E-Commerce Strategies
Aug 28, 2025
The FBA Dashboard in Amazon Seller Central is your go-to tool for managing sales, inventory, and performance. It provides real-time data (with a 15-minute delay) and historical insights to help you make informed business decisions. Key metrics include sales ordered, units ordered, and FBA fees, along with crucial inventory stats like the Inventory Performance Index (IPI). Here's what you need to know:
What It Tracks: Sales, inventory levels, IPI score, FBA fees, return patterns, and storage costs.
Why It Matters: Monitoring these metrics helps you prevent stockouts, avoid excess fees, and improve profitability.
How to Use It: Access the dashboard via the Inventory tab in Seller Central. Customize views, set date ranges, and use filters to focus on specific data.
Reports: Generate detailed reports for deeper insights into inventory health, sales trends, and customer behavior.
Regular monitoring, setting alerts for critical changes, and leveraging additional tools like Power BI can help you optimize your FBA operations and stay ahead in the competitive Amazon marketplace.
How to Access and Navigate the FBA Dashboard
Logging In and Finding the Dashboard
To get to your FBA dashboard, start by signing in to Amazon Seller Central at sellercentral.amazon.com or sell.amazon.com using your registered email and password.
Once you're in, go to the Inventory tab and choose the "Fulfillment by Amazon" section. This area gives you a snapshot of your FBA business, showcasing key performance metrics. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the layout to locate the most important data points.
Dashboard Layout and Navigation
The FBA dashboard uses KPI cards to display your performance stats. Right at the top, you'll find essential metrics like FBA sales ordered, units ordered, order count, and FBA fees. All monetary figures are shown in USD (e.g., $1,234.56), and dates follow the U.S. format (MM/DD/YYYY).
There's also a handy date selector, which allows you to view data for different time frames. Whether you want to check today's numbers, yesterday's performance, or trends over the last 7, 30, or 90 days - or even set a custom range - you have the flexibility to analyze your business over the period that matters most to you.
Customizing Your Dashboard View
Although the dashboard has a standard setup, you can tailor it to suit your needs. Use filters to focus on specific product categories or performance metrics that are most relevant to your goals. This customization lets you zero in on opportunities and tackle challenges with precision.
Amazon FBA Dashboard Overview | Seller University
Important Metrics to Track on Your FBA Dashboard
Keeping a close eye on key inventory metrics is essential for boosting growth and cutting costs. Amazon's Inventory Performance dashboard provides a snapshot of the metrics that directly impact your cost efficiency and sales. Here's what you need to monitor.
Inventory Metrics
One of the most critical metrics to track is the Inventory Performance Index (IPI). Amazon uses this score to set your storage limits, and a low IPI can result in restrictions on how much inventory you can store.
Your IPI score is shaped by four key factors:
Excess inventory percentage: This shows how much of your inventory is classified as excess, typically items with over 90 days of supply. A high percentage might mean it's time to consider price markdowns or removing excess stock.
Stranded inventory percentage: This measures the portion of your inventory that isn’t available for purchase due to listing issues. Even a small percentage of stranded inventory can lead to lost sales and extra fees.
FBA sell-through rate: This is calculated by dividing the units shipped in the past 90 days by your average inventory on hand during the same period. A strong sell-through rate reflects efficient inventory turnover. Additional metrics like "Units sold (past 90 days)" offer deeper insights.
FBA in-stock rate: This metric tracks how often your replenishable products are in stock over the last 30 days, weighted by units sold in the previous 60 days. It’s paired with "Estimated FBA lost sales", which highlights potential revenue losses caused by stockouts.
The dashboard provides a performance rating (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor) alongside details like excess units and total storage costs, helping you understand the financial impact of your inventory management. To strike a balance between costs and demand, aim to maintain 30–60 days of inventory.
Creating and Reading Reports
The reports available in Seller Central go beyond the quick insights from your FBA dashboard, offering a deeper dive into your data for smarter decision-making. With Amazon's built-in tools, you can uncover trends, spot potential issues, and refine your inventory and sales strategies with precision.
How to Create Reports
The Business Reports section in Seller Central is your go-to place for detailed performance data. To get started, head to the Reports tab in your Seller Central account and select Business Reports. Here, you'll find a comprehensive view of sales and traffic metrics.
For inventory-specific details, check out the Inventory Reports under the Inventory tab. These reports focus on areas like inventory health, age, and overall performance. For example:
The All Inventory report gives you a snapshot of your current stock levels.
