Mid-Year Review: What to Measure in Your Ecommerce Before July

June is the turning point. Half the year is already gone, and if you don't stop to look at the numbers now, you'll reach September winging it. I've seen stores that "feel" like they're doing well, but when they actually review the data, they discover they're selling more but earning less. Or worse: their best customers stopped buying three months ago and nobody noticed.

You don't need a 40-page analysis. You need 5 concrete numbers and a clear idea of what to do with each one.

1. Average order value

Divide your total sales for the half-year by the number of orders. That's your average order value.

Why does it matter? Because you can have more traffic and more orders, but if the average order value dropped, you're working harder to earn the same amount. I've seen stores double their visits with aggressive campaigns only to end up with tickets 30% lower because they're only attracting bargain hunters.

What to do: If your average order value dropped, check whether you're giving away discounts with no minimum purchase. A 15% coupon with no minimum destroys your ticket. Switch to "15% off on orders over $30" and watch the difference.

2. Repeat purchase rate

Of all the customers who bought from you in Q1, how many came back and bought again in Q2? If that number is below 15%, you have a retention problem.

What to do: Review your post-purchase emails. Are you sending anything after the "your order has been delivered" notification? If the answer is no, that's the problem. A simple email 30 days later featuring complementary products can move that number more than any acquisition campaign.

3. Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

Add up everything you spent on advertising and marketing, then divide by the number of new customers. That's your CAC.

Why does it matter? Because if it costs you $60 to acquire a customer who spends $90 with a 30% margin, you're losing money on the first sale. And if that customer never buys again (see previous point), you're just losing money, period.

What to do: Compare your CAC by channel. I've seen stores where Instagram costs them $20 per customer and Google Ads costs $90, yet they keep pouring money into Google "because we've always done it that way." Cut what isn't working and double down on what is.

4. Real margin

Not gross margin. The margin after deducting payment gateway fees, shipping costs you absorb, discounts, returns, and packaging. That's your real margin.

What to do: If you've never calculated it, take your 10 best-selling products and do the exercise one by one. I guarantee at least 2 or 3 have a real margin much lower than you think. With that information, you can decide: do I raise the price, negotiate better with the supplier, or stop absorbing shipping on that product?

5. Fulfillment speed

Measure the average time from when you receive an order to when the carrier has it in their hands. Not the total delivery time (that depends on the carrier), but your internal processing time.

Why does it matter? Because it's the only thing you control. If your internal time is 48 hours, you're adding two days to every shipment before the carrier even starts.

What to do: If your internal time is longer than 24 hours on business days, something is broken in your process. Are you printing labels only once a day? Waiting to batch orders? Every hour an order sits in your warehouse is another hour of anxiety for your customer.

Mid-year isn't a time to celebrate or to panic

It's a time to adjust. These 5 numbers will tell you exactly where you stand and what to fix before peak season arrives. September through December are the months that define the year for most online stores.

What you do now, in the calm of July, is what will determine whether you arrive prepared or putting out fires.