Metrics
What each metric means and how it's calculated.
Note: This is the general structure of how Kleio organizes your data — not a full list of every available metric.
The P&L Waterfall
| Metric | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Sales | Sales before discounts and returns. Includes shipping. | |
| − | Discounts | Total discounts applied to products and shipping. |
| = | Sales | Gross Sales − Discounts. The initial order value before returns. |
| − | Returns | Total refunded amount. |
| + | Return Fees | Fees charged to customers for returns. |
| = | Revenue | Sales − Returns + Return Fees. What’s left in your bank account after returns. |
| − | Tax | Total tax collected after returns. Only visible when viewing metrics with tax included. |
| − | COGS | Cost of Goods Sold. |
| = | Contribution Margin 1 | Revenue − Tax − COGS. Your product margin. |
| − | Variable Costs | Costs that vary with sales volume (shipping, payment processing, etc.). |
| = | Contribution Margin 2 | CM1 − Variable Costs. Your margin after COGS and all variable costs. |
| − | Ad Spend | Total advertising and marketing spend. |
| = | Contribution Margin 3 | CM2 − Ad Spend. Your margin after all COGS, variable costs, and ad spend. |
| − | Fixed Costs | Costs that don’t vary with sales volume (rent, salaries, etc.). |
| = | Net Profit | CM3 − Fixed Costs. Your bottom line profit. |
Variable Costs Breakdown
Variable costs can be broken down into:
| Category | Definition |
|---|---|
| Shipping Costs | Shipping and fulfillment costs including delivery, packaging, and logistics. |
| Returns Costs | Costs related to processing returns and refunds. |
| Payment Costs | Payment processing fees from Stripe, PayPal, Shopify Payments, etc. |
| Customs Costs | Customs duties, import taxes, and international shipping fees. |
| Fulfillment Costs | Fulfillment costs including pick, pack, and warehouse handling fees. |
| Other Variable | Other variable costs not categorized above. |
| Agency Fees | Marketing agency fees calculated as a percentage of ad spend. |
Ad Spend Breakdown
Ad spend can be broken down by platform:
| Platform | Definition |
|---|---|
| Google Ads | Ad spend from Google Ads. |
| Meta Ads | Ad spend from Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ads. |
| Snapchat Ads | Ad spend from Snapchat Ads. |
| TikTok Ads | Ad spend from TikTok Ads. |
| AppLovin | Ad spend from AppLovin. |
| GoAffPro | Ad spend from GoAffPro affiliate program. |
| Other Marketing | Fixed marketing costs (agency fees, banner ads, etc.) allocated to ad spend. |
Tax Toggle
You can switch between viewing metrics with or without tax using the tax toggle in the filter settings. This affects all metrics from Gross Sales through Revenue.
- Excl. tax: All top-line metrics exclude tax.
- Incl. tax: All top-line metrics include tax.
Metrics below Revenue (COGS, contribution margins, variable costs, ad spend, fixed costs, net profit) always exclude tax regardless of the toggle.
Comparing with Shopify
Kleio’s metrics won’t match Shopify’s Finance Summary one-to-one. There are two key differences:
Shipping is included. Kleio includes shipping revenue in Gross Sales, Discounts, Sales, Returns, and Revenue. Shopify’s Finance Summary separates shipping into its own line. We include it because shipping revenue hits your bank account just like product revenue, and for many stores shipping is a meaningful revenue lever.
Tax handling differs. Shopify’s Finance Summary shows everything except Total Sales without taxes. Kleio lets you toggle between including and excluding tax using the tax toggle in the filter settings. This way you can view your P&L however makes sense for your business.