The Inventory Age report highlights how long your products have been sitting in Amazon's warehouses.
You can customize these reports by selecting different date ranges - 30 days, 90 days, or even seasonal comparisons - to better understand trends and shifts in your performance.
The Sales Dashboard is another valuable tool, providing real-time updates throughout the day. It’s particularly useful for tracking the immediate effects of pricing adjustments, promotions, or marketing efforts.
Reading Data for Business Insights
Once you've generated a report, the next step is to extract meaningful insights. Pay attention to key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rates and sales velocity. A drop in these metrics could hint at problems like increased competition, pricing issues, or challenges with your product listings.
Dive into traffic data to pinpoint shifts in listing visibility. For instance, if your organic traffic decreases but your advertising spend stays the same, it may signal visibility problems with your listings. Seasonal trends and return rate data are also worth examining - they can provide clues about customer satisfaction and help you fine-tune your inventory planning and marketing efforts.
Using External Analytics Tools
While Amazon’s built-in reports are helpful, exporting your data to external tools like Microsoft Power BI or Google Looker Studio can take your analysis to the next level.
Microsoft Power BI: Create interactive dashboards with filters for product categories, time periods, and performance metrics. You can also set up automated data refreshes to keep your reports up to date.
Google Looker Studio: This tool offers powerful visualization options and integrates seamlessly with Google Sheets, making it easy to share insights with your team or partners.
By exporting your FBA data as CSV files, you can combine it with other metrics like advertising costs, customer acquisition expenses, and profit margins. This broader view can help you evaluate your return on investment and identify long-term trends that might not be obvious in daily or weekly reports. Setting up automated alerts for significant changes in key metrics allows you to make proactive adjustments and stay ahead of potential challenges.
These external tools complement Amazon’s reporting capabilities, offering a richer perspective on your data and enabling more informed decisions for your FBA business.
Best Practices for Monitoring and Improving Your Metrics
Keeping a close eye on your FBA metrics is essential for staying ahead in the competitive Amazon marketplace. Successful sellers often rely on structured approaches to track performance and make timely adjustments.
Setting Up a Regular Monitoring Schedule
Your monitoring schedule should reflect the size of your business and its seasonal demands. For high-volume sellers or those running active promotions, daily monitoring is crucial. On the other hand, weekly reviews are sufficient for most FBA businesses to maintain effective oversight.
During your weekly reviews, focus on key areas like inventory health, sales velocity, customer feedback, return rates, advertising spend, and conversion rates. These metrics give you a snapshot of how well your business is performing.
For a deeper understanding, conduct monthly reviews to analyze seasonal trends and refine your long-term inventory planning. Adjust the frequency of monitoring during peak periods like Black Friday, back-to-school season, or the holiday rush.
To stay organized, create a monitoring calendar tailored to your product categories. Once your schedule is in place, set up automated alerts to catch critical changes as they happen.
Creating Alerts for Important Metrics
Amazon’s built-in alert system can save you time and ensure you’re always in the loop. For example, set inventory alerts to notify you when stock levels drop below 30 days of supply. This gives you enough time to reorder and avoid costly stockouts.
You can also set alerts for key performance thresholds. For instance, monitor your order defect rate (above 0.75%) or late shipment rate (above 2.5%) so you can address potential issues quickly.
For sales, create alerts to track significant changes. If your daily sales volume drops by more than 25% compared to your 7-day average, it’s a sign to investigate. This could be due to competitor pricing changes, reduced visibility for your listings, or shifts in demand.
In competitive categories, price alerts are invaluable. Set notifications for when your Buy Box percentage falls below 80% or when competitors undercut your prices by more than 10%. Acting quickly on pricing changes can help you maintain your market share.
Another useful alert is for profit margins. Calculate your break-even point and set notifications for when margins dip below acceptable levels, especially during promotions. This helps you ensure profitability even during aggressive marketing campaigns.
While automation simplifies monitoring, sometimes expert guidance is needed to take your strategy to the next level.
Getting Professional Help
Managing FBA metrics can become overwhelming as your business grows. Partnering with professionals can free up your time and provide valuable insights. eStore Factory offers expert account management and performance tracking services, focusing on areas like inventory optimization, advertising, and fee recovery. This allows you to concentrate on product development and scaling your business while the experts handle the numbers.
