Digital consultant
since 2005
100 ecommerce KPIs applied to the retail world
What if we measured physical shops like we measure an online shop?
In the digital environment, the obsession with measurement is a constant. Every click, every second of attention and every step of the user is analysed in detail.
In ecommerce, we work with KPIs such as the conversion rate, the CTR or time on page to optimise the performance of our campaigns and websites.
But now imagine this scene: a customer enters a physical shop, walks around, looks at a couple of products and leaves. The shop assistant comes running out behind him and says: "I'll give you a 10% if you buy now!".
Sounds exaggerated, doesn't it? However, in digital we do it every day: with pop-ups, flash promotions, forced discounts...
Are we optimising KPIs or are we forgetting the value?
The problem arises when these optimisations are focused solely on the user behaviour and not in the product or service we offer. Thus, many brands end up making decisions based on user pressure (urgency, offers, FOMO), and not on improving what they sell or how they communicate it.
In the physical world, we rarely measure things like "...".how many people have looked in the shop window without going in" o "how much time someone spends in the cosmetics area without touching anything". But in ecommerce, these behaviours are at the heart of our dashboards.
The purpose of this table
We have created a table with 100 common ecommerce KPIs compared to their physical retail equivalent. The aim is not only to show parallels, but also to provide food for thought:
Are we measuring what really matters, or just what is easier to measure?
Comparison chart: 100 ecommerce KPIs applied to the retail environment
Conclusions
- Measuring is not enough. Measuring should serve a strategy focused on value and experience, not urgency.
- What is not measured is ignored. But what is measured without context can be misinterpreted.
- Product matters. If you don't like it, it doesn't matter how many KPIs you optimise. In digital and physical.
- The user also matters. If you push him constantly, he will get used to buying only if there is a discount.
At ExprimeNet we believe in useful measurement, aligned with strategy and focused on the long term. Measuring is good. Making decisions based on data is also good. But we must never forget it: what we sell must be worthwhile.
Comparison chart: 100 ecommerce KPIs applied to the retail environment
You can download here the PDF version
| Ecommerce KPIs | Retail Equivalent | Is it measured in Retail? |
|---|---|---|
| CTR (Click Through Rate) | People entering after seeing the shop window | Rarely |
| Bounce rate | Customers who come and go without buying | Sometimes, not systematically |
| Time on page | Time in shop | Sometimes with sensors or cameras |
| Scroll depth | Areas of the premises covered | Rarely |
| Conversion | % of visitors who buy | Visually estimated |
| CPA (Cost per acquisition) | Cost per sale | Very difficult to calculate |
| ROAS | Return on promotional actions | Yes, in general |
| Leads generated | Customers leaving their details | Infrequent |
| Engagement (social media) | Customers who comment or recommend | Not measured |
| Conversion funnel | View/touch/ask/buy process | Not mapped |
| Pages per session | Visited areas of the premises | Rarely |
| Recurrent vs. new | Loyal vs. new customers | Yes |
| Average value per order | Average ticket | Yes |
| Cart abandonment | Customers who regret before paying | Not measured |
| Loading speed | Speed of service | It is not measured, but it is perceived |
| 404 errors | Product out of stock or not found | Yes |
| Newsletter click-through rate | Customers who respond to physical mailings | Not measured |
| Click-to-call | Calls received after viewing showcase | Not measured |
| Organic visits | Customers who come without having seen an advertisement | Not measured |
| Paid visits | Customers brought in by promotion | Sometimes |
| Traffic by channel | Source of customers (word of mouth, poster...) | Not measured |
| Scroll in home | Time window shopping | Not measured |
| Email open rate | People who open advertisements in letterboxes | Not measured |
| Number of impressions | People who see the poster or shop window | Dear |
| Events per session | Actions carried out per client | Not measured |
| Landing conversion rate | Conversion of promotional action | Yes, if well measured |
| Completed form | Customer leaving record or survey | Sometimes |
| Sessions per user | Recurring visits | Yes |
| Time to conversion | Time to decide to buy | Not measured |
| Medium trolley | Units per ticket | Yes |
| ROI per channel | ROI per promotional action | Yes |
| Exit rate | Where the client leaves the route | Not measured |
| Retention rate | Fidelity | Yes |
| Cost per click (CPC) | Cost of attracting a customer | Not calculated |
| Click on WhatsApp button | Customer asking for help in shop | Not measured |
| Video views | Customers viewing a demo | Yes, if samples are available |
