Stop Profit Leaks and Maximize Financial Success for Amazon DSPs

Running an Amazon Delivery Service Partner (DSP) business can be incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with its challenges—especially when it comes to managing your finances. The good news is that you don’t need to spend hours each week to ensure your business remains profitable. By focusing on a few key performance indicators (KPIs) and utilizing a detailed profit and loss (P&L) statement, you can quickly identify areas of concern and improvement. Let’s dive into how you can stop profit leaks and maximize financial success to keep your Amazon DSP thriving.

Understanding Your KPIs

First, let’s talk about the KPIs that matter most for Amazon DSPs. Understanding your gross profit margin and net profit margin is crucial. These metrics show the difference between your revenue and costs, giving you a clear picture of your profitability. However, there are contributing data points that will be leading indicators to your month-end net profit figure. Let’s take a look:

1. Hours to Budget (HtB):
   This metric tracks the percentage of labor hours used compared to the total number of labor hours compensated by Amazon. It can be tracked daily or weekly and helps drive labor efficiency.
   Labor accounts for 60-70% of a DSP’s expense budget, so small efficiencies can lead to significant gains. For example, if you run 28 routes (280 revenue hours) with total timecard entries
   for that day of 271 hours, your HtB would be 96.8% (271/280). An HtB below 100% is the target; when it exceeds 100%, profits decline. Measuring overtime hours alone will not tell the whole
   story. This metric can also be used for A/B testing new operational practices, such as introducing sweeper or closing drivers.
2. Equipment Cost Breakdown:
   This metric measures your fleet expenses versus the Amazon fixed monthly payment. Ideally, this should break even monthly, quarterly, and annually. This metric is determined by (Fixed
   Monthly Invoice / Leases + Repairs + Insurance). With changes in the Amazon Maintenance Program, this metric has become even more important, ensuring repair expenses are covered,
   supplementary vehicles are approved/paid, the FIF Fund is utilized, and insurance premiums are covered. If your equipment cost breakdown is higher than 100%, one of these items needs
   immediate attention.
3. Incentive Attainment Percentage:
   Scorecards’ variable revenue is the single most impactful line item for expanding profitability. With 0%, 50%, and 100% attainment thresholds, monitoring a rolling 13-week percentage
   attainment will give you a good idea of where you stand. This 13-week look considers dispute delays and periodic ‘bad weeks’. Setting a target of +90% attainment for any three-month period
   will set a good bar to ensure healthy margins over the course of the year. Across hundreds of DSPs, there is often a near-equal correlation between incentive revenue and net margin at the
   close of a year.
4. Driver Retention Rate:
   High turnover increases onboarding costs and affects scorecard attainment, impacting your bottom line. The average cost of turning over one Delivery Associate (DA) is over $1,700. Small
   investments in retention efforts can significantly improve cost exposure and lead to ancillary benefits like improved culture. Monitoring this KPI helps ensure you maintain a stable and
   experienced workforce.

By focusing on these KPIs, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of your Amazon DSP’s financial health and identify areas for improvement. This approach helps you stop profit leaks and maximize financial success, ensuring that your business remains profitable.

Check out this article for more insights on KPIs that prevent profit leakage!

Using Your P&L Statement

Your Profit and Loss Statement (P&L) is a powerful tool for spotting profit leaks. Ian Meaker at Creative CFO describes the P&L Statement as a tool that “outlines a business’s revenue, costs, and all other expenses over a specific period. The P&L is issued alongside a balance sheet and cash flow statement to provide a detailed look at the overall financial performance of the business.”
By breaking down your revenue streams, you can see which products or services are performing best. Analyzing your expenses helps you identify where you might be overspending. Look for trends and patterns in your financial data. Are there certain times of the year when expenses spike or revenue drops? Understanding these trends can help you plan better and eliminate profit erosion.

Keeping It Simple

You don’t need to spend more than 10 minutes a week on this. Set up dashboards using financial software to display your key KPIs at a glance. Spend a few minutes each week reviewing these dashboards to spot any significant changes. Once a month, take a bit more time to review your detailed P&L statement. Focus on areas that showed red flags during your weekly reviews. Automation tools can also help by generating and sending reports directly to your inbox, ensuring you have the latest data without manual effort. This streamlined approach will help you avoid financial drains and keep your business running smoothly.

How Go HQ Can Help

At Go HQ, we understand the unique challenges faced by Amazon DSPs. Our financial services are designed to help you end financial drain and streamline your financial management:

• Invoice Recon:Our Invoice Reconciliation service ensures that all your invoices are accurate and accounted for. This helps in identifying discrepancies early, halting revenue leakage and ensuring you
  get paid what you’re owed.
• Virtual CFO/Financial Planning and Analysis:Our Virtual CFO services provide you with expert financial guidance without the need for a full-time CFO. We offer detailed FP&A reports with analysis to help you make informed
  decisions, optimize your spending, and boost profit margins.

By leveraging Go HQ’s financial services, you can focus on growing your business while we take care of the financial details. Our tools and expertise will help you avoid financial drains and ensure your Amazon DSP remains profitable.

By focusing on these KPIs and using a detailed P&L statement, you can stop profit leaks and keep your Amazon DSP business on track. Remember, the goal is to make informed decisions without getting bogged down in the details. With the right tools, industry insights, and a streamlined process, you can boost financial success, ensuring that your business remains profitable.

– Kyle Haney