What sold, and what it earned
Sales by item over any period, with purchase rate against sale rate, tells you which lines carry your business and which are turnover without profit. In the material trade this matters more than most, because rates move and a selling price set three months ago against a purchase price that has since risen is the commonest way to be busy and unprofitable at the same time. The comparison is a report rather than an exercise, which is why it actually gets looked at.
Which customers are worth the credit
Sales by party, read alongside that party's payment history and ageing, is the honest picture of a customer. The one buying the most is not always the one worth keeping — a party taking large volumes at a thin rate and settling in ninety days can be worse for the shop than a smaller buyer who pays in a week. Putting turnover and payment behaviour side by side is what turns a vague sense into a decision about credit limits.
Day, month and season
Sales by day shows the shape of a week and where staffing should sit. Month on month, and the same month against last year, shows whether growth is real or seasonal — which in a construction-driven trade is the distinction that matters, because a strong March means nothing without knowing what last March did. For seasonal markets, last season's movement is also the right basis for this season's ordering.
Per-staff figures
Where more than one person bills, sales break down by login. The purpose is operational rather than suspicious: it shows who is at the counter when it is busy, where a pricing mistake came from, and whether a discount limit is doing its job. Combined with the day-end cash split by user, it means a mistake gets found the same evening instead of at month end.
Three numbers worth checking every month
Turnover on its own tells you almost nothing, because a shop can grow turnover while losing money and frequently does. The three figures that actually describe a month are: gross margin on the items that make up most of your sales, the change in total outstanding compared with last month, and closing stock value against the month before. Rising turnover with rising outstanding and rising stock is not growth, it is working capital leaving the building. Fifteen minutes with those three each month tells a shop owner more than any dashboard, and all three are already there.