# Ecommerce Dashboard: The KPIs Your Role Watches, in a View Luca's Team Sets Up

A custom e-commerce dashboard for your role: you choose the KPIs from Shopify, Amazon, ad and accounting data, and Luca's team sets up the view, which refreshes every morning.

- Applies to: Brands whose custom dashboard Luca's team has set up
- Status: Live
- Verified: 2026-11-07
- Canonical page: https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/numbers/custom-dashboard

A custom e-commerce dashboard should open on the numbers your role is judged on, not on someone else's revenue chart. Luca AI, an e-commerce analytics and AI agents platform, gives you that ecommerce dashboard: you choose the KPIs, and Luca's team sets up the view with you. It draws on your Shopify, Amazon, ad and accounting data, and it refreshes every morning before your first check.

## At a glance {#at-a-glance}

| | |
|---|---|
| **What it is** | A dashboard of the KPIs your role watches, set up for your brand |
| **Who sets it up** | Luca's team, with you. It is not self-serve |
| **What you decide** | Which KPIs go on it, how each one is defined, and the filters you want |
| **What it draws on** | Every connected source: Shopify, Amazon, ad platforms, Xero or QuickBooks, Klaviyo, Recharge and more |
| **Filters** | Brand, store, country, date range and comparison period |
| **How fresh it is** | Refreshed every morning from the overnight sync |
| **Where it sits** | In the **Numbers** area, next to chat, so you can ask why a figure moved |
| **What it never does** | Change your store, ad accounts or books. Luca only reads your data |

## What a custom dashboard is {#what-it-is}

A custom dashboard is a view of your business built around one person's job. The founder may want revenue first. A head of growth wants acquisition cost, margin after ads and repeat buying. In Luca, both views draw on the same data, so the numbers agree.

Luca's team sets up the dashboard for each brand. You tell the team which KPIs you want, and the team maps them from your connected sources. Luca calculates every KPI daily from your private data warehouse, which syncs every night. The view sits in the **Numbers** area, and which tabs you see depends on what was set up for your brand.

If you want the founder's wider morning view, [seeing the whole business in one place](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/see-the-whole-business) covers it. This page is about the view for your own role.

### What you see on your dashboard {#what-you-see}

The dashboard opens on KPI tiles across the top. Each tile shows the figure, the change against the previous period and a short note on what it covers. Below the tiles, cards show a trend or a table for the measures you chose, with **How it's calculated** under each one.

![The My dashboard view for a demo brand, with four KPI tiles for weekly net revenue, refill attach rate, product cover in days and cash today, above a 12-week line chart labelled as a custom measure set up for the brand.](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/images/numbers/custom-dash-kpi-cards.webp)

*A dashboard set up around one person's measures, including a measure set up for the brand. The figures are sample data for a demo brand, Fernlow.*

### What it is not {#what-it-is-not}

It is not a blank canvas that you fill alone. Luca's team sets up the view and changes it when you ask. It is also not an attribution tool. It compares ad spend and platform-reported results with store revenue, and it never says which ad or campaign won a given order. If what you need is a monthly board pack rather than a daily view, [KPI reporting with one set of definitions](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/kpi-reporting) fits better.

## Why a custom e-commerce dashboard matters {#why-it-matters}

### What it's for {#what-its-for}

A custom e-commerce dashboard puts the few numbers you answer for at the top of the screen. You stop hunting through tabs built for someone else, and you start the week on the figures you will be asked about.

### How it helps {#how-it-helps}

- **Your numbers first:** the view opens on your KPIs, not the founder's revenue chart.
- **One definition each:** every figure uses the same definition in the dashboard and in chat.
- **Fresh every morning:** the overnight sync means Monday's view already holds Sunday's data.
- **Questions in place:** when a figure moves, you ask why in chat beside it.

### What happens without it {#without-it}

Without a view built for your role, the numbers you are judged on stay buried. A rise in acquisition cost or a dip in repeat buying can sit unseen for weeks behind a healthy revenue line. By the time it shows up in revenue, the budget for the month is already spent.

