Using Sales Order Queries To Report On Everything Else

In the last blog, we walked through how to use Sales Order queries to analyze attendance and ticketing, and today we’ll look at some of the other ways you can use Sales Order queries to analyze the other types of transactions that you’ll find in Sales Orders, such as memberships, donations, merchandise, and fees.

Any transaction that occurs through Daily, Advance, or Online Sales will be tied to a sales order.  While we think of Donations and Membership traditionally as contributed revenue in the back office, when those transactions are completed in the Sales areas of Altru, they are considered part of a Sales Order.  Being able to query on these transactions independently of back office transactions can help you understand the ways that your supporters are interacting with your institution. 

Additionally, a lot of information can be gathered during the course of a sale.  Analyzing and reporting on that data can help you make decisions about how to move forward in the future.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to use Sales Order queries for non-ticketing analysis:

1. Reporting on people who gave an additional donation with their purchase. Round up campaigns and “add a donation”in online sales are both easy, low cost ways to ask supporters for donations. This query lets you report on the impact of those gifts and see how much small amounts can really add up!  This also is an opportunity to make sure that you engage with these supporters in a way that acknowledges the multiple ways they have supported your institution.
2. Reporting on fees collected by program.  If you charge patrons additional fees for particular programs, you may want to see how those fees impact your bottom line.  Building a query to show the amounts you’re collecting for fees can help you determine if you should add or change the way you charge fees.
3.  Analyzing the sales made by members (or non-members).   Do you know what percentage of sales are made by members?  Have you looked at what types of things your members are purchasing?  Knowing what your members are or are not buying can be key to making sure that your membership program is offering benefits that members want.  Likewise, knowing what types of sales your non-members make can help you determine how you might modify member benefits or target non-members in an acquisition campaign.
4. Reporting on merchandise sold by vendor, department, or category.  Analyzing your merchandise sales by cross referencing between vendors, departments, and categories can ensure that you are restocking inventory based on sales needs.  Understanding your merchandise sales enables you to make informed decisions and predict future sales too.
5. Track who has used a guest pass.  Seeing constituents who have used guest passes allows you to analyze who is using those guest pass benefits, particularly members. Likewise, if you can track who is not using their guest passes, you can reach out to them and make sure they take advantage of that option. 
6. Analyze ticket sales to a program based on purchaser zip code.  Data drives good decision making.  Understanding who attends your programs and where they live, can help you with marketing campaigns and future programming. 

But of course, there is so much more you can do with Sales Order queries.  What are some of your favorite ways to use Sales Order queries to drive your organization’s decision making?