Running a fashion company takes systematic control. Without reporting, a founder operates blind — no brain can hold every process at once. The average mind juggles 7 ± 2 items at a time; everything else drops out of focus.
[00] Introduction
Why reporting matters
Classic management has four key functions: planning, organisation, motivation and control. Control is impossible without reporting.
Companies often think the time for reports has not come yet — or that reporting is a privilege of big business. That is a misconception. The earlier the system is in place, the easier it is for the company to grow.
The core metrics come from international practice — keep them in English. Your team will be far better prepared for investor requests, partnerships and international expansion.
[01] Financial report
Financial report
The financial report is built around two documents: the P&L (Profit & Loss) and the Cash Flow. They are fundamentally different things — confusing them gets expensive.
The parameter most often missed is the margin on goods actually sold. Marketing can speed up turnover through discounts: revenue grows — and so does the loss. The financial report exposes this instantly.
P&L — Profit & Loss
Cash Flow — Cash movement
P&L$10,000 in orders → recognised in the P&L at the moment of sale
Cash FlowThe cash arrives a month later → the account shows zero today
P&LA production prepayment → booked once the collection is sold through
Cash FlowA materials prepayment can exceed revenue → that does not mean a loss
Financial report structure — example
MetricPrev. weekPlanFactP/F
Gross Revenue£100,000£40,000£50,000125%
Net Revenue£90,000£25,000£30,000120%
Expenses£40,000£22,000£24,000109%
Cost of Goods£18,000£8,000£9,000113%
Marketing & Advertising.........
Salaries & Wages.........
Rent & Utilities.........
Other Expenses.........
Gross Margin80%71%69%97%
Gross Profit£17,000£6,900£7,900114%
EBITDA£16,000£5,900£6,900
Net Profit£13,000£5,300£6,300119%
Inventory Value£650,000£350,000£340,000
Inventory Turnover Rate12%11%14%
Cash Flow — cash movement
Line itemPrev. weekPlanFactP/F
Cash Inflows£90,000£35,000£45,000129%
Cash from Customers.........
Other Cash Inflows.........
Cash Outflows£40,000£22,000£24,000109%
Payments to Suppliers.........
Payments to Employees.........
Rent and Utilities.........
Marketing and Advertising.........
Other Operating Expenses.........
Cash at Beginning of Week£50,000£13,000£21,000162%
Cash at End of Week£30,000£6,500£7,500115%
[02] Commercial report
Commercial report
The headline metric is turnover, broken down by group: collections, categories, styles. If overall turnover is 25% against a 30% target, it is not a catastrophe yet. But inside the groups there may be items at 70% and items at 5%. That is exactly what you need to see.
Every product is plotted along two axes: views and conversion. That produces 5 groups — and each one demands its own action.
Product matrix: views × turnover
Q1 · Bestsellers
High views / High Turnover — Reorder production
NameOpen stockViewsAdd to cartCRSoldTurnover
Item1100020 00020001.00%20020%
Item2150033 75022500.67%22515%
Item33006 0003000.50%3010%
Item45007 5007501.00%7515%
Item540020 0003600.18%369%
Item620040 0001600.04%168%
Q2 · Hidden gems
Low views / High Turnover — Push traffic
NameOpen stockViewsAdd to cartCRSoldTurnover
Item62004 4004401.00%4422%
Item54007 2007201.00%7218%
Item33009 6004800.50%4816%
Item45007 5007501.00%7515%
Item1100020 00020001.00%20020%
Item2150033 75022500.67%22515%
Q3 · Window shopping
High views / Low Turnover — Review price / content
NameOpen stockViewsAdd to cartCRSoldTurnover
Item620040 0001600.04%168%
Item2150033 75022500.67%22515%
Item1100020 00020001.00%20020%
Item540020 0003600.18%369%
Item45007 5007501.00%7515%
Item33006 0003000.50%3010%
Q4 · Dead stock
Low views / Low Turnover — Deep-dive analysis
NameOpen stockViewsAdd to cartCRSoldTurnover
Item33006 0003000.50%3010%
Item45007 5007501.00%7515%
Item1100020 00020001.00%20020%
Item540020 0003600.18%369%
Item2150033 75022500.67%22515%
Item620040 0001600.04%168%
What to do with each quadrant — sample conclusions
Reorder productionHigh views / High Turnover
High views / High turnover
Item1 and Item2 are the leaders. Turnover of 15–20% with high traffic. They go into re-production immediately and become next week focus items across all channels.