| A/B Testing | Comparison between two presentations or zones | Rarely |
| Checkout completed | Purchase completed | Yes |
| Customer lifetime value | Long-term customer value | Difficult to measure |
| Upselling rate | Sale of complementary products | Yes |
| Cross selling | Cross-selling | Yes |
| Click-through to product | Interest in a product | Not measured |
| Subscription rate | Clients registering for a programme | Yes |
| Interactions per session | Interactions per visit | Not measured |
| Rate of return | Returns | Yes |
| NPS | Customer satisfaction | Yes, if surveyed |
| Email Bounce | Advertising that does not reach or is ignored | Not measured |
| Page load time | Speed of experience | Not measured |
| Output rate per URL | Area of the premises causing neglect | Not measured |
| Exit rate | Customers leaving without getting to the back of the premises | Not measured |
| Number of sessions | Visits to the premises | Yes, with manual counting or sensors |
| Page views | Shelves or sections visited | Not measured |
| Digital coupon redemption | Use of physical vouchers or discounts | Yes |
| Interaction with banners | Interaction with in-store signage | Not measured |
| CTA click-through rate | Customers responding to posters/actions | Not measured |
| Abandoned forms | Customers who start the loyalty process and do not finish it. | Not measured |
| Errors in checkout | Problems at the cash desk | Yes |
| Active campaigns | Visible in-store promotions | Yes |
| Testimonials or reviews | In-store feedback or suggestion box | Sometimes |
| Engagement with stories | Customers interacting with screens or animations | Not measured |
| Active newsletters | Physical newsletters or in-store communications | Rarely |
| Account activation fee | Customers registering for the loyalty programme | Yes |
| Interactions by product | Customers touching, tasting or asking about a product | Not measured |
| Repeat purchase rate | Returning customers | Yes |
| Monthly retention rate | Monthly repeat customers | Sometimes |
| Value of abandoned trolley | Potential loss due to departing customers | Not measured |
| CTR per device | Customers attracted by digital on mobile | Not applicable |
| Mobile shopping | Customers using mobile phones for in-store comparison | Yes, if observed |
| Physical check-ins | Customers scanning or registering | Yes |
| Referrals from search engines | Customers arriving after searching online | Not measured |
| Direct traffic | Regular or direct reference customers | Not measured |
| Email traffic | Customers who come after receiving an email | Sometimes |
| Retargeting campaigns | Posters recalling past promotions | Not applicable |
| Event attendance rate | Customers attending in-store activities | Yes |
| Omnichannel customers | Customers combining online and in-store | Difficult to identify |
| Conversion from app | Purchases initiated in app and completed in shop | Not measured |
| Unique users | Individual customers | Yes, if identified |
| Behavioural segmentation | In-store habit grouping | Non-regular |
| Cancellation fee | Refunds or cancellations | Yes |
| Profile update rate | Clients modifying data | Not measured |
| Cost per print | Cost of visual materials per customer | Rarely calculated |
| Cost per visit | Average expenditure to attract a visit | Not calculated |
| Influencers impacted | Customers visiting after recommendation | Not measured |
| Average duration per zone | Time in specific sections | Sometimes with sensors |
| Performance by category | Sales by product family | Yes |
| CTR of suggested products | Interest in physical cross-selling | Not measured |
| Products added to favourites | Products they ask about but don't buy | Not measured |
| Audio duration in shop | Active music and its effect | Not measured |
| Influencer campaigns | Visible in-store collaborations | Yes |
| Video display rate | Customers looking at screens | Rarely |
| Catalogue interaction rate | Customers leafing through brochures | Not measured |
| Bounce by type of traffic | Abandonment according to customer origin | Not measured |
| User Flow | Customer's usual route through the shop | Not mapped |
| Click on carousels | Customers interacting with touch screens | Rarely |
| Participation in surveys | Clients answering questionnaires | Yes |
| Discount applied | Promotions executed in cash | Yes |
Conclusion
Measuring is key to informed decision making, but focusing analysis solely on user behaviour can lead us to forget the most important thing: the value proposition we offer.
In ecommerce, as in physical retail, optimising without a product or service-focused vision can end up negatively affecting brand perception, generating promotion-dependent customers and reducing profitability.
At ExprimeNet we believe in measurement that accompanies strategy, not replaces it. And that's why crossing the logics of both worlds can help find the right balance between data and meaningful decisions.
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