### Why buyers care {#why-buyers-care}

Heads of growth and marketing leads care most, because their budget decisions turn on cost and margin, not on sales alone. It matters most at the weekly trading meeting and in the run-up to a big promotion. Our guide to the [ecommerce analytics dashboard](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/ecommerce-analytics-dashboard) explains which panels belong on a growth view.

## The Luca AI approach to custom e-commerce dashboards {#approach}

{/* 5P */}

Picture the head of growth at an activewear brand on Shopify, selling leggings, sports bras and running layers. Every Monday the shared dashboard opens on the founder's view, with revenue, orders and average order value. She wants three other numbers: new-customer CAC, contribution margin after ads and the 60-day repeat rate.

The usual fix is a spreadsheet. She may export ad spend from Meta and Google and pull orders and refunds from Shopify. Then she adds product costs from the finance lead's sheet. That can take most of Monday morning, and each export can count customers or dates a little differently.

What changed is where the data sits. Store orders, ad spend and costs now land in one warehouse each night. So those three numbers can be worked out from the same data every morning. The job is then to agree the definitions once and keep them fixed.

Luca AI does that with you. You tell Luca's team which KPIs your view should open on and how each is defined. The team sets up the dashboard from your connected sources, and Luca refreshes it every morning. When the repeat rate dips, you ask about it in chat beside the dashboard.

You can check any definition on the page itself. Hover over a metric name, and the dashboard shows how that figure is worked out and where the definition came from. How this compares with other analytics tools is covered in How Luca AI compares for custom e-commerce dashboards, below.

## How a role-based KPI view gets built {#how-views-get-built}

There are four common ways to get a dashboard of your own KPIs. Each catches some problems and misses others.

### A fixed template dashboard {#fixed-template}

Most analytics tools ship a standard overview of sales, sessions and orders. It is quick, and the numbers are consistent. It misses any KPI the template doesn't carry, such as contribution margin after ads, and it can't take your brand's own definition of a repeat customer.

### A spreadsheet rebuilt each week {#spreadsheet}

A spreadsheet can hold any KPI you like, with any definition. It misses freshness and consistency. Each refresh depends on someone exporting the same reports the same way, and one changed date range can shift a figure without anyone noticing.

### A view you build yourself in a BI tool {#self-build}

A business intelligence tool lets an analyst assemble charts from prepared data. It catches complex questions well, as our [ecommerce business intelligence guide](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/ecommerce-business-intelligence) explains. It misses the person without an analyst's time, and the result is only as sound as the data model under it.

### A view set up with the vendor's team {#team-set-up}

Here you choose the KPIs and the vendor's team maps them to your data. It catches definitions, because they are agreed once and used everywhere. It means waiting on the team for set-up and for later changes, rather than editing the view alone.

### What this means for your dashboard in Luca {#what-this-means}

Luca uses the last of these. Luca's team sets up the dashboard with you, calculates every KPI daily from your warehouse, and keeps one definition for each figure across the dashboard and chat. Luca's defaults cover most KPIs, and your brand's own definitions sit on top where you set them with the team.

## Choose the KPIs for your view {#choose-kpis}

Start with the three to five numbers you are asked about most. For a head of growth that is usually acquisition cost, margin after ads and repeat buying. Our list of [ecommerce KPIs across acquisition and retention](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/top-ecommerce-kpis) can help you narrow the list.

Luca calculates a wide catalogue of KPIs that your view can draw on:

- **Acquisition:** blended CAC, CAC per platform, ROAS by platform and campaign, blended marketing efficiency (MER), ad spend as a share of revenue and break-even ROAS.
- **Profit:** net revenue, gross profit and gross margin by product, refund rate and discount rate, plus contribution margin and contribution profit after fees and ads.
- **Customers:** repeat-purchase rate, new against returning customers, monthly cohort retention and historical lifetime value by acquisition cohort.
- **Finance:** gross, operating and net margin, working capital and free cash flow, with Xero or QuickBooks connected.
- **Stock and subscriptions:** days of stock cover and stock-out risk, plus active subscribers and churn with Recharge connected.