01Put into re-production
02Add to the synchronisation calendar as the A-group
03Push harder in ads and newsletters
Push trafficLow views / High Turnover
Low views / High turnover
Item6 — 22% turnover but few views (4,400). The product sells well to the people who see it — the problem is traffic, not the product.
01Add to the Instagram and ads focus
02Check its position in the site catalog
03Include in the next email newsletter
Review price / contentHigh views / Low Turnover
High views / Low turnover
Item6 in the lower-left — 40,000 views but 8% turnover. People look but do not buy. Typical causes: a price above the market, weak content, no reviews.
01Check the price vs. competitors
02Refresh the photography or the description
03Add reviews / UGC
Deep-dive analysisLow views / Low Turnover
Low views / Low turnover
A double problem: no traffic and no conversion. The product may be missing its target audience, sit in the wrong category, or hold a poor spot in the catalog.
01Check categorisation and catalog placement
02Assess audience relevance
03Consider a markdown or removal from the assortment
ABCDE — classification by views and conversion
A
Few views, low conversion
The problem may be traffic, photography, price or description. Needs a detailed root-cause analysis.
B
Few views, high conversion
The product wins over everyone who sees it — it needs more traffic. Focus on Instagram, ads and newsletters.
C
High add-to-cart, low conversion
Interest is there, but something blocks the purchase: price, shipping, missing information. Work on the on-site funnel.
D
Many views, low conversion
The product attracts attention but does not sell. Analyse: price vs. competitors, content quality, description.
E
Many views, high conversion
The bestsellers. They go into re-production and the synchronisation calendar as focus items.
[03] Production report
Production report
Three key parameters: delivery against the collection output plan, the number of items per category in the warehouse, and hitting the planned cost price.
Production reports against a calendar: a breakdown into key stages with actual dates vs. plan.
[04] Marketing report
Marketing report
The most extensive report. It consists of several blocks: digital metrics across all channels, channel weights, CRM, SMM, influencer marketing, content.
The core is the synchronisation calendar. Everything that happens in the brand — a collection launch, an event, a collaboration — must show up in every channel at the same time.
Even a week-over-week comparison without a plan gives you a forecast: a drop in Instagram traffic = a drop in content quality; a drop in conversion at the same traffic = fading interest in the assortment.
Digital KPI — what belongs in the report
CR
0.15%–0.3% — market norm
CPO
Cost per completed order
CAC
$250–$350 — market norm
Channels — revenue share vs. market norm
Synchronisation calendar — channels
01Instagram
02Paid Ads
03Email
04Website
05Influencers
06Content Shooting
Every brand event — a launch, a happening, a collaboration — is reflected across all channels simultaneously.
CRM — key metrics
Retention Rate
The share of customers with repeat orders. The main indicator of product appeal — it should be planned, not merely recorded.
CAC
The cost of acquiring a new customer. Must match the financial model. Market norm: $250–$350.
Age / Gender
An audience breakdown shows whether the marketing strategy matches the target customer profile — or not.
Database segments
Instagram followers, Email subscribers, New subs, Clients, VIP clients, Clients ≥6m no purchase, Clients ≥12m no purchase.
[05] Operational report
Operational report
Control of the whole chain from order to customer: fulfillment speed, errors, delivery, returns.
Return reasons and complaints get a dedicated review — they are direct feedback on the product. Fraud (fraudulent orders) gets its own line.
Operation Report — structure
MetricPrev. weekPlanFactP/F
Execution of orders
Number of completed orders940300500167%
Avg fulfillment timeFrom receipt to shipment1 day3 days2 days—
Order error rateWrong items, damage2%1%1%100%
Logistics and delivery
Avg shipping cost per order£35£30£28107%
Delivery timeMean and median4 days3 days3 days100%
On-time delivery rate88%90%92%102%
Return logistics
Return rate% of total orders8%6%7%86%
Reasons for returnsBreakdown and analysis————
Returns processing cost£420£300£35083%
Customer Service
Number of support requests42353892%
Avg response timeResponse and resolution6 h4 h3 h133%
Customer satisfactionSurveys, reviews78%85%82%96%
Fraud
Fraudulent orders301—