Expense management software for online stores
Expense management software for ecommerce: expense tracking app, cash flow forecast and business expense tracker for your store.
In short
Expense management software like StoreChart starts with a list of recurring expenses that reopens every month, with a status for each line: pending, collected or sent. An overview shows spend by category and supplier, and invoices are collected from Gmail automatically. In the profit and loss statement the expenses come off gross profit, which gives the operating profit of a month, quarter or year.
Every month's expenses in one place
A fixed list, a status for each expense and an overview by category
- Recurring expenses by supplier, with category, currency and billing day. The list reopens every month.
- A status for each expense in the month: pending, collected or sent to your accountant.
- An overview of total spend, the monthly average and this month against last month.
- Invoices collected automatically from Gmail go straight into the list.
- In the profit and loss statement the recurring expenses come off gross profit, which gives operating profit.
What expense management includes
From the recurring expenses list to operating profit
Expense management in three steps
From a one-time list to a profit and loss statement
Enter the suppliers that bill you every month, with a category and a billing day. You can start from last month's business credit card statement.
Each month you see what is pending, collected and sent. Invoices from Gmail arrive on their own, and you upload the rest by hand.
In the profit and loss statement the expenses come off gross profit, and what is left is the operating profit of the period.
Expense management for an online store
Start with the recurring expenses
An online store has suppliers that bill every month, each sending an invoice on a different date and in a different format. Expense management in StoreChart starts with the list of recurring expenses. For each supplier you set:
- Details: name, category, currency and billing day.
- Email identification: the sender addresses and words that appear in the subject.
- Default: with no rules, the search is by the supplier's name and words like invoice or receipt.
- Automatic or manual: for each expense you choose whether to collect it automatically.
At the start of each month the list reopens. A change applies from the current month on, without touching months that are closed.
Build the list in the first month
- Open last month's business credit card statement and your inbox.
- Every charge that repeats each month is a recurring expense.
- For each one, note the supplier, the category and the address the invoice came from.
- For a generic address, such as the no-reply address of a large platform, add a word from the subject.
- For a supplier that sends from several addresses, add all of them.
Example: the end of a month with 18 expenses
On the 3rd, the tracking screen shows 15 of 18 expenses collected. Three are missing:
- A supplier that sends by post: upload the file by hand, and it is read the same way.
- A supplier that changed its sender address: update the address in the list and run a search for the month.
- A supplier that has not billed yet: wait, and the next collection will find it.
Instead of hunting for 18 invoices, you deal with three.
Where the money goes
The overview tab turns the expenses into one picture:
- Totals: spend for the period, the monthly average and this month against last month.
- Trend: spend by month, which you can split by category.
- Categories: built-in categories such as rent, shipping, software and marketing, plus your own.
- Most expensive suppliers: the suppliers that cost the most in the range you chose.
When expenses are in different currencies, the amounts are converted to one currency so they can be added up.
From expenses to a profit and loss statement
The profit and loss statement puts the expenses next to the sales. It is built from the same orders and expenses, in this order:
- Net revenue: sales without VAT.
- Cost of sales: product cost, shipping and payment fees.
- Gross profit: net revenue minus cost of sales.
- Operating expenses: the recurring expenses of the period.
- Operating profit: gross profit minus operating expenses.
A few rules keep the figure honest. The statement is drawn up for whole months, quarters or years, because expenses are recorded by calendar month. It is not shown for a single store, because recurring expenses belong to the business as a whole. A month that was never opened in expense management is not treated as a month with no expenses, and the statement says so. When the month's invoice collection is not complete, the operating profit is marked as provisional.
Expenses that do not arrive by email
Not every expense has an invoice in your inbox. An ad platform or an overseas supplier can be set as an external source, and you upload its document each month. You can also add a monthly task with no amount and no invoice, such as paying salaries. Both appear in the same monthly tracking.
Who it fits and what is not included
- Fits: a store with recurring costs that wants to see operating profit without a spreadsheet.
- Not bookkeeping: StoreChart does not issue invoices, file VAT returns or pay suppliers.
- Gmail only: Outlook inboxes are not supported, and paper invoices are uploaded by hand.
- Existing bookkeeper: if your accountant already collects invoices, agree with them before you turn on automatic sending.
Questions about expense management
How do I manage recurring expenses by month?
The list of recurring expenses reopens every month, and each line has a status: pending, collected or sent to your accountant. A change you make in the current month applies from that moment on, and editing a past month changes only that month.
Can I see where the money goes?
Yes. The overview shows total spend, the monthly average and this month against last month, split by category and by the most expensive suppliers.
How is the profit and loss statement built?
The statement is built automatically from your orders and expenses: net revenue, cost of sales, gross profit, operating expenses and operating profit. You pick a closed month, quarter or year and see the previous period next to it. All amounts exclude VAT.
What is the difference between gross and operating profit?
Gross profit is net revenue minus cost of sales, which means product cost, shipping and payment fees. Operating profit is what remains after the recurring expenses, such as rent, software and marketing, come off.
Does the statement show net profit?
No. The statement ends at operating profit. Taxes, interest and financing costs are not included, and your accountant prepares the full annual accounts.
What if not all invoices were collected yet?
The statement marks the operating profit as provisional and shows how many of the expected invoices were collected. Expenses not yet collected are left out, so the profit reads higher than the real figure until they arrive.
Does StoreChart replace accounting software?
No. StoreChart does not issue invoices, file VAT returns or pay suppliers. It brings expenses together, collects invoices and shows profit, so working with your accountant stays orderly.
Related capabilities
From the blog
Your store's expenses and profit in one place
Start a trial and build your recurring expenses list