Sales - Category Grouping Sales
Updated Wed 21 Oct 2026
Running the report
Report options
Select your start date / end date
The first and last trading day to include. Your store's close of trade time is used, so a sale after midnight but before close of trade counts towards the previous trading day. Both default to today.
Select your preferred grouping
The rows of the three crosstabs. The default is Hour of day. It only changes the crosstabs: the category group table, the pie chart and the popularity lists are the same whichever grouping you choose.
Select the number of products to show
How many items each Most popular and Least popular list shows per category group. The default is 5. Type a bigger number for longer lists.
Which sales type do you want to see?
Gross sales is each item at its selling price. Net sales takes each item's share of the order's discounts off. The headings change to Gross sales or Net sales to match. Quantities and the number of invoices don't change.
Hide menu item options from menu item popularity
Ticked, the options rung up under an item (for example Extra cheese or No onion under Cheeseburger) are left out of the Most popular and Least popular lists, so the real menu items rise to the top. Untick it to list every option as its own line. It's unticked by default.
The category group table, the pie chart, the summary, the crosstabs and every percentage stay exactly the same either way: the options' sales are still counted, they just aren't listed. An item that is sometimes an option and sometimes sold on its own (say Regular Fries) stays in the lists with only the times it was sold on its own.
Show sales figures
Whether the rand figures in the pie chart, the % Contrib by sales column and the crosstabs include or exclude VAT. Your brand chooses which one is the default: it's always first in the list, marked (Brand default), and already selected when you open the report. If your brand has chosen exclusive, the list reads Exclusive (Brand default) and Inclusive.
Choose Inclusive to compare with your cash-ups and the Recon report, which count the money customers actually paid. Choose Exclusive to look at profitability, where VAT isn't your money. The crosstab headings say which one you're looking at, for example Sum of net sales (excl taxes). The category group table always shows both: excl, taxes and incl side by side.
The report at a glance
The dates are trading days. If your store's close of trade is later than midnight (say 02:00), the line reads From Mon 12 Oct 2026 02:00 until Mon 19 Oct 2026 02:00 * and the asterisk is explained at the foot of each page: sales between midnight and close of trade count towards the previous day.
- Category group sales: each group's share, invoices and sales, with a pie chart and the gross sales to turnover summary.
- Sales, transactions and averages: three crosstabs by your chosen grouping and category group.
- Menu item popularity: the most and least popular items in each category group.
Category group sales
One line per category group, in alphabetical order. Under it, a pie chart of each group's share and a summary that takes gross sales down to turnover. The example is Gross sales (price before discounts) and Inclusive.
| Category group name | % Contrib by sales 1 | Number of invoices 2 | Gross sales (excl) | Taxes | Gross sales (incl) 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desserts | 7.4% | 44 | 2 000.00 | 300.00 | 2 300.00 |
| Drinks | 18.5% | 205 | 5 000.00 | 750.00 | 5 750.00 |
| Food | 74.1% | 198 | 20 000.00 | 3 000.00 | 23 000.00 |
| Gross sales: 4 | 27 000.00 | 4 050.00 | 31 050.00 | ||
| - Discounts: | -1 200.00 | -180.00 | -1 380.00 | ||
| = Net sales: | 25 800.00 | 3 870.00 | 29 670.00 | ||
| + Delivery charges: | 400.00 | 60.00 | 460.00 | ||
| = Turnover: | 26 200.00 | 3 930.00 | 30 130.00 |
1 % Contrib by sales
The group's share of all the sales on this report. It follows both options: with Net sales it's a share of net sales, with Exclusive a share of sales excluding VAT. The pie chart shows the same shares, one colour per group.
2 Number of invoices
How many different orders had at least one item from the group. One order with a burger and a cooldrink counts once under Food and once under Drinks, so the groups add up to more than your number of orders.
3 Sales (excl), Taxes and Sales (incl)
The group's sales without VAT, the VAT on them, and with VAT. The table always shows all three, whatever you chose in Show sales figures. In Net sales (price after discounts) mode the headings read Net sales (excl) and Net sales (incl) and each item's share of its order's discounts is taken off.
