A lot of online retailers are looking at their turnover... but completely unaware of acquisition cost, of the real margin, of repurchase rate Or of the customer lifetime value (LTV).

The result: they think they are growing... while they are getting poorer.

Conversely, brands that scale (Gymshark, Sephora, Amazon, DTC brands) drive Everything to the data, not by instinct.

👉 The difference between an e-commerce that survives and an e-commerce that scales?
Its ability to read and use its KPIs.

This article shows you The really useful indicators... and how to use them to make better decisions.

1. The 3 families of KPIs to master

✅ A. Acquisition: attracting the right customers at the right cost

• CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
• CPC (Cost per click)
• Site conversion rate (%)
• CTR (ad click rate)

🎯 Objective: to understand How much does a customer cost you and Which channels are the most profitable.

✅ B. Conversion: turning visitors into buyers

• Overall conversion rate
• Conversion by device (desktop/mobile)
• Cart abandonment (%)
• Average basket (AOV)

🎯 Objective: optimize the shopping experience for Do more with the same traffic.

✅ C. Profitability: the crux of the matter

• Gross margin by product
• Net margin per order
• LTV (Lifetime Value)
• RFM (Recency/Frequency/Amount)
• Product return rate

🎯 Objective: to know What do you really win... not just what you cash in.

2. The KPIs that 99% of e-retailers don't follow (and that make a difference)

✅ LTV/CAC ratio

If LTV/CAC < 3 → you are losing money in the long run.

✅ Contribution margin

CA — product cost — logistics — marketing.
👉 The real performance indicator per order.

✅ Repurchase rate

A returning customer = a free customer.
The best e-retailers aim for > 30%.

✅ ROAS vs ROI

ROAS = raw ad return
ROI = net profit after costs
👉 Many cut profitable campaigns due to lack of correct calculation.

3. How to interpret your KPIs (and act on them)

Lower KPI -> Conversion rate I Action -> UX optimization, speed, offer
Lower KPI -> Average basket I Action -> Upsell/cross-sell/bundels
Lower KPI -> Increasing CAC I Action -> Change audience/channel
Lower KPI -> Low LTV I Action -> Loyalty/Retention
Lower KPI -> High returns I Action -> Improve product/description
Lower KPI -> Low margin I Action -> Negotiate suppliers/logistics costs

👉 Analyzing is not enough. You have to link KPI -> action.

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4. How to connect your data (the real challenge)

E-commerce data is scattered:

• Shopify/Prestashop (sales)
• Stripe/PayPal (payments)
• Meta/Google Ads (acquisition)
• Logistics tools (fees, stocks)
• Bank (treasury)
• CRM (customers)

❌ If you analyze everything separately → you are missing out on reality.
✅ You have to a central cockpit.

5. And Klark in all of this?

Klark = the modern e-commerce cockpit.

It allows you to:
✅ Centralize all your data (sales + payments + CRM + cash flow)
✅ Visualize really important KPIs (AOV, margin, LTV, repurchase, estimated CAC)
✅ Identify the most profitable channels
✅ Follow your cashflow in real time
✅ Take better strategic decisions (scaling, promotions, pricing, stocks...)

🎯 In other words: Klark gives you the vision of a CFO... without having to become a financial analyst.

Conclusion

An e-commerce that scales is not the one that sells the most...
It is the one who Understand his numbers and Acts as a function.

💡 Practical tip: start with 3 critical KPIs:

1. Average basket
2. Acquisition cost
3. Net margin

Then gradually add the others (LTV, repurchase, returns, etc.)