> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.moleculedata.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.moleculedata.com/understanding-your-data/every-metric-explained.md). # Every metric, explained Every number on the dashboard, how it is calculated, and what it is actually good for. These are the metrics available as cards on the [Dashboard](https://docs.moleculedata.com/dashboards/dashboard) and as columns in every drill-down table. Two rules apply throughout: * **Molecule metrics follow your attribution method.** Change the method and they change. **Channel metrics do not** — they are reported by the ad platform and arrive already decided. * **All money is converted to your dashboard currency.** ## Revenue | Metric | How it is calculated | What it is for | | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Total Sales** | Attributed order value after discounts, including VAT and shipping, counted on the day the order was placed — before refunds and cancellations | Your headline top line — what you billed, not what you keep. Shopify's own Total sales subtracts refunds on the day they happen, so it can be lower | | **Net Sales** | Sales after discounts, without tax and shipping, minus refunds and cancellations on the day they happen | What the business actually keeps. The basis for Net ROAS | | **First Time Sales** | Revenue from customers buying from you for the first time | How much of your growth is genuinely new business | ## Efficiency | Metric | How it is calculated | What it is for | | ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **ROAS** | Total Sales ÷ Spend | A quick read, but inflated by VAT and shipping | | **Net ROAS** | Net Sales ÷ Spend | The profitability number. Compare it against your break-even | | **First Time ROAS** | First Time Sales ÷ Spend | How efficiently you are buying new customers | | **Channel ROAS** | The platform's own reported purchase value ÷ Spend | What the ad platform's algorithm can see — useful for comparing ads inside one platform | ## Cost | Metric | How it is calculated | What it is for | | --------- | ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Spend** | What you paid the ad platform | — | | **CAC** | Spend ÷ First Time Customers | What one new customer costs you | | **CPO** | Spend ÷ Total Orders | Cost per order, repeat buyers included | | **CPC** | Spend ÷ Clicks | The price of traffic. On Meta this uses link clicks | | **CPM** | Spend ÷ Impressions × 1,000 | The price of reach. A steadily rising CPM on the same creative is the classic sign of fatigue | ## Volume and quality | Metric | How it is calculated | What it is for | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------- | | **Total Orders** | Attributed orders | — | | **First Time Customers** | Orders from customers buying for the first time | Pairs with CAC | | **Total AOV** | Total Sales ÷ Total Orders | Average order value, VAT and shipping included | | **Net AOV** | Net Sales ÷ Total Orders | Average order value you keep | | **First Time AOV** | First Time Sales ÷ First Time Customers | What a new customer spends on their first visit | | **Conversion Rate** | Orders ÷ Clicks — see the note below | How well traffic turns into orders | | **Clicks** | Clicks on your ads. On Meta, link clicks | — | | **Impressions** | Times your ads were shown | — | | **Channel Conversions** | Purchases as the platform reports them — Meta purchases, Google purchase conversions | The platform's own count | | **Channel Conversions Value** | The purchase value the platform reports | Feeds Channel ROAS | ## Two things that will confuse you if nobody says them {% hint style="info" %} **Conversion Rate is measured differently in the summary and in the tables.** The summary cards use **all** your store's orders divided by clicks. The drill-down rows use **attributed** orders divided by clicks. So the summary figure is normally higher than any individual row, and the rows will not add up to it. That is not a bug: your store also takes orders that no ad click can claim — direct visits, organic search, email, word of mouth. {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} **Channel metrics ignore your attribution method.** Channel ROAS, Channel Conversions and Channel Conversions Value come from the ad platform with its own attribution already applied. Changing the method at the top of the dashboard moves every other metric on the page but leaves these three exactly where they were. {% endhint %} ## Which ones to watch when you are starting out Four numbers are enough to run on: * **Net ROAS**, against your break-even. Profitable or not. * **CAC**, against what a customer is worth to you over time. * **First Time ROAS**, to see whether you are buying new customers or re-buying the ones you had. * **CPM**, to catch creative fatigue before your results fall. The rest are there for when you have a specific question.