CNFANS: Visualize Your Spending and Shipping Data Effectively
As an e-commerce seller using CNFANS, you're likely dealing with numerous expenses and multiple shipping carriers. While the CNFANS spreadsheet contains all this valuable data, making sense of raw numbers can be challenging. Visualization transforms your spreadsheet data into clear, actionable insights through graphs and charts.
This guide will show you how to create powerful visualizations that answer two critical business questions: which categories cost the mostwhich couriers deliver fastest.
Preparing Your CNFANS Data
Before creating any visualizations, ensure your CNFANS spreadsheet is properly organized:
- Spending Data:
- Freight Data:
- Remove any blank rows and ensure consistent category naming
- Format dates properly and verify numerical values are correctly entered
- Freight Data:
Clean, well-organized data is essential for accurate visualizations.
Creating Spending Category Visualizations
Pie Chart: Expense Distribution
The fastest way to understand your spending patterns is through a pie chart:
- Select all your spending categories and their corresponding amounts
- Insert a Pie Chart from your spreadsheet's chart menu
- Customize the chart to display percentages for each category
- Add a clear title: "Spending Distribution by Category"
Insight:
For more detailed analysis, create a stacked bar chart: Insight:
Bar Chart: Monthly Category Comparison
Visualizing Courier Performance
Calculating Delivery Times
First, add a "Delivery Time" column to your freight data:
- Calculate the number of days between Shipping Date and Delivery Date for each order
- Use the formula: =DATEDIF(ShippingDate, DeliveryDate, "d")
- This gives you the delivery time in days for each shipment
Bar Chart: Average Delivery Time by Courier
Compare carrier performance with a simple bar chart:
- Create a summary table showing average delivery times for each courier
- Select the courier names and their average delivery times
- Insert a Bar Chart
- Sort the bars from fastest to slowest for quick interpretation
Insight:
For advanced analysis, create box plots for each courier: Insight:
Box Plot: Delivery Time Distribution
Combined Analysis: Cost vs. Speed
For maximum business insight, combine both datasets:
Scatter Plot: Shipping Cost vs. Delivery Time
- Plot each shipment with Cost on the X-axis and Delivery Time on the Y-axis
- Color-code points by courier company
- Add trend lines for each carrier if possible
Insight:
Best Practices for Effective Visualizations
- Keep it simple:
- Use consistent colors:
- Add clear labels:
- Highlight key insights:
- Update regularly:
- Use consistent colors:
Conclusion
Visualizing your CNFANS spending and freight data transforms raw numbers into actionable business intelligence. By regularly creating and reviewing these charts, you can:
- Identify and control excessive spending in specific categories
- Select the most efficient shipping carriers for your business
- Make data-driven decisions to improve profitability
- Quickly spot trends and anomalies as they emerge
Start with the basic pie and bar charts, then gradually incorporate more advanced visualizations as you become comfortable with the process. Within a few cycles, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of your business finances and logistics performance.