12 E-commerce Metrics to Track in Your Business
9 min read
In E-commerce, numbers speak louder than assumptions.
You might think your ads are doing well, your website is solid, and customers are loving your products.
But unless you’re tracking the right metrics, you’re leaving money on the table.
Metrics tell you what you should know, often the one you don’t want to hear, but desperately need to.
Let’s be honest, running an online store is more than uploading products and hoping people buy.
It’s a constant dance between marketing, fulfillment, customer satisfaction, and profitability.
Every day, you make decisions, big and small.
The only way to make those decisions smarter is by knowing your numbers.
In this article, we’ll be discussing what e-commerce metrics are and the types of e-commerce metrics you should track if you want to scale.
What Are E-commerce Metrics?
E-commerce metrics are the numbers that tell the real story of your online business.
They are more than gut feelings or hopeful guesses, they give you measurable insights into how your store is performing, what’s working, and what’s quietly draining your energy or money.
For example, let’s say they are like a dashboard in your car.
You wouldn’t drive across the country without checking your speed, fuel, or engine lights.
Running an e-commerce business without metrics is no different.
These numbers show you if your sales are healthy, your customers are happy, and your marketing is worth the spend.
But not all numbers matter equally.
Some metrics, like revenue, might look great on the surface, but hide deeper problems like low profit margins or high return rates.
Others, like customer lifetime value or conversion rate, reveal where true growth and loyalty are taking root.
The real task is in knowing which numbers to pay attention to and what to do with them.
At the heart of it, E-commerce metrics exist to help you make smarter decisions.
Should you raise prices?
Should you change your ad strategy?
Is your product description helping or hurting?
Are you building a business that scales, or one that stalls?
Your metrics have the answers. You just have to look.
People Also Read: Top 7 Product Feedback Tools to Grow Your Business in 2025
12 E-commerce Metrics You Should Be Tracking
1. Conversion Rate (CR)
This is the most basic sign to see how well your business is thriving or dying.
You can have thousands of visitors per day, but if only a handful are buying, then something is broken.
A good conversion rate shows that your product pages, branding, trust signals, and checkout process are in sync with what your audience needs.
Low conversion? That’s a symptom.
The real problem might be unclear messaging, poor product photos, or a checkout that feels sketchy.
The moment someone lands on your page, they’re asking themselves, “Can I trust this brand?” If your site doesn’t immediately say “yes,” they’ll bounce, and it will affect your conversion rate.
To get visitors to buy your product, you also need to improve your product description
2. Average Order Value (AOV)
AOV tells you how much customers spend per transaction.
It’s not just a vanity metric, but also an opportunity.
The higher your AOV, the more revenue you generate from each customer without increasing your ad budget.
That’s why upsells, cross-sells, and bundles are a smart business option.
You’re helping customers see how more of your products work better together.
You’re encouraging them to buy thoughtfully, without force.
A strong AOV can mean the difference between breaking even and turning a profit.
3. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Every customer costs something to acquire.
You’re running ads, hiring influencers, or building content organically; it all takes time, effort, or money.
CAC helps you understand how much you’re spending to bring in one customer.
The key is this: your CAC should be lower than your average customer’s lifetime value (CLV).
If it’s not, you’re losing money on every new sale.
And the more you scale, the deeper the hole gets.
High CAC is usually a sign that your targeting, offer, or funnel needs tweaking.
4. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
This is how much money one customer brings in over the entire relationship with your brand.
A loyal customer doesn’t just buy once.
They come back again and again, especially if your product solves a recurring need or connects with them emotionally.
If your CLV is high, you can afford to invest more in acquiring new customers, because you’ll earn it back over time.
But if your CLV is low, you’ll always be stuck chasing new people instead of nurturing the ones you already have.
CLV is a long game.
It rewards brands that prioritize service, product quality, and experience.
Also Read: What is Direct Marketing and How to Use it for Your Business
5. Cart Abandonment Rate
Someone walks into a store, loads up their cart, walks to the counter, and suddenly walks out.
That’s cart abandonment.
It’s one of the biggest frustrations for online store owners, and yet it’s also one of the biggest opportunities.
If someone gets that far and still doesn’t buy, something spooked them.
Maybe it was unexpected shipping costs.
Maybe the checkout was too complicated.
Or maybe the site didn’t feel secure.
Whatever it is, this metric is begging you to optimize your checkout experience and follow-up.
A single well-timed abandoned cart email can recover up to 10% of those lost sales.
6. Bounce Rate
Bounce rate shows how many visitors come to your site and leave without clicking or exploring anything further.
In real life, that’s someone walking into a store, looking around for nine seconds, and walking straight back out.
