Sales performance
Understand revenue in context, not in isolation. Identify the trading patterns worth investigating.
SME Baseline · Retail benchmarking
Know where your
retail business stands.
Benchmark sales, margins, staffing and operations. Turn your business data into a clearer view of performance and practical next actions.
One business.
Four vital signs.
Look beyond turnover. SME Baseline examines the connected measures that shape the health of a retail business.
Staffing & productivity
Connect full-time equivalent staffing with the sales your team supports.
Operations
Spot stock and cost pressures that deserve attention.
Margin health
See how much of each sale remains after the cost of goods.
Less guesswork.
Better priorities.
A structured starting point for owners who need to decide what to work on next.
10questions to establish your baseline
4connected performance dimensions
1clearer view of your business
Put performance in context
Use benchmark comparisons to distinguish a strength from an area that needs a closer look.
Focus your effort
Prioritise the sales, margin or productivity questions with the greatest relevance to your business.
Move from measures to actions
Use findings to guide practical reviews of pricing, rostering, stock and operating costs.
From your figures
to your next move.
SME Baseline analyses your information, researches performance benchmarks and reports on what the comparison means.
Provide a consistent snapshot
Answer the assessment using business information and figures from the same reporting period.
Compare the vital signs
The service examines sales, margins, staffing and operational performance against relevant benchmarks.
Review findings and actions
See the areas to investigate and use the suggested actions to plan your next business review.
What an insight
can change.
Illustrative findings and practical responses. These are examples, not results or recommendations for your business.
Sales grow.
Margin does not.
A sales increase may be masking a shift toward lower-margin products or heavier discounting.
Possible action Review category margins, promotional pricing and supplier costs before chasing more volume.
Staffing outpaces
sales productivity.
Sales per FTE may suggest a mismatch between team capacity and trading demand.
Possible action Compare rosters with busy periods and review task allocation before changing staffing levels.
Stock absorbs
working capital.
Inventory levels may warrant a closer look at slow-moving ranges and replenishment decisions.
Possible action Review ageing stock, reorder settings and purchasing priorities by category.
About
SME Baseline.
Business analysis with a practical retail focus.
SME Baseline is a service that analyses, researches and reports on retail business performance. It combines business data with benchmarking to identify useful actions and potential resolutions for owners.
Retail Vital Signs is the starting point: a focused assessment of sales, margins, staffing and operations, designed to make the next performance conversation more informed.
Benchmarks provide context, not the whole story. Interpret findings alongside your business model, local conditions and the quality of the information supplied.
Start with
your vital signs.
Have your sales, margin and staffing figures ready for the 10-question SME Baseline assessment.
Assessment connection pending
The SME Baseline assessment App is not connected to this page yet. Data collection will take place in the existing FuseBase App once it is connected.