Let’s cut to it: most business owners don’t check their reports.
Or if they do, it’s just to squint at total sales and say “hmm, not bad.”

But your POS is sitting on a goldmine of data—and if you use it right, it can literally tell you how to make more money.

This isn’t about becoming a spreadsheet nerd.
It’s about knowing which numbers to look at so you can stop guessing and start growing.

So here are the 5 retail reports worth actually paying attention to (with zero jargon and all upside):

1. Sales by Hour (a.k.a. “When are we actually busy?”)

You think your peak time is 5pm.
But is it really?
Because when you check the “sales by hour” report, it might turn out that 1–3pm is sneakily your highest volume window.

Why this matters:

• You’ll schedule staff smarter
  
• You’ll run promos during quiet hours
  
• You won’t burn payroll on dead shifts
  

The data doesn’t lie. And once you see the actual spikes, you’ll never rely on gut alone again.

2. Top-Selling Products (and the ones nobody wants)

Most stores have a “hero product” that quietly drives the business.
And some deadweight that’s just taking up space.

Your product performance report shows:

• What sells the most (by units or revenue)
  
• What never sells
  
• What moves only during discounts
  

With this, you can:

• Order smarter
  
• Bundle slow items with fast ones
  
• Create “staff picks” for what needs help
  
• Kill off products that no one will miss
  

That’s profit you didn’t know you were losing.

3. Customer Visit Frequency (a.k.a. “Who’s actually coming back?”)

If you have loyalty features or customer profiles set up, you’ll see this:

• How many people are one-time buyers
  
• Who’s visiting regularly
  
• Which items bring them back
  

This is gold for:

• Creating reward tiers
  
• Sending “We miss you” messages
  
• Running exclusive deals for top spenders
  

Even if you’re not running a loyalty program yet, POS data can show you patterns worth acting on.

4. Refund & Return Summary (don’t sleep on this)

Returns suck, yes. But patterns of returns? Even worse.

Are certain items getting refunded way more than others?
Is it a sizing issue? A misleading label? Or just staff pressing wrong buttons?

This report helps you:

• Spot and fix repeat issues
  
• Train staff better
  
• Flag dodgy transactions
  
• Cut refund-related losses before they pile up
  

Even one less return per day adds up over months.

5. Staff Performance Report (who’s quietly crushing it?)

This isn’t about creating a leaderboard. It’s about visibility.

With a proper POS, you can track:

• Sales per staff member
  
• Average transaction size
  
• Upsell performance
  
• Discounts given (intentional or not)
  

This helps you:

• Reward your top sellers
  
• Spot training needs
  
• Prevent shrinkage (accidental or shady)
  
• Build a culture of accountability
  

Good people love transparency. And this data builds trust when used right.

TL;DR?

You don’t need 17 dashboards or 80 KPIs.
Just these 5 reports, checked weekly, can help you:
✅ Boost sales
✅ Cut waste
✅ Keep staff sharper
✅ Serve customers better

And if your current POS can’t show you this stuff easily… maybe it’s time.

Just saying.

PerfectSols makes these reports clear, simple, and actually useful.
No digging. No downloads. Just insights that help you make smart decisions—fast.

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