4 Gross sales to turnover
The summary under the table shows every item sold, less discounts, plus delivery charges, giving your turnover for the period. It shows both gross and net, so it's the same whichever sales type you chose. In Gross sales mode the groups add up to Gross sales:; in Net sales mode they add up to = Net sales:.
- - Discounts:
- The discounts given on the orders in the period, shown as a minus.
- + Delivery charges:
- Delivery fees charged on orders. They aren't menu items, so they're not in any category group.
- = Turnover:
- Net sales plus delivery charges: what the store took in for the period.
Sales, transactions and averages
Three crosstabs with the same layout: one row per value of Select your preferred grouping (the heading of the first column is the grouping's name), one column per category group in alphabetical order, and a Total column for all groups together. The example uses Day of week, Gross sales and Inclusive.
1 Sum of gross sales (incl taxes)
| Day of week | Desserts | Drinks | Food | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 391.00 | 977.50 | 3 910.00 | 5 278.50 |
| Monday | 230.00 | 575.00 | 2 300.00 | 3 105.00 |
| Tuesday | 253.00 | 632.50 | 2 530.00 | 3 415.50 |
| Wednesday | 276.00 | 690.00 | 2 760.00 | 3 726.00 |
| Thursday | 322.00 | 805.00 | 3 220.00 | 4 347.00 |
| Friday | 391.00 | 977.50 | 3 910.00 | 5 278.50 |
| Saturday | 437.00 | 1 092.50 | 4 370.00 | 5 899.50 |
| Total gross sales | 2 300.00 | 5 750.00 | 23 000.00 | 31 050.00 |
Each cell is the group's sales for that row. The heading and the total row follow your options: Sum of net sales (excl taxes) and Total net sales, for example. The totals match the category group table.
2 Number of transactions
| Day of week | Desserts | Drinks | Food | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 8 | 39 | 39 | 86 |
| Monday | 5 | 23 | 23 | 51 |
| Tuesday | 5 | 25 | 25 | 55 |
| Wednesday | 6 | 28 | 28 | 62 |
| Thursday | 6 | 32 | 32 | 70 |
| Friday | 8 | 39 | 39 | 86 |
| Saturday | 8 | 44 | 44 | 96 |
| Total transactions | 46 | 230 | 230 | 506 |
A transaction here is one item line on an order: each different item on an order counts once, however many of it were bought (two of the same burger at the same price is one transaction). That's why these counts are higher than Number of invoices in the category group table.
3 Average transaction (gross sales incl taxes)
| Day of week | Desserts | Drinks | Food | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 48.88 | 25.06 | 100.26 | 61.38 |
| Monday | 46.00 | 25.00 | 100.00 | 60.88 |
| Tuesday | 50.60 | 25.30 | 101.20 | 62.10 |
| Wednesday | 46.00 | 24.64 | 98.57 | 60.10 |
| Thursday | 53.67 | 25.16 | 100.62 | 62.10 |
| Friday | 48.88 | 25.06 | 100.26 | 61.38 |
| Saturday | 54.62 | 24.83 | 99.32 | 61.45 |
Each cell is the sales in the first crosstab divided by the transactions in the second, for the same row and group. For example, Sunday desserts: 391.00 ÷ 8 = 48.88. There is no total row: an average of averages would be misleading.
- Hour of day
- Rows read 12 to 13, 13 to 14 and so on: the hour the sale was rung up.
- Day of week, Date, Month
- Follow your trading day, so a sale at 01:00 before a 02:00 close of trade counts towards the previous day.
- Cashier name
- The person logged in when the sale was rung up, or Unknown if the POS couldn't match the login.
