How to make a sales report in 5 steps (+ template)

If you've ever wondered how to make a sales report for your online store, you're in the right place. Because yes, reports are not just for big companies: they are also the key for a small e-commerce business to grow intelligently.

In this article, I will guide you step by step on how to create a basic sales report in Excel. We will see which elements your report should have and the most common types of reports. Also, you can download an editable sales report 📊 to record your sales via WhatsApp. 

Thanks to the team at YaVendió!, e-commerce experts, this template has all the most important WhatsApp sales metrics. Unmissable! ⚡

But let's start with the basics:

What is a sales report?

A sales report is a strategic document that compiles and analyzes the data from all your sales in a specific period with the aim of understanding business performance, identifying opportunities for improvement, and making data-driven decisions. 

It's not just about knowing how much was sold, but understanding why it was sold, to whom, how, and with what profitability. A good sales report can reveal customer behavior patterns, the impact of marketing campaigns, and the efficiency of the sales team. 

In businesses where every data point counts, the sales report becomes a powerful tool for growing sustainably and with a focus on profitability.

Key elements: What should a sales report include?

Every professional sales report should contain some basic elements, such as:

• Date, month, or reporting period

• Product or service sold

• Quantity in units

• Unit and total price

• Sales channel (online store, WhatsApp, social networks, etc.)

• Sales target or goal 

And if you want an extra level of analysis, you can also include:

• Conversion rate (I recommend this article on e-commerce conversion rates)

• Assigned sales agent (if applicable)

• Client (name, area, type)

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

• Profit margin

Having this data well organized is the first step to understanding the state of your sales.

How to make a sales report in Excel in 5 steps

Now that you know what a sales report is and what it should include, it's time to get practical.

Here I explain how to make a sales report in Excel in 5 steps. Each step is designed to ensure your report is clear, easy to update, and useful for making business decisions.

👉 For this example, let's assume your team is in the Christmas campaign and there is a specific inventory to sell. Therefore, the objective is to know the number of products that are selling and whether the target will be reached.

How to make a sales report: Step 1

Let's create a sales table by product. To do this, you should include the name of each product in your inventory, the unit price, the units sold, and (super important) your sales target. 

💡 Tip: The total (S/.) for each product is easily calculated using the formula “=unit price * units sold”. Apply it in each cell of that column. In the example, it is column E.

How to make a sales report: Step 2

Now, select all columns with information about your products. Make sure to include the table headers. Just like in this image:

How to make a sales report: Step 3

To create the first chart of your sales report, do the following. With your table selected, go to Insert > Recommended Charts. A window like this will open:

In the “All Charts” section, press “Combo” and select the last chart for a custom combination. And hit “OK”

How to make a sales report: Step 4

A chart with columns and lines will be generated automatically, but it’s not the end. We need to clean the data. To do this, select your chart and go to “Select Data” on the “Chart Design” ribbon

💡 Tip: The buttons to edit your chart are enabled only when you select it. If you don’t see them, you must double click on your chart. 

A window like this will open, where you simply need to uncheck “Price (S/.)” and “Total (S/.)”

The reason? Our goal is to know the number of products being sold in the campaign and how much is left to reach the target. 

If you wanted that data in monetary value, then activate only the variables (S/.) 😉

How to make a sales report: Step 5

Finally, you will have a clean and quite easy-to-read chart. If you like, you can change the colors or edit the title to your liking. For this example, I put: "Monthly Product Sales"

If you see additional numbers on one side, follow this optional step:

• Select the chart and go to the “+” icon that appears at the side. Enter Axes > Deselect the “Secondary Vertical” option and that’s it! You will get a cleaner chart for your report.

Types of sales reports

You should know there is not just one type of sales report, and that's the great thing about it! You can adapt your reports according to your objective or what you need to analyze. Here are some examples of the most common sales reports:

• Daily sales report:  Ideal for monitoring progress from one day to the next, especially during campaigns or promotions. This type of report is perfect when you need to react quickly to market changes or adjust strategies on the fly.

• Weekly or monthly report: The most common. It allows you to see sales behavior over broader periods and identify real trends without the noise of daily fluctuations.

• Report by product or category:  Just like our example! Discover which products generate more income and which have low turnover. This type of analysis is fundamental for optimizing your inventory and focusing your marketing efforts where they really matter.

• Salespeople report:  If you have a sales team, you can see how effective they are by person. This is not just to identify the best seller but to understand which techniques work best and replicate them throughout the team.

• Report by channel: Compare performance between online store, social networks, WhatsApp, etc. Today, most businesses sell through multiple channels, and it is important to know which one is generating the best results.

Template: Sales report on WhatsApp (free download🎁)

And speaking of channel reports…if your main sales channel is WhatsApp, this template will delight you. Get the free template to report your sales via WhatsApp here:

Includes:

• The sales funnel via WhatsApp (with key metrics for conversational commerce)

• Record of your conversion rate via WhatsApp

• Detail table of products to be sold 

• A chart of sales closed per day (to monitor your team's performance)

• And of course, the monthly product sales chart (the one we saw in our example!)

Take it as the base to develop your own sales report.

Metrics for an effective sales report 

Now, if you want to make your sales reports via WhatsApp even more powerful and strategic, you can add these metrics:

• Best-selling product: Shows you which items are in higher demand among your customers.

• Peak sales hours: Identify when during the day your customers are most active and willing to buy

• Average response time: Measures how quickly you respond to messages. A low response time builds trust and improves the customer experience.

• # of unanswered conversations: Counts how many inquiries from potential customers did not receive a response.

• Average service rating: This metric indicates if your customer service is generating a positive experience that encourages repeat purchases.

• # of returning customers: Identifies how many of your customers have made more than one purchase via WhatsApp.

Include a qualitative section for insights and opportunities with these questions:

• What worked well this week?

• What can be improved?

• What automation opportunities were identified?

Sell more on WhatsApp with a virtual seller 🤖

You already know how to make a sales report that gives you clarity about what works in your business. Now imagine having a sales channel working for you 24/7, without you having to be glued to your phone.

Meet YaVendió! and our artificial intelligence (AI) for WhatsApp - designed especially for businesses that sell online. With YaVendió! you can have an IA virtual seller that attends to your customers instantly, recommends products, and even closes sales without human intervention. 

Want to see how it works? Write to us on WhatsApp today and we’ll send you a free demo.