Total Return Amount Metric
Essential knowledge
Intended Audience:
Business User
Author:
Holger Lierse
Changed on:
23 Oct 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 value of all returned products for the selected time period.
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 = {COMPLETE_STATUS} for original orders created within the selected time period
Configurable elements:
- COMPLETE_STATUS: Status definitions for complete fulfillments (default: COMPLETE)