This tells you that either they didn’t find what they were expecting, or they didn’t feel invited to stay.
Your homepage, landing pages, and blog posts need to capture interest instantly.
Clear messaging.
Slow load times.
Beautiful visuals.
Emotional hooks.
If your bounce rate is high, don’t ignore it; it’s often the first crack in the foundation.
7. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Running ads without tracking ROAS is like gambling.
ROAS helps you understand how much revenue you’re getting back for every penny spent on ads. A ROAS of 4x means you made $4 for every $1 spent, which sounds great, but isn’t always.
Here’s the trick: ROAS doesn’t account for costs.
If your margins are slim and your product fulfillment is expensive, even a 4x ROAS might not be profitable.
Still, it’s one of the best quick metrics to test and refine your campaigns. Scale what works. Cut what doesn’t. Watch the margins like a night guard.
8. Repeat Purchase Rate
Acquiring customers is hard.
Retaining them is gold.
This metric tracks how many of your customers come back to buy again.
A healthy repeat rate usually signals strong product-market fit, emotional resonance, and a positive first experience.
If you’re seeing low repeat purchases, it might mean your product solves a one-time need, or your follow-up marketing is missing the mark.
Nurture your customers, check in, offer reorders, and launch loyalty programs.
People return to brands they feel something for.
9. Email Open Rate
Email isn’t dead.
It’s still one of the highest-performing marketing channels, if people open your messages.
A low open rate sometimes could be due to your ESP (email sending provider), and oftentimes, your subject lines aren’t compelling, your sender name isn’t recognized, or your emails are landing in spam.
This metric shows how engaged your audience is.
If you’re emailing people who don’t care, you’re wasting more than time, you’re eroding trust.
What you need to do is to clean your list, personalize your messaging, and write subject lines that earn attention, not just clicks.
10. Email Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Once they open your email, do they actually do anything?
Email CTR shows if people are engaging with your content, clicking on products, links, or calls-to-action.
If CTR is low, it could be that your offers are unclear, your layout is confusing, or you’re trying to say too much at once.
The goal is to guide readers toward one clear action.
Give them one job to do, buy this, read that, save this offer.
If you give them too many options, most will take none.
Also Read: 7 eCommerce CTA Examples To Increase Your Sales
11. Refund and Return Rate
Returns are part of the game, but excessive returns are a problem.
If your refund rate is climbing, it’s a trust issue.
Maybe your product didn’t meet expectations.
Maybe your photos or descriptions were misleading.
Maybe the customer didn’t understand what they were buying.
This metric helps you audit your product pages, your fulfillment quality, and your post-purchase communication.
Don’t dismiss it as “the cost of doing business.”
Learn from it, fix it to reduce friction.
Here’s how to write a product description that tells what your product offers. This encourages visitors to buy, and when they understand better, they’re less likely to return what they purchased. Click here to learn how to write better.
12. Website Traffic by Source
It’s not enough to know you’re getting visitors.
You need to know where they’re coming from and how they behave when they arrive.
Are they coming from Instagram reels?
Google search?
Paid Ads?
Tiktok?
Email?
When you understand your top-performing traffic sources, you can double down on what’s bringing in quality leads.
Not just visitors, but buyers.
This insight is critical for scaling.
If one source dries up, you don’t want to be left scrambling.
Diversify your traffic.
Build a brand that people search for directly.
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Summary
These metrics are more than just data, they’re also mirrors.
They reflect the experience you’re giving people.
When numbers dip, they’re showing you where you’re breaking trust.
When they rise, they’re showing you where a connection is happening.
And when they stay flat, they’re calling you to evolve.
You don’t need to be a data scientist. You just need to listen.
You just need to track what matters and take action on what you learn.
That’s how you build a business that grows, on purpose, not by accident.
Why Kwikpik Is the Delivery Backbone Behind High-Performing E-commerce Brands
You’ve just explored 12 powerful metrics that drive growth in any e-commerce business.
From conversion rates to customer lifetime value, data gives you the roadmap.
But there’s one metric that touches almost every other, and that’s delivery performance.
Fast, reliable, and trackable delivery can directly impact customer satisfaction, repeat purchases, and even your brand’s reputation.
Here at Kwikpik, we understand the importance of brand reputation in terms of delivery performance, and we have chosen to be the backbone of your logistics needs to help you become part of the high-performing e-commerce brands.
As a Web3-powered, on-demand marketplace offering delivery services to Africa and the Middle East’s most dynamic and underserved regions, we help modern e-commerce businesses like yours turn logistics into a competitive advantage.
No more lost packages, delayed orders, or frustrated customers.
Try our delivery service by partnering with us today, as we deliver not just packages but also peace of mind.