Some KPIs are standard for every brand that connects the source. Others, such as contribution margin, are set up with Luca's team as part of a tailored view. Tell the team which you need when you first ask.

## Agree the filters and the morning check {#filters}

Once the KPIs are chosen, agree how you want to slice them. Each view carries a filter bar for the date range, the country and a comparison period. A head of growth might keep the last seven days against the week before, and switch the country filter to check the UK against the rest of Europe.

![A Numbers view for a demo brand with a filter bar for date range, plan, billing frequency, country and comparison period, above four KPI tiles for active subscribers, recurring revenue, monthly churn and skips this month.](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/images/numbers/custom-dash-kpi-tiles.webp)

*Every Numbers view opens on a filter bar and a row of KPI tiles like these, and a custom view gathers the tiles your role watches into one place, set up by Luca's team. The figures are sample data for a demo brand.*

Then agree when you will read it. The dashboard refreshes every morning, so the view holds yesterday's data when you open it. If a figure looks out of date, the **Data health** page shows whether every source synced.

## Read the view on Monday {#read-the-view}

Read the tiles first, then the trend cards. Look at the change against the previous period before the figure itself. A CAC of 45 pounds says little on its own; a CAC that rose by a third in a week says a lot.

When a figure moves, ask why in chat. Luca's answer gives the figures, a chart where useful and links to the tables behind each figure. Our guide to [ecommerce data visualisation](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/ecommerce-data-visualization) covers which chart suits which KPI.

## How to define the three KPIs before they go on the view {#define-kpis}

A dashboard is only as good as its definitions. Before the head of growth's view goes live, each of her three numbers needs a written definition that she and Luca's team agree.

### New-customer CAC {#new-customer-cac}

Luca's blended CAC divides all marketing spend by new customers, week by week. The weak spot is the word "new". If the store counts a returning guest checkout as a new customer, CAC looks lower than it is. Agree which customers count as new, and keep it fixed. For spend by platform alongside it, [ROAS analysis by channel and campaign](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/roas-analysis) goes deeper.

Blended ratios have a second weak spot. Shopify notes that [a healthy blended ratio can hide a weak channel](https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-lifetime-value), so keep CAC per platform one click away.

### Contribution margin after ads {#contribution-margin}

In general terms, [contribution margin is net sales less variable costs, as a share of net sales](https://www.shopify.com/blog/contribution-margin-vs-gross-margin). Luca's version takes contribution margin after product costs, fees and advertising. The weak spot is which costs count. Leave out shipping or refunds, and the margin looks better than the cash you keep. Our piece on [ecommerce KPIs that determine profitability](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/ecommerce-kpis) explains why this number matters more than revenue.

### 60-day repeat rate {#repeat-rate}

Shopify works out the repeat customer rate as [customers who bought more than once, divided by unique customers, times 100](https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-retention). Both counts sit [within a specific period of time](https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-retention), and that window is the weak spot. A 60-day window suits fast-moving activewear, but a 30-day window would read lower. Agree the window with Luca's team, and don't change it mid-season. For cohorts and the products that bring buyers back, see [customer retention analysis](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/customer-retention-analysis).

### Where the definitions show on your dashboard {#definitions-on-dashboard}

Hover over a metric name on the dashboard and its definition appears. It says what the figure includes, what it leaves out and where the definition came from: Luca's default, or your brand's own version of it.

![A close-up of KPI tiles with a tooltip over contribution margin, giving its definition as net revenue less product cost, fees, shipping and ad spend, what it includes, and its source as the brand's definition based on Luca's default.](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/images/numbers/custom-dash-cm-definition.webp)

*The definition behind contribution margin, shown on hover, so everyone reads the figure the same way. The figures are sample data for a demo brand.*

## How to build a weekly KPI view by hand {#manual-method}

If you track these numbers by hand today, the job usually runs like this:

1. Export last week's orders, refunds and customers from Shopify.
2. Export ad spend from each ad platform for the same dates and time zone.
3. Add product costs, payment fees and shipping from the finance lead's sheet.
4. Count new customers, then divide total marketing spend by that count.
5. Take product costs, fees, shipping and ad spend from net revenue, then divide by net revenue.
6. Count customers with more than one order in the last 60 days, and divide by unique customers.
7. Paste the three results into the deck, next to last week's figures.

