Create an E-commerce Dashboard In 3 Steps
How To Create an E-commerce Dashboard
An ecommerce dashboard is a comprehensive web-based platform designed to provide businesses with an efficient way to monitor and manage key performance indicators (KPIs) across their online store and various areas.
Tools like Shopify often offer dashboards which some organisations might find useful, however these dashboards often lack granular detail.
By creating your own dashboard you are allowed greater flexibility with analytics specific to your business. As custom dashboards can offer more in-depth, specific analytics that may not be available in off-the-shelf solutions.
Essential Features for an Ecommerce Dashboard
These are some of the fundamental features to get started with building an ecommerce dashboard.
The ecommerce dashboard should provide real-time access to essential metrics, such as product sales, cart abandonment rates, inventory levels, and customer satisfaction scores.
Functionalities for monitoring, reporting, communication, and access to historical sales data are crucial.
Additionally, tools for analytics and reporting, such as tracking sales trends, conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs, are vital.
Ideally the system is integrated with other internal systems, like CRM, inventory management, and accounting software, which can enhance the dashboard’s usefulness.
Build or Buy Your eCommerce Dashboard
When it comes to implementing an ecommerce dashboard, businesses face a crucial decision: should you stick with the default dashboard provided by platforms like Shopify, or build a custom solution tailored to your needs?
While Shopify’s dashboard offers basic functionalities suitable for many online retailers, building your own dashboard using tools like Five allows you to develop exactly what you need, customized to your organization’s specific ecommerce requirements.
Creating a custom ecommerce dashboard enables you to integrate it with your existing IT infrastructure, serving as a single source of truth across all systems.
It ensures compatibility with legacy systems, working around the constraints of older software that may not be replaceable. Moreover, a custom dashboard can offer advanced features and analytics not available in standard platforms.
Having control over your data is also paramount.
Building your own dashboard means keeping all internal information, such as customer and sales data, under your direct supervision. Default dashboards provided by platforms like Shopify may not offer the same level of data privacy and control, and you may be limited in how you can use or export your data.
Building a secure ecommerce dashboard becomes much simpler with Five. Five offers several advantages: it significantly speeds up the development process, requires no extensive coding knowledge, is more affordable than hiring a developer, and allows you to customize your ecommerce dashboard to meet your specific needs.
Creating a Ecommerce Dashboard Can Be Easy
Building ecommerce dashboards used to be a complex task requiring extensive coding knowledge.
Previously, organizations often relied on developers to build ecommerce dashboards, which could be time-consuming and require considerable resources.
Customizations were challenging, often requiring additional development work.
Fortunately, times have changed. Creating ecommerce dashboards is now much easier with rapid dashboard builders like Five. These tools simplify the process, making it quicker and more accessible.
With Five, you can jump right in and have your ecommerce dashboard built and running in a single afternoon. While there is still a learning curve, this approach is far more efficient than traditional methods.
With Five, you can:
- Set up your eCommerce dashboard interface in minutes.
- Create a user-friendly, login-protected web interface for your eCommerce dashboard.
- Easily import existing data, allowing you to get started quickly.
Get free access to Five and start building your ecommerce dashboard today.
Our team of experts is ready to assist you if you need help along the way. So, if you ever feel like you’re in over your head, don’t worry, our expert developers are here to help you. And yes, we promise not to charge you an arm and a leg or leave you with a system that only we understand. To get a free consultation, visit this page: “Hire An Expert.”
How to Create an eCommerce Dashboard
Here’s how you can create an ecommerce dashboard using Five, along with some prerequisites to consider.
Step 1: Access Five
If you haven’t already, sign up for free access to Five. Five offers a free trial for 14 days with no credit card required. Depending on your project’s complexity and data storage requirements, you may need a paid plan.
Step 2: List Out Ecommerce Dashboard Attributes
Start by compiling a complete list of all attributes relevant to your ecommerce dashboard. Consider what matters to your business: sales performance, inventory levels, conversion rates, or any other key metrics relevant to your goals.
Your ecommerce dashboard should serve as a “single source of truth,” so ensure it’s as comprehensive as possible.
Here are some must-have attributes that are typically included in an eCommerce dashboard:
- User authentication and access control
- Tracking sales and conversion rates
- Real-time data visualization of key eCommerce metrics
- Integration with CRM, inventory management systems, or other internal systems
- Reporting and analytics features
Follow our YouTube tutorial for a step-by-step guide, covering everything starting from database modeling.
The first step explains how to create a database table in Five. This quick four-and-a-half-minute video is highly recommended if your main goal is developing an eCommerce dashboard.
Ecommerce Dashboard Design and User Experience with Five
Once you have defined your ecommerce dashboard’s attributes and set up the database tables in Five, you can start focusing on the design and user experience.
User-Centric Design with Five: Five allows you to create a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface for your ecommerce dashboard. It’s easy to design a clean layout, ensuring that users can navigate effortlessly through sales data, inventory levels, and customer information. You can customize the UI to fit your organization’s branding and user preferences.
Personalization Features: With Five, you can build personalized dashboards for each department or specific metrics. For example, your sales team can focus on revenue and conversion rates, while your inventory team monitors stock levels and reorder points. Users can easily add widgets or shortcuts to their most-used metrics and tools, creating a more tailored and efficient experience.
Built-In Search Functionality: Five offers robust search capabilities that can be easily integrated into your ecommerce dashboard. Users can quickly locate specific products, orders, or customer data by searching by column names or keywords, making navigation simple and efficient.
Mobile-Optimized Design: Five enables you to create a responsive ecommerce dashboard that works on any device. This means users can access essential resources on the go, with a layout that adapts to different screen sizes for optimal usability.
Step 3: Launch Your Ecommerce Dashboard Online
Once your ecommerce dashboard’s database is ready and well-defined, you can begin populating it with the necessary data. Using Five, you can easily upload CSV files directly into your MySQL database. Simply ensure that the columns in your CSV align with the fields in your database, and import the data into your database tables.
Additionally, you can create a user-friendly, web-based database graphical user interface with Five. This interface can feature forms for adding or editing product or customer data, charts for visualizing sales performance, and the ability to generate PDF reports using data from the dashboard.
When you’re ready to deploy your ecommerce dashboard, sign up for one of our paid plans, starting at just $29.99 per month per application. This plan includes unlimited end-users and provides you with a custom URL to access the eCommerce dashboard online.
Conclusion: Building an Ecommerce Dashboard
A well-designed ecommerce dashboard is essential for any business looking to monitor and manage their online store’s performance metrics effectively. With modern tools like Five, the process of creating a custom eCommerce dashboard has become more accessible than ever.
Businesses can now rapidly build and deploy an eCommerce dashboard that truly serves their unique needs.
Get free access to Five and start building your eCommerce dashboard today.
