Total Return Amount Metric
Essential knowledge
Intended Audience:
Business User
Author:
Holger Lierse
Changed on:
16 Nov 2025
Overview
Learn about the Total Return Amount Metric in Fluent Analytics
Key points
- Returns directly reduce realized revenue and increase operational costs
- Seasonal returns may spike after gift-giving periods
- Product categories vary significantly in return rates and values
- Currency symbols may not be meaningful when viewing multiple retailers in different countries
- Only includes completed return orders
- Revenue timing is based on return order completion, not refund processing
What it measures
Total financial value of all return orders which were created in the selected time period and have been completed.
When to use this metric
- Monitor the financial impact of returns on revenue
- Assess return trends and their business implications
- Evaluate return prevention program effectiveness
- Plan financial reserves for return processing
How to interpret
- Good performance: Return amounts are low relative to total revenue
- Potential issues: High return amounts significantly impact profitability
- Benchmark guidance: Depends on industry
Technical details
Formula:
SUM(returnOrder.totalAmount) where status = {STATUS_COMPLETE}
for original orders created within the selected time period
Configurable elements:
- STATUS_COMPLETE: Status definitions for complete returns (default: COMPLETE)
Reference Parameters:
`return_order.created_date`: Filters the metric to return orders created within the selected time period`retailer.ref`: Filters the metric to return orders from the selected retailer`return_order.type`: Filters the metric to return orders of specific order types