### The same job in Luca {#same-job-in-luca}

In Luca, steps 1 to 6 happen every night. Luca's team agrees the definitions with you once, and the dashboard then holds all three figures each morning. Step 7 becomes reading the tiles and asking about anything that moved. Our guide to [ecommerce performance analytics](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/ecommerce-performance-analytics) shows how to group these operational KPIs.

### A worked example: Monday's three numbers {#worked-example}

This illustrative calculation uses sample figures in pounds sterling for a demo activewear brand. It is not a Luca output.

| Measure | Arithmetic (pounds sterling) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| New-customer CAC | 18,000 marketing spend ÷ 400 new customers | 45 pounds |
| Contribution profit after ads | 120,000 net revenue − 48,000 product costs − 14,000 fees and shipping − 18,000 ad spend | 40,000 pounds |
| Contribution margin after ads | 40,000 ÷ 120,000 × 100 | 33.3% |
| 60-day repeat rate | 900 customers with more than one order ÷ 6,000 unique customers × 100 | 15% |

Now suppose the next week brings the same revenue and the same 400 new customers, but ad spend rises to 24,000 pounds. CAC climbs to 60 pounds, and contribution margin falls to 28.3%. A revenue-first view would show a flat, healthy week; this view shows the cost of it.

## Get your custom dashboard set up {#set-up}

1. Connect your sources. Shopify connects self-serve and read-only, and [setting up Luca](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/getting-started/set-up-luca) walks through the rest.
2. Ask your Luca contact for a custom dashboard, and say whose view it is.
3. List the three to five KPIs the view should open on.
4. Agree each definition with Luca's team, including windows such as 60 days.
5. Agree the filters and the comparison period you want by default.
6. Open the dashboard the next morning, and check each tile against a figure you already trust.

## How a custom dashboard works with the rest of Luca {#works-with}

### Shopify and Amazon {#with-stores}

Shopify supplies orders, refunds, customers and products, which feed revenue, new customers and repeat buying. Amazon adds net proceeds per unit after fees, so marketplace margin sits beside the Shopify figures.

### Ad platforms {#with-ads}

Meta, Google and Amazon Ads supply spend and platform-reported results. Luca sets that spend against store revenue and new customers to give CAC, ROAS and MER.

### Xero and QuickBooks {#with-accounting}

With your books connected, the view can carry operating margin, working capital and free cash flow. That lets a finance KPI sit on the same screen as a growth one.

### Chat {#with-chat}

The dashboard sits next to chat. Ask why a tile moved, and the answer can [combine Shopify, ads and Xero in one reply](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/chat/cross-source-answers).

### Forecasts {#with-forecasts}

Where forecasting is switched on for your brand, a [daily revenue forecast](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/forecasting/revenue-forecast) can sit in the **Numbers** area beside your view.

## Who uses a custom dashboard, and how {#who-uses-it}

### Growth and marketing leads {#growth-leads}

A growth lead opens on CAC, margin after ads and repeat buying, and moves budget on Monday from what they show.

### Founders and CEOs {#founders}

A founder keeps a revenue-first view of sales, profit and cash, while each lead on the team has a view of their own from the same data.

### CFOs and finance leads {#finance-leads}

A finance lead opens on margin, working capital and cash, with Xero or QuickBooks figures beside store sales.

### Operations and inventory leads {#operations-leads}

An operations lead opens on stock cover and stock-out risk, then turns to [product demand forecasts](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/inventory-demand-forecasting) before reordering.

## How Luca AI compares for custom e-commerce dashboards {#compare}

Luca's team sets up a KPI view for your role, with your definitions agreed once. That view can carry Xero or QuickBooks figures beside store and ad data, and it sits next to chat for questions. Luca AI is the only platform in this table that does all three.

