Terminology Used in Reports

Certain terms are used repeatedly to identify different types of data in the reports. Here are the definitions of those terms:

Customer state/provinces – enrollment status
Usually the reports compare data about registered versus unregistered customers (that is, enrolled versus unenrolled customers). Sometimes these reports refer to "anonymous" customer data, that is, transaction file data collected that is not associated with a loyalty program member.
Registered [customer] – Enrolled
Registered as a member of your loyalty program
Unregistered [customer]
Current customer for whom a customer database record exists, but who is not currently enrolled as a loyalty member
Unique
Refers to different individual customers. For example, the same customer can never be counted twice if the label refers to a "unique customer".
Note: In some reports, the term "active" refers to customers who made a purchase during the time period covered by the report. An active registered customer is a customer who is registered (enrolled in your loyalty program) and who has completed a transaction during the reporting timeframe.
Customer Count
The quantity of unique (individual) customers in the report timeframe, or in a level of a report, who meet the stated criteria.
Net Transactions
The quantity of transactions occurring within a report timeframe or report level. Returns (transactions with negative value) are counted as negative transaction. Even exchanges (zero value transactions) are not counted as transaction.
Note: The Net Transactions count can easily be misinterpreted if your POS system does not match item return transactions to item purchase transactions. For example, if a customer buys multiple items in one transaction, that counts as one transaction. If the same customer returns just one of the items on a subsequent day, the return transaction might count as one negative transaction. With respect to the net transaction value, the return of the one item in this scenario effectively cancels the purchase of several items. (Note, however, that some POS systems match the purchase and return transactions, which eliminates this problem.)
Net Monetary Unit Sales
The sum of the monetary unit value of all transactions occurring within a report timeframe or report level.
Average Sales
The ratio of net sales to customer count at the end of each report timeframe or period.
Net Unit Sales
The sum of the unit quantity in all transactions occurring within a report timeframe or report level.
Customer Count
Quantity of unique customers making a purchase in each timeframe level.