI, and variance tracking, you’ll scale with confidence, eliminate hidden leaks, and maximize both profit and valuation.

If you’re serious about taking control of your margins and building an exit-ready business, now is the time to ditch spreadsheets and centralize your data.

👉 Ready to see it in action? Watch the SellerVue demo and discover how you can simplify profitability tracking today.