Learn how to collect, analyze, and apply sales and customer data so you can make smarter, faster decisions—even as a one-person team.
Use Data—Don’t Fear It
Big companies thrive on data. But small business owners can too—when they use it wisely.
This guide helps you turn everyday sales and customer activity into actionable insight, so you can grow smarter instead of guessing.
Step 1: Capture the Right Data
Start simple—record daily revenue, average ticket size, top-selling items, slow days, and repeat customer visits. M&M POS does this automatically so you don’t need multiple spreadsheets.
Step 2: Set Key Metrics
- Weekly revenue trends: Are you growing, flat, or shrinking?
- Average ticket size: Are customers spending more over time?
- Sales per employee: How efficiently is labor translating into revenue?
- Return visit rate: Are customers coming back?
Step 3: Review Weekly—Not Monthly
Monthly reports are fine for tracking, but weekly reviews let you see trends before they become problems. M&M POS dashboards make it easy to check your core metrics in minutes—and identify unexpected shifts.
Step 4: Explain the 'Why'
Don’t just see that revenue dropped. Ask: did a sale end? Did weather affect foot traffic? Are products out of stock? Use POS data to answer these questions and make changes.
Step 5: Experiment
Have too many slow days? Run a small promotion and track impact. Use customer data to segment email offers. Test upsell prompts in your POS. It’s not guesswork—it’s testing and learning.
Step 6: Build a Weekly Routine
- Review top KPIs on Monday.
- Assign an action item to address the biggest insight.
- Check back next Monday—did it work?
Final thoughts
Data isn’t just dashboards—it’s your roadmap. Start with what matters, review consistently, learn quickly, and improve continuously. With a smart POS in place, every transaction becomes insight—and insight drives growth.