Wake up to analytics (delivered to inbox)

Your morning routine probably includes coffee and email. What if it also included a complete picture of yesterday’s store performance—without opening a single dashboard?

Email-delivered analytics transforms how founders start their day. Instead of logging into platforms, navigating reports, and configuring date ranges, you open an email. Revenue, orders, conversion rate, top products—everything you need in 2-3 minutes. Then you move on with your day, informed but not consumed.

Here’s how to build a morning analytics routine that works.

5 elements of an effective morning analytics email

1. Yesterday’s key numbers at a glance

What it is: Revenue, orders, and conversion rate for the previous day, visible immediately without scrolling.

Why it matters: These three numbers tell you whether yesterday was normal, exceptional, or concerning. You need this answer in seconds, not minutes. If everything looks expected, you’re done with the basics. If something stands out, you know to investigate.

What to look for:

• Revenue within 20% of daily average: Normal day, no action needed

• Revenue up 30%+: Identify what drove the spike (campaign? viral moment? press coverage?)

• Revenue down 30%+: Check for technical issues, traffic drops, or conversion problems

Time: 15-30 seconds to scan and assess.

2. Comparison to same day last year

What it is: Year-over-year context showing whether you’re growing, flat, or declining.

Why it matters: Day-to-day fluctuations are noise. Tuesdays differ from Saturdays. January differs from July. Comparing today to yesterday tells you little. Comparing this Tuesday to the same Tuesday last year tells you whether your business is actually improving.

What to look for:

• Consistent YoY growth (10-30%): Business is healthy, keep doing what you’re doing

• Flat or slightly negative: Not an emergency, but worth monitoring for patterns

• Significant decline (20%+): Investigate causes—market changes, competition, or internal issues

Time: 10-20 seconds to note the trend.

3. Top-selling products

What it is: The 5-10 products that generated most revenue or orders yesterday.

Why it matters: Bestseller patterns reveal what customers want right now. New products appearing on the list signal emerging hits. Longtime favorites dropping off might indicate inventory issues or shifting preferences. This list changes daily—that’s valuable information.

What to look for:

• Familiar products dominating: Business as usual, core products performing

• New product climbing: Potential winner worth featuring more prominently

• Usually-strong product missing: Check inventory levels, might be approaching stockout

Time: 20-30 seconds to scan the list.

4. Traffic sources breakdown

What it is: Where yesterday’s visitors came from—email, organic search, paid ads, social, direct.

Why it matters: Traffic source shifts often explain revenue changes. Big email campaign yesterday? Email traffic should spike. Paid ads paused? That channel drops. Unexpected organic surge? Something’s happening worth understanding.

What to look for:

• Expected channel mix: Marketing channels performing as planned

• Unusual spikes: Identify the cause (campaign launch, press mention, viral content)

• Unexpected drops: Check if campaigns are running correctly, ad accounts are active

Time: 15-30 seconds to review sources.

5. Anything that needs attention today

What it is: Flags for metrics crossing thresholds you’ve defined as important.

Why it matters: Most days, nothing requires immediate action. The morning email should confirm that. But when something does need attention—inventory running low, conversion rate dropping, traffic source failing—you want to know before your first meeting, not after.

What to look for:

• No flags: Proceed with planned priorities for the day

• Minor flags: Note for investigation during your weekly analysis session

• Critical flags: Address before other work begins

Time: 10-15 seconds if nothing’s flagged, longer if action needed.

The 3-minute morning routine

Combine these elements into a quick daily habit:

6:00 AM: Analytics email arrives in your inbox automatically.

When you check email: Open the analytics report first, before diving into messages that demand responses.

Minute 1: Scan yesterday’s numbers and year-over-year comparison. Normal? Move on. Unusual? Note it.

Minute 2: Review top products and traffic sources. Anything unexpected? Note it.

Minute 3: Check for flags or alerts. Anything requiring immediate action? Handle it or schedule time to address.

Done: You’re informed about store performance. Move to other priorities knowing you haven’t missed anything important.

This routine works because it’s passive. The email arrives whether you remember to check or not. The format is consistent, so you know exactly where to look. The time investment is minimal, so you’ll actually do it daily.

Why inbox beats dashboard for morning routine

Dashboards require intention. You must remember to check, navigate to the right place, and configure the right view. Each step introduces friction. Friction leads to skipping days, which leads to flying blind.

Email is already part of your morning. You’re going there anyway. The analytics report slots into existing behavior rather than demanding new behavior. Lower friction means higher consistency.

Dashboards invite exploration. “While I’m here, let me just check...” leads to 20-minute sessions when you intended 5 minutes. Email reports contain what they contain. No rabbit holes. No tangents. No accidentally spending half your morning on analytics.

Dashboards serve one person at a time. If you want your team informed, everyone needs to log in separately. Email reports go to everyone simultaneously. Same numbers, same context, same starting point for discussions.

Setting up your morning analytics email

Most e-commerce platforms offer some form of scheduled reports, though capabilities vary. Look for these features:

Automated daily delivery: The report should arrive without any action from you. If you have to request it each day, you’ll forget.

Configurable metrics: You should control what appears in the report. Different businesses need different numbers.

Year-over-year comparisons: Built-in historical context is essential. Manual comparison defeats the time-saving purpose.

Team distribution: Send to multiple recipients so everyone starts the day informed.

Consistent formatting: The report should look the same every day. Familiarity enables speed.

If your current platform lacks these features, dedicated analytics tools like Peasy provide email-first reporting designed specifically for this use case. The tool matters less than the habit—but the right tool makes the habit easier to maintain.

Common morning analytics mistakes

Checking dashboards “just to confirm” what the email showed defeats the purpose. Trust the report. If you need more detail, schedule time later—don’t let it hijack your morning.

Responding to every fluctuation wastes energy. Not every up or down day means something. Single-day changes are often noise. Wait for patterns before acting.

Sharing numbers without context confuses your team. “Revenue was $4,200 yesterday” means nothing without comparison. “Revenue was $4,200, up 15% from same day last year” tells a story.

Skipping weekends breaks the habit. Even if you’re not working, a 30-second email check on Saturday morning keeps you connected to business rhythm without consuming your weekend.

Quick questions

What time should the email arrive?

Early enough to review before your day gets busy, but after yesterday’s data is complete. For most stores, 6:00-7:00 AM local time works well. If you’re an early riser, earlier is fine. The key is consistency—same time every day so you know when to expect it.

What if I notice something concerning in the email?

Note it and schedule time to investigate, unless it’s truly urgent (site down, zero orders, payment processing broken). Most concerning patterns benefit from a few hours of additional data before you react. Check again at midday or investigate during a scheduled analytics session.

Should I check analytics again later in the day?

One additional check in late afternoon can be useful, especially during busy periods. But resist the urge to check constantly. Twice daily is enough for most stores. The morning email handles 80% of your awareness needs.

Peasy delivers store analytics to your inbox every morning—no dashboard checking needed. Starting at $49/month. Try free for 14 days.