Working with professionals also gives you access to industry benchmarks and competitive insights that go beyond Amazon’s standard reporting tools. This perspective helps you understand whether your performance is strong or if there’s room for improvement.
As your business scales, account health monitoring becomes even more critical. Professional services can spot potential issues early, ensuring your seller status remains in good standing. This proactive approach lets you focus on growth opportunities without worrying about unexpected setbacks.
Summary and Next Steps
Keeping a close eye on your FBA dashboard metrics is the backbone of building a thriving business in Amazon's competitive marketplace. Regular monitoring ensures your decisions are data-driven and timely.
Main Points to Remember
Your dashboard brings together essential metrics like inventory levels, sales performance, and fulfillment stats - all crucial for driving profits. Prioritize the numbers that directly impact cash flow and business growth.
Pay special attention to inventory turnover and profit margins, particularly during promotional periods, to prevent cash flow challenges. Custom reports can provide deeper insights than the default dashboard views. Use these to uncover seasonal trends, compare product performance, and identify potential issues before they escalate. For example, you might notice a spike in return rates tied to a specific product batch or see how increased ad spending impacts your actual profit margins.
Timing is just as critical as the data itself. Daily monitoring is essential during peak seasons or new product launches, as it allows you to address problems quickly. For established products, weekly reviews are usually sufficient, but ramp up your monitoring when making big changes, such as adjusting prices, inventory levels, or advertising strategies.
These insights lay the groundwork for taking effective action.
Taking Action on Your Metrics
Turn your insights into meaningful actions. Make it a habit to track key metrics like inventory levels, sales velocity, and profit margins. Set up alerts for important thresholds so you’re always in the know.
Your dashboard should guide specific steps. For instance, if you notice declining conversion rates, review your product listings and check competitor pricing. If storage fees are climbing, consider running promotions or bundling products to move slow inventory. Shrinking profit margins? Dig into your costs and adjust pricing where necessary.
Incorporate these metrics into your established processes to keep improving performance. If managing it all feels overwhelming, eStore Factory's account management services can be a valuable resource. Their expertise in inventory optimization, fee recovery, and performance tracking can help you focus on growing your business while they handle the details.
The most successful FBA sellers treat their dashboard as a daily tool, not just a monthly check-in. Make metric tracking a routine, act swiftly on the insights you uncover, and don’t hesitate to bring in professional help when your business needs outpace your available time or expertise. This proactive approach will keep you ahead in the game.
FAQs
How can I increase my Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score to avoid storage limits on Amazon FBA?
To keep your IPI score in good shape and steer clear of Amazon FBA storage limits, it's essential to focus on keeping a strong sell-through rate. This means regularly restocking items that sell well and finding ways to clear out inventory that’s moving slowly. Running promotions or offering discounts can be an effective way to quickly move stagnant stock.
You should also manage your inventory levels wisely. Avoid overstocking, and if you have shipments for products that aren’t likely to sell anytime soon, consider canceling them. Striking the right balance between stock levels and demand will not only improve your IPI score but also help you avoid storage restrictions.
Staying on top of your metrics through the FBA dashboard is key. By keeping a close eye on these numbers, you can make smarter decisions to maintain a solid IPI score and make the most of your storage space.
What are the best practices for setting up alerts on the FBA Dashboard to monitor important changes?
To stay on top of important updates on your FBA Dashboard, it's a good idea to set up alerts for key metrics like inventory levels, shipment statuses, and sales performance. These alerts help you respond quickly to potential problems, such as running out of stock, delays in shipments, or unexpected changes in sales trends.
Make it a habit to review and fine-tune your alert thresholds regularly. Adjust them to align with your business objectives and seasonal patterns. For instance, setting specific alerts for events like Prime Day or fee adjustments can help you prepare in advance and keep your account in good standing. By actively monitoring these metrics, you can make timely decisions and ensure your operations stay on track.
How can tools like Microsoft Power BI improve the way I analyze FBA metrics compared to Amazon’s reports?
Using tools like Microsoft Power BI can elevate your FBA metric analysis by providing features that Amazon’s built-in reports simply don’t offer - think customizable dashboards, real-time updates, and advanced visualizations. With Power BI, you can pull data from multiple sources, automate your reporting process, and gain interactive insights into critical areas such as sales trends, inventory levels, and overall profitability.
Amazon’s reports are useful but can feel a bit rigid and limited when it comes to customization. Power BI takes things further, enabling you to explore your data in greater depth and make quicker, data-driven decisions that can improve your business performance.
