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Understanding Benchmarks and Trends

Benchmarks and Trends compares your sales data to that of nearby businesses within the Lightspeed market. Use this page to make informed decisions about pricing and plan for the future.

Benchmarks and Trends is currently only available to customers in the United States.

Benchmarks and Trends full page

Accessing Benchmarks and Trends

In order to access Benchmarks and Trends, you will need to have access to Advanced Insights. To sign up for Advanced Insights, contact your Sales Account Manager. Access Benchmarks and Trends from the navigation bar in the Back Office.

  1. Log in to the Back Office with your Lightspeed credentials.
  2. Click Reports > Benchmarks and Trends.

Understanding Benchmarks and Trends

The Gross sales performance chart compares your actual daily sales to your typical sales over the previous four weeks. You can also view how the market performed during the same period.

The Food & Drinks split highlights how your sales mix and pricing compare to the market.

The Sales metrics section displays an overview of your most important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for a given day, compared to the market. Metrics include a comparison chart of hourly activity, average order amount, and staff productivity.

Gross sales performance chart

Use this section to view a summary of yesterday's performance compared to your average performance on the same day of the week in previous weeks. This section displays your actual sales, your average sales, and the percentage difference between them. You can then compare your summary to a summary of the market's sales versus the market's average.

Benchmarks and Trends yesterday's sales versus average sales

The Gross sales performance chart displays your sales from the past four weeks. Use this chart to compare your sales within a given day (actual sales) to your average sales on that same day in the previous four-week period. Your baseline is shown as a percentage difference between actual sales and average sales.

Benchmarks and Trends gross sales chart

The chart displays your gross sales, the market's average gross sales, and the market's gross sales range relative to their baseline. This baseline is calculated based on the average gross sales over the previous four weeks, for the same day of the week. For example, if viewing sales for a Saturday, the baseline is based on gross sales from the past four Saturdays.

Hover over a point on the graph to view a summary of your gross sales, the market’s average gross sales, and the market’s gross sales range for that specific day.

Benchmarks and Trends Gross sales chart with a single day highlighted

Food & beverages split

Use the Food & beverages split chart to view a summary of your food sales and beverage sales over the previous 7 days, as compared to the food and beverage sales of the market over the same time period. This summary will allow you to better understand where your revenue comes from, and how your pricing strategy compares to that of your competitors.

This chart accounts only for food and beverage items and does not include other items, such as merchandise.

Benchmarks and Trends Food and beverages split chart

Hover over a point on the graph to view a summary of your business’s sales distribution by both food and beverage items, compared to the market’s, on any given day.

Benchmarks and Trends food and drink split chart with single day highlighted

Food Price point: Your average price of all food items sold compared to the median average food price of the market.

Drinks Price point: Your average price of all drink items sold compared to the median average drink price of the market.

Benchmarks and Trends food and drinks price point charts

Sales metrics

Use the Sales metrics to view KPIs for any individual day of business and compare that day to the same day in the market.

The Hourly Activity chart displays your business’s hourly traffic compared to the market’s hourly traffic. The activity is shown as a percentage of your busiest hour of the week. For example, if you're busiest at 7 pm on Saturday, that hourly traffic becomes your baseline – 100%. Hourly traffic is then represented as compared to that baseline: if you have half as many people at 8 pm on Monday as you did at 7 pm on Saturday, your hourly traffic will display as 50%. The market’s hourly traffic is compared to the market’s baseline, which is their busiest hour of the week.

Benchmarks and Trends hourly activity chart

Hover over a bar on the graph to view more detailed information for a specific hour and compare your activity and the market's activity to your individual baselines.

Benchmarks and Trends hourly activity chart with single day highlighted

Use the breakdown sections to view more detailed information, including Sales per cover, Table turn time, and Sales per labor hour.

Order amount: Your average order total compared to the average order total of the market.

Sales per cover: Your average sales per cover compared to the average sales per cover of the market.

Sales per labor hour: Your average net sales divided by the number of hours your employees were clocked in to the POS, compared to the same information from the market.

Shift length: The average time between your employees' clock-in and clock-out times, compared to the average time of the market.

Tip percentage: Your average tip percentage from the previous day compared to the average tip percentage of the market.

Table turn time: The average length of time between tables being opened and closed at your business, compared to the average length of time of the market.

Benchmarks and Trends breakdown sections

Leverage these insights to help improve your business and pinpoint areas you can change to compete better with the market around you.

What's next?

Advanced Insights 2.0

Advanced Insights is a Lightspeed add-on that offers comprehensive access to your key business metrics.

Learn more

About Sales Reports

Sales reports provide a detailed breakdown of sold goods and services, with net and gross data for a specific time period.

Learn more

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