Period-over-Period Comparison
Period-over-period comparison (PoP) is the fastest way to see if your restaurant is moving forward or backward. By comparing identical time periods you eliminate seasonal effects and get a straight comparison.
Where to find the report
Go