What is the Sales by Product Report?
The Sales by Product report brings each product's sales into a single view. For the date range you choose, it shows net quantity, gross sales, discount, returns, and net sales, along with product vendor, product type, tax, and total sales, so the full picture for one product sits on a single row.
It answers a simple question every store owner asks: what is actually selling, and how much money is coming in. Because it reports at the product level rather than the variant level, a product sold in several sizes or colors appears as one combined row.If you need more detailed variant-level information, such as SKU, size, or color, you can use the Sales by Variant Report for a deeper breakdown.
The value is in seeing volume and money side by side. Net quantity tells you how much moved. Gross sales, discount, returns, and net sales tell you what that movement was actually worth after markdowns and refunds. That lets you reorder winners with confidence, question slow movers, and catch a dip before it turns into a problem.
Which Fields Are Included in the Sales by Product Report?
These fields let you judge each product on both volume and the revenue that survives after discounts and returns.
You can customize the pre-made report by adding, removing, or rearranging columns so it matches the way you review your store.
Important Insights You Can Find in This Report
Which products are the real winners worth reordering?
Sort by total sales or net sales and the products that carry your store rise to the top. These are the items that deserve the most stock and attention, so you can reorder them with confidence rather than guessing. Just as useful is the bottom of the list, where slow movers sit tying up cash that could go into products that actually sell.
Are discounts or returns quietly eating a product's sales?
Read the discount and returns columns next to gross sales rather than on their own. A product can post strong gross sales and still deliver much less in net sales once markdowns and refunds are removed. When you spot a large gap, the two columns tell you which one caused it, so you know whether to look at your pricing or at the product itself.
Which products are cooling off before it becomes a problem?
Run the report across a recent period, or switch it to a chart, and watch the movement rather than a single total. A product sliding downward week over week is an early warning you can act on, whether that means a promotion, a restock decision, or a closer look at why demand is fading. Catching the dip early is far cheaper than reacting after stock and cash are already committed.
THE ANALYST'S READ: The Signal Most Merchants Miss
The number most merchants glance at is gross sales, but the number that pays the bills is net sales, and the gap between them is where the report earns its keep. That gap is discounts plus returns, and it does not fall evenly across your catalog.
It hits hardest on higher-priced products. On a low-cost item, a single return barely moves the line. On a high-ticket item, a few refunds or a standing discount can quietly erase most of the profit the gross figure seemed to promise. So a product can look like a top performer on gross sales and turn out to be a modest earner once you read across to net sales. Before you crown a product a winner, check whether its net sales hold up or collapse against its gross. If the gap is driven by discounts, the product is selling and the question is your pricing. If it is driven by returns, the sale is not sticking, and cutting the price would only lose money faster. Look for products where this pattern repeats across periods, since a steady gap is a structural issue worth fixing rather than a one-off month.
How Can You Automate the Sales by Product Report?
Open Report Pundit and load the pre-made Sales by Product template. The columns are already set, so you can save it as is. To build your own version, go to Custom Reports, add the fields above, set your date range, and add a filter if you want to focus on one part of the data, then save.
Once it is saved, schedule it to email you automatically, daily, weekly, or monthly, so you never build it by hand again. You can export it as Excel, CSV, or PDF, push it to Google Sheets or Google Drive, and have it sent to your team, your VA, or your accountant on the same schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Sales by Product report show?
It shows each product's sales for the period you choose, with net quantity, gross sales, discount, returns, and net sales, plus product vendor, product type, tax, and total sales. Everything for one product sits on a single row.
What is the difference between gross sales and net sales here?
Gross sales is product revenue before any deductions, calculated as price times quantity ordered. Net sales is gross sales minus discounts and returns. Reading them together shows how much of a product's sales you actually keep.
Can I view this report as a chart?
Yes. Switch it to a chart view and pick a line graph to see the sales trend over time, or a bar graph to compare products or periods at a glance.
Can I sort or filter it to focus on one product or period?
Yes. Sort by total sales to bring the most important rows to the top, and filter to a single product, period, or status to study it on its own.
Can I customize which columns appear?
Yes. Add, remove, or rearrange columns so the report matches how your store works, then save your version to reuse it.
Can I export the report or have it emailed automatically?
Yes. Download it as Excel, CSV, or PDF, push it to Google Sheets or Google Drive, or schedule it to email you and your team daily, weekly, or monthly.
Can Report Pundit build a custom version of this report?
Yes. If you need a custom view, such as sales by channel, location, or payment method, the Report Pundit support team can tailor the report to fit how you sell.