Key takeaways
- Check which reports your account includes.
- Link every report to an action.
- Treat forecasts as inputs, not promises.
- Report a short narrative, not raw exports.
What reports are available
Vendor Central includes reporting on sales, traffic, inventory and other areas, with availability and depth depending on your account and any analytics subscriptions. Review the current options in your portal, since features evolve and differ across marketplaces.
Sales and traffic analysis
Use sales and traffic data to see which products are growing, flat or declining and how conversion changes. Compare periods and look for the effect of events such as price changes, promotions or stockouts. Always consider that Amazon, not you, sets the retail price.
Inventory and availability
Inventory reports show Amazon's stock position and fill rates. Low availability can indicate missed sales and may signal that purchase orders are late or too small. Use the data in conversations with your vendor manager and in your own production planning.
Forecasting reports
Where forecasts are provided, treat them as inputs rather than commitments. Compare them to your own estimates and ask about the assumptions. Large gaps between forecasts and actual orders deserve discussion.
Compare against your own channels
Put Amazon data alongside your direct and wholesale performance. Differences in price, promotion and availability can explain performance gaps. Use the comparison to decide where to invest in content, advertising and stock.
Build a monthly review
A useful monthly review covers:
- Top and bottom products by growth
- Conversion changes and likely causes
- Availability problems and open POs
- Deductions and disputes
- Actions with owners and dates
Report to stakeholders
Turn data into a short narrative for leadership: what happened, why and what you will do. Avoid dumping raw exports. Highlight decisions that need executive input, such as production capacity or promotional funding.
A worked example
A vendor notices that sessions for a product are rising, but conversion is falling. They check the detail page, find that the main image no longer matches the current packaging and that a competing product has a lower price. They update the image and share the price observation with their vendor manager.
Tracking conversion in the following weeks shows whether the fix worked or the problem lies elsewhere.
Common mistakes
Reports are often reviewed too late, without a clear question or without comparing to a previous period. Others treat Amazon's availability data as final without checking their own records. Define the question before each review and record the outcome.
Your next three steps
Create a monthly vendor review.
- List top and bottom products and the likely cause of each change.
- Compare availability with open purchase orders.
- Share three actions with owners and dates.
Key terms
A few terms used above, in plain language.
- Fill rate: the share of ordered units delivered.
- Availability: whether Amazon has a product in stock.
- Conversion: the share of visits that become orders.
Worth remembering
Reports are a conversation starter with your vendor manager as much as an internal tool. Bring two or three clear observations and a request to every review.
Frequently asked questions
Do all vendors get the same analytics?
No. Availability varies by account, marketplace and any subscriptions.
How often should I review them?
Weekly for operations and monthly for strategy is a common pattern.
This guide is general information. Amazon's fees, policies and program rules change and vary by marketplace, so confirm current details in Seller Central and, for tax or legal questions, with a qualified adviser.