Custom e-commerce dashboard features, from each platform's public documentation:

| Platform | Set up for your KPIs by the vendor's team | Xero or QuickBooks in the same view | Plain-English questions beside the dashboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Luca AI** | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **Daasity** | You build it ([custom dashboard from an explore](https://help.daasity.com/core-concepts/dashboards)) | Not in docs | Yes ([AI Analyst in plain English](https://help.daasity.com/core-concepts/ai-analyst)) |
| **Lifetimely by AMP** | Agent-built ([dashboard from a description](https://help.useamp.com/article/1414-profit-agent-full-capabilities-overview)) | Yes ([QuickBooks cost and expense sync](https://help.useamp.com/article/1115-getting-started-with-quickbooks-online)) | Yes ([ask anything in plain language](https://help.useamp.com/article/1414-profit-agent-full-capabilities-overview)) |
| **Triple Whale** | Partly ([custom dashboards via the Data-Out API](https://triplewhale.readme.io/reference/data-out-api-use-cases)) | Not in docs | Yes ([plain-English prompts](https://triplewhale.readme.io/docs/sql-example-library-overview-and-best-practices)) |
| **Northbeam** | Fixed ([built-in Overview dashboards](https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/overview-page)) | Not in docs | Partly ([via an external AI assistant](https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/get-started/capabilities)) |
| **Shopify Analytics** | You build it ([user-generated custom reports](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/report-types/custom-reports/managing-custom-reports)) | Not in docs | Yes ([Sidekick answers from store data](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/ai-powered-tools/sidekick/help-and-guidance)) |

*Yes: documented and built in. Partly: documented with a limit, shown in brackets. Not in docs: not found in the vendor's public documentation.*

### Why Luca AI is the stronger choice for custom e-commerce dashboards {#compare-stronger}

- **Set up with you, not left to you:** in Daasity you [use an explore to build a custom dashboard from scratch](https://help.daasity.com/core-concepts/dashboards). Luca's team sets up your view with your definitions agreed once. More in our [Daasity alternatives](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/daasity-alternatives) guide.
- **Finance beside growth:** Lifetimely [syncs cost and expense data from QuickBooks](https://help.useamp.com/article/1115-getting-started-with-quickbooks-online). Luca reads Xero or QuickBooks for operating margin, working capital and free cash flow on the same view. More in our [Lifetimely alternatives](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/lifetimely-alternatives) guide.
- **The view lives in the product:** Triple Whale's API lets you [power custom dashboards](https://triplewhale.readme.io/reference/data-out-api-use-cases) elsewhere. Luca's view sits next to chat and refreshes every morning. More in our [Triple Whale alternatives](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/triple-whale-alternatives) guide.

*Competitor details checked against each vendor's public documentation on 7 November 2026. Features and plans change, so confirm with the vendor before you decide.*

## Limits of a custom dashboard {#limits}

- Luca's team sets up the dashboard and makes later changes. To add or swap a KPI, you ask the team.
- The view refreshes every morning, so it shows data up to the overnight sync, not live figures through the day.
- Which KPIs you can show depends on the sources you connect. Finance KPIs need Xero or QuickBooks, and subscription KPIs need Recharge.
- Contribution margin and some deeper views are set up per client, as part of a tailored view.
- Ad figures compare spend and platform-reported results with store revenue. The dashboard never shows which ad, creative or campaign drove a given order.
- Luca only reads your data. It never changes your store, ad accounts or books, as [read-only access](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/platform/read-only-access) explains.

## Common questions {#common-questions}

#### What is a custom ecommerce dashboard? {#faq-what-is}

A custom ecommerce dashboard is a view built around the KPIs one role watches, such as CAC and margin for a head of growth. In Luca AI, you choose the KPIs and Luca's team sets up the view from your connected data.

#### Who sets up my dashboard? {#faq-who-sets-up}

Luca's team sets up each custom dashboard with the brand. You choose the KPIs, agree how each one is defined and pick the filters. The team then maps them to your connected sources.

