What to track.
WHAT MATTERS
Orders and revenue
Conversion rate: visitors who buy
Average order value Which products sell Where visitors come from Where they abandon
CONVERSION RATE
The most useful single figure.
If it is very low, something is wrong: pricing, trust, delivery cost, or the checkout.
THE ABANDONMENT POINT
Where in the checkout people leave tells you what to fix.
Frequently the step revealing delivery cost.
WHAT NOT TO OPTIMISE FOR
Traffic alone. Visitors who do not buy cost you money in bandwidth.
WHAT TO REVIEW MONTHLY
Best and worst selling products Return reasons Where traffic comes from Conversion rate trend
WHAT DEAD STOCK COSTS
Money sitting still.
Identify it and clear it.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE FINDINGS
Fix the top two problems. Then look again.