Menu item popularity
One block per category group, headed Menu item popularity - and the group's name. Most popular on the left lists the items sold in the biggest numbers; Least popular on the right lists the items sold in the smallest numbers. Both list as many items as Select the number of products to show. The example is Food with the default of 5.
| Menu item popularity - Food | |||
| Most popular 1 Category name - Menu item name | Qty | Least popular 2 Category name - Menu item name | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgers - Classic Burger | 64.0 | Burgers - Veggie Burger | 14.0 |
| Sides - Regular Fries | 58.0 | Sides - Onion Rings | 11.0 |
| Burgers - Cheeseburger | 41.0 | Burgers - Double Bacon Burger | 9.0 |
| Burgers - Chicken Burger | 33.0 | Sides - Side Salad | 6.0 |
| Sides - Large Fries | 27.0 | Burgers - Kids Burger | 4.0 |
1 Most popular
Items ranked by quantity sold, biggest first. Two items with the same quantity are ranked by sales value. Options rung up under an item (like a sauce or extra cheese) are listed as Options - and the option's name, unless Hide menu item options from menu item popularity is ticked.
2 Least popular
The items with the smallest quantities in the group. An item is never in both lists, so in a group with only a few items Least popular shows only the items not already in Most popular, and can be empty.
Quantities don't change with Which sales type do you want to see? or Show sales figures. Hide menu item options from menu item popularity only changes which items are listed in this section.
Watch the video
A walkthrough of the Category Grouping Sales report: setting it up, choosing a grouping and reading each section.
Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't the category groups add up to my turnover?
The groups add up the menu items you sold. Turnover is after discounts and also includes delivery charges, which aren't menu items. The summary under the table shows the steps: Gross sales:, - Discounts:, = Net sales:, + Delivery charges:, = Turnover:. Choose Net sales (price after discounts) and the groups add up to = Net sales:.
Why is Number of transactions higher than Number of invoices?
Number of invoices counts orders. Number of transactions counts item lines, so an order with a burger, fries and a milkshake is one invoice but three transactions. Average transaction is therefore the average value of an item line, not of a whole order.
What is "No Category Grouping Has Been Created"?
Items in a menu category that isn't linked to a category group. Link the category to a group in your menu and run the report again; past sales then move into that group too, because the report looks up the group when it runs.
An item disappeared from the lists when I ticked Hide menu item options from menu item popularity. Why?
That item was only ever sold as an option under another item, so it's now hidden. Its sales haven't gone anywhere: the category group table, the pie chart, the crosstabs and every percentage still include them.
Why do the percentages add up to 99.9% or 100.1%?
Each percentage is rounded to one decimal on its own, so the rounded figures can be a tenth out when you add them up. The unrounded figures always add up to 100%.
Why aren't exclusive figures lower than inclusive by exactly the standard VAT rate?
VAT is taken off each item at its own rate. Zero-rated items don't change, so a group with some zero-rated items drops by less than the standard rate.
Why does a sale at 01:00 show under the previous day?
If your store's close of trade is after midnight, everything before close of trade belongs to the previous trading day. That applies to the dates you choose and to the Date, Day of week and Month groupings. Hour of day still shows the actual hour, so that sale is under 01 to 02.
Glossary
- Average transaction
- Sales divided by the number of transactions (item lines) for the same row and group.
- Brand default
- The VAT setting your brand has chosen for sales reports. It's preselected in Show sales figures.
- Category group
- A group of menu categories set up in your menu, for example Food, Drinks or Desserts.
- Close of trade
- The time your store's trading day ends. Sales before it count towards that day.
- Exclusive (excl)
- Figures with VAT taken out.
- Gross sales
- The value of the items sold at their selling price, before discounts.
- Inclusive (incl)
- Figures including VAT, the money your customers actually paid.
- Least popular
- The items in a group sold in the smallest numbers.
- Menu item options
- The choices rung up under an item, such as a sauce, an extra topping or a cooking preference.
- Most popular
- The items in a group sold in the biggest numbers.
- Net sales
- Gross sales less each item's share of the discounts on its order.
- Number of invoices
- The number of orders with at least one item from the group.
- Taxes
- The VAT included in the sales.
- Transaction
- On this report, one item line on an order.
- Turnover
- Net sales plus delivery charges.