#### Can I change the dashboard myself? {#faq-change}

Changes go through Luca's team. If you want a new KPI, a different definition or another default filter, tell your Luca contact and the team updates the view.

#### How do I ask for a custom dashboard? {#faq-ask}

Ask your Luca contact. Say whose view it is, list the three to five KPIs it should open on, and note any definitions your team already uses, such as a 60-day repeat window.

#### Which KPIs can go on it? {#faq-which-kpis}

Any KPI Luca calculates from your connected sources. That includes CAC, ROAS, MER, net revenue, gross and contribution margin, repeat-purchase rate, cohort retention, stock cover, cash and subscription churn.

#### How often does the dashboard refresh? {#faq-refresh}

Every morning. Luca syncs your sources overnight and recalculates the KPIs daily, so the dashboard shows data up to the previous day when you open it.

#### Can I filter by store, country or date? {#faq-filters}

Yes. The filter bar offers brand, store, country, date range and comparison period, so you can compare last week with the week before or one country with another.

#### How do I know how a number is worked out? {#faq-definitions}

Hover over the metric name. The dashboard shows how the figure is calculated, what it includes and whether it uses Luca's default or your brand's own definition.

#### Will the dashboard and chat give the same number? {#faq-same-number}

Yes. Both draw on the same warehouse and the same metric definitions, so a KPI asked about in chat matches the figure on your dashboard for the same dates and filters.

#### Is the dashboard an attribution tool? {#faq-attribution}

No. The dashboard compares ad spend and platform-reported results with store revenue and new customers. It does not attribute individual orders or customers to a particular ad, creative or campaign.

#### Can the founder keep a revenue-first view? {#faq-founder-view}

Yes. Each person's view draws on the same data, so the founder can keep revenue first while the head of growth opens on CAC, margin after ads and repeat rate.

#### Will Luca change anything in my store or ad accounts? {#faq-read-only}

No. Luca has read-only access to your store, ad accounts and books, and it never writes to them. You make every change yourself, as [the read-only access page](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/platform/read-only-access) explains.

#### Can I ask about a figure on the dashboard? {#faq-ask-chat}

Yes. The dashboard sits next to chat, and Luca can [answer from Shopify, ads and Xero at once](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/chat/cross-source-answers), with links to the tables behind each figure.

#### Is a custom dashboard tied to a price plan? {#faq-plan}

Pricing isn't covered on this page. Ask your Luca contact about a custom dashboard for your brand, and they will confirm what it involves for your account.

## Further reading {#further-reading}

- [Shopify on customer retention](https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-retention): how the repeat customer rate is calculated over a set period.
- [Shopify on contribution margin and gross margin](https://www.shopify.com/blog/contribution-margin-vs-gross-margin): the general formula for contribution margin and how it differs from gross margin.
- [Shopify on customer lifetime value](https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-lifetime-value): how CAC pairs with lifetime value, and why blended figures can hide a weak channel.

## Related {#related}

- [Luca AI product documentation](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs): every guide in one place.
- [AI for ecommerce brands](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/see-the-whole-business): sales, ads, profit and cash in one morning view.
- [Ecommerce KPI reporting](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/kpi-reporting): one set of definitions in dashboards, chat and exports.
- [Set up an AI analyst for Shopify](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/getting-started/set-up-luca): connect sources and invite your team.
- [ROAS analysis for ecommerce](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/roas-analysis): ROAS by channel and campaign against break-even ROAS.
- [Customer retention analysis](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/customer-retention-analysis): which cohorts and products keep customers.
- [Shopify revenue forecast](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/forecasting/revenue-forecast): daily revenue up to a year ahead.
- [AI agents for ecommerce](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/ai-agents-for-ecommerce): what an AI agent does with your store data, and what you decide.

*Updated 7 November 2026: first published, with how role-based KPI views get built, how to define CAC, contribution margin and repeat rate, the manual method with a worked example, set-up steps and 14 questions.*