Evaluating the effectiveness of customer behavior analysis in online sales through financial composite metrics

Abstract This study introduces two simplified composite indicators, each capturing a distinct dimension of marketing and financial performance, based on aggregated monthly data from 2019 to 2024. By analyzing ten key metrics, including costs, revenue, profit margins, average order value, and marketing returns, Principal Component Analysis was employed to reduce the complexity of the dataset into two interpretable indices. The resulting indicators together explain over 90% of the data’s variability. The first indicator, Business Scale and Profitability, reflects business scale, profitability and operational efficiency. The second indicator, Marketing Pressure, captures marketing spending efficiency, investment intensity, and return on marketing efforts. By distilling a broad range of variables into two measures, this approach could help managers and analysts to quickly assess performance, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions without being overwhelmed by technical complexity. While based on a single corporate case, the proposed methodology and practical interpretation guidelines offer a transferable framework for managers seeking to assess and optimize marketing strategies with minimal technical overhead.