Business financial model file
Ecommerce Store Financial Model
Budget an online store's opening stock and fulfillment setup, then test retained-order contribution after acquisition and returns costs.
Opening investment and working cash
The original case is a stocked direct-to-consumer store, not a marketplace commission business. Opening inventory$35,000 and storage deposit are working cash. Storefront build and launch are pre-opening cash expenses here, not proof of an already working sales channel.
| Cash use | $ |
|---|---|
| CAPEX: Warehouse fixtures and packing equipment | 12,000 |
| CAPEX: Computers, scanners and setup equipment | 5,000 |
| Pre-opening: Storefront build/content/professional setup | 8,000 |
| Pre-opening: Pre-opening trials and launch campaign | 6,000 |
| Refundable deposit / tied-up cash | 4,000 |
| Opening stock / initial working inputs | 35,000 |
| Reserve: 2 selected fixed-cost months | 24,000 |
| Selected opening cash total | 94,000 |
CAPEX totals $17,000, pre-opening expense $14,000 and working cash $63,000. The deposit and opening stock tie up cash; they are not added again as monthly rent or consumed inputs. The reserve is a chosen fixed-cost buffer, not proof of full funding. Obtain actual installed/tax-inclusive quotes and dated opening payments.
Monthly fixed and variable OPEX
The$8,000 loaded team budget covers operations/customer service; fulfillment's per-order allowance is incremental packing/shipping or third-party cost, not a second charge for those same staff hours. The separate brand/content budget is fixed; performance acquisition is$9 per retained order.
| Commitment | $ per month |
|---|---|
| Operations/customer service: loaded budget | 8,000 |
| Storage/workspace | 2,000 |
| Platform/software base fees | 650 |
| Insurance | 250 |
| Brand/content budget | 500 |
| Utilities/communications | 250 |
| Admin/fees | 350 |
| Total selected fixed cash | 12,000 |
| Item | $ per unit |
|---|---|
| Net collected selling value | 55 |
| Landed product per retained order | 28 |
| Packing, pick/ship and fulfillment | 8 |
| Performance acquisition per retained order | 9 |
| Expected returns handling/reship cost | 2 |
| Percentage-only fee allocation (3%) | 1.65 |
| Contribution before scheduled payroll/fixed OPEX | 6.35 |
The percentage fee is an aggregate allocation, with no fixed per-payment charge assumed. Unit contribution is not owner income: the full listed monthly roster and overhead still need coverage.
Capacity, break-even and a lower-sales case
Twenty-two 130-order fulfillment days allow 2,860 orders, while selected available merchandise supports 2,600 retained orders. The plan is 2,200. Use net retained orders and their acquisition/return cohorts; an initial checkout count that later refunds is not the same unit.
For this fixed mix and commitment, whole-unit cash break-even is 1,890 retained paid orders per month: ($12,000) ÷ $6.35, rounded up. The aggregate capacity is 2,600 units; it does not establish customer demand or a workable daily sequence.
| Paid units | Net sales $ | Selected result $ |
|---|---|---|
| 1,600 | 88,000 | -1,840 |
| 1,890 | 103,950 | 1.50 |
| 2,200 (planned) | 121,000 | 1,970 |
| 2,600 | 143,000 | 4,510 |
At 1,600 retained orders the software, storage and team remain. A discount may raise order count while cutting the contribution needed to cover those commitments; use cohort retention and final return data before judging the campaign.
Practical KPI definitions
Track net retained-order value, acquisition spend/retained new-customer orders and return rate by original purchase cohort. The$55 receipt is after the selected refund/discount effect;$2 covers handling/reship costs, not another deduction of the same refund. Reconcile stock units, fulfillment and settled receipts.
The case excludes sales tax, debt, income tax and new product development. Inventory is replenished to opening levels and settlement aligns within the month; actual marketplace/processor holds can require more cash.
Method context: SBA business planning. All case prices, wages, cost ratios, reserve and capacity inputs above are original planning assumptions.
What the selected model covers
The official E-Commerce Business Financial Model listing describes an editable five-year model. Marketing spend and acquisition cost create new customers; repeat-customer shares and lifetimes add orders, which become units, category mix and revenue. Stated outputs include profit and loss, monthly and annual cash forecasts, break-even analysis and dashboard charts.
Use mature order economics to set growth
Our original 100-order cohort reports $6,000 gross sales but retains $4,800 after refunds. It contributes $1,160 after selected costs, while net cash movement is $860 because $300 remains in saleable returned inventory.
Use mature returned-order cohorts to set acquisition and repeat-order assumptions. Price the next stock order against cash remaining after refunds, shipping and settlement fees. The Ecommerce Store planning guide develops the original worked case.
Planning guide