Need a detailed sales report from your online store but tired of generic, half-baked exports? This guide is for you. Whether you’re a sales manager, a founder wearing too many hats, or just someone who wants real numbers (not just pretty charts), I’ll walk you through how to get detailed, usable sales reports out of Scalelist with as little fuss as possible.
Let’s skip the marketing fluff. Here’s how you actually do it.
Step 1: Get Your Account Set Up
Let’s get the basics out of the way:
- Log in to Scalelist with the right account. You’ll need at least “Manager” or “Admin” permissions to access sales reports.
- If you’re not sure what access you’ve got, hover over your profile icon. If you can’t see “Reports” in the sidebar, you’ll need to ask someone who does.
Pro Tip: Don’t waste time trying to “hack” around permissions. It’s quicker to just ask for access.
Step 2: Find the Sales Reports Section
Once you’re in:
- Look at the main sidebar (usually left side, unless your team loves chaos).
- Click on Reports. If you see a sub-menu, pick Sales.
If you’re staring at dashboards with vague metrics like “Engagement” or “Growth,” you’re in the wrong spot. Get to the Sales reports.
Step 3: Pick Your Report Type
Scalelist offers a few different types of sales reports. Here’s what actually matters:
- Summary Report: Good for a quick look, but light on detail. Skip this if you need line-item data.
- Detailed Sales Report: This is what you want—order-level, product-level, customer info, dates, the works.
- Custom Reports: Useful, but only if you need something very specific.
Honestly: Unless you’re building a presentation for investors, the Detailed Sales Report is the only one most people need.
Step 4: Set the Right Filters
This is where most folks mess up and end up with a 10,000-row CSV that’s 90% noise.
- Date Range: Always set your date range first. Defaults are usually “last 7 days” or “this month,” which might not help you.
- Click the calendar or “Date Range” filter.
- Pick your start and end dates. Don’t trust the default.
- Products, Categories, or Teams: Only filter if you really need to. More filters = more chance you miss something important.
- Status: If you only want completed sales, filter out refunds, cancellations, or pending orders.
Pro Tip: Run a report for a shorter date range first to check the formatting—nothing’s worse than waiting for a giant export, then realizing you missed a filter.
Step 5: Customize Columns (Don’t Skip This)
By default, Scalelist includes some columns you’ll care about and a bunch you probably won’t.
- Click the Columns or Customize button (usually top-right of the report panel).
- Uncheck anything you don’t need (like “Internal Notes” or “Last Modified By”).
- Make sure you have these:
- Order ID
- Date
- Product Name or SKU
- Quantity
- Sale Price and/or Total
- Customer Name (or ID)
- Sales Rep (if relevant)
- Save this as a custom view if Scalelist allows it (depends on your plan).
What to ignore: Columns like “Record Created At,” “Updated By,” or random tags don’t help unless you have a specific reason. More columns = more clutter.
Step 6: Preview Before Exporting
Always hit the Preview or Run Report button before you export. This saves headaches.
- Skim the data: Are all your filters working? Right columns showing?
- If it looks weird, adjust filters or columns now.
- If you see “No data found,” double-check your date range or filters (it happens to everyone).
Step 7: Export Your Sales Report
Once you’re happy with the preview:
- Click Export. Choose your format—usually CSV or XLSX.
- CSV: Best for spreadsheets, easy to import elsewhere.
- XLSX: Good if you want formatting or formulas preserved.
- If you see options like “Email me when ready,” use it for huge reports (100k+ rows). Otherwise, download should be quick.
Heads up: Some browsers block pop-ups; if your download doesn’t start, check for a tiny warning or try a different browser.
Step 8: Open and Clean Up Your File
Don’t just email the raw export to your boss or accountant. Open it first.
- Use Excel, Google Sheets, or whatever you like.
- Check for:
- Weird characters (common if you export in the wrong encoding)
- Empty columns or rows
- Date formats (US vs. EU date order can trip you up)
If the export looks messy: Try exporting as XLSX instead of CSV, or vice versa. Sometimes one just works better.
Step 9: Save Your Report Format for Next Time (If You Can)
If Scalelist supports saved reports or custom views, use them. It’ll save you time next month.
- Click Save View or Save Report (exact label varies).
- Name it something obvious like “Monthly Sales - All Products.”
- Next time, just load your saved settings, tweak the date, and you’re good.
If this isn’t available: Keep a note of which columns and filters you use, so you don’t have to remember what you did last quarter.
Troubleshooting: Common Issues
Let’s be real—sometimes things don’t work as advertised.
- Report won’t export: Try a shorter date range or fewer columns. Scalelist sometimes chokes on huge exports.
- Data missing: Double-check filters—especially “Status” or “Product.”
- Weird characters: Open in a different app, or re-export with another file type.
- Access denied: You probably need higher permissions. Don’t waste time guessing.
Still stuck? Scalelist’s support is usually pretty responsive, but keep your questions specific: “I can’t export sales data for March, export button is greyed out.”
Honest Tips and What to Ignore
- Don’t over-filter: It’s easier to delete extra rows in Excel than to re-export because you missed something.
- Ignore ‘insights’ panels: The built-in charts are fine, but if you need real analysis, do it in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Automated reports: If you’re running the same report every week/month, see if Scalelist can schedule it for you. Otherwise, set a calendar reminder.
- Data privacy: If you’re sharing exports, double-check for customer emails or sensitive info—strip what you don’t need.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need to build the perfect report the first time. Start with the basics, clean up your columns, and get the data you actually need. If you find yourself dreading this every month, it probably means you’re overcomplicating it—or using too many custom filters. Get the essentials, and tweak as you go.
The real trick: Don’t let reporting become a part-time job. Get in, get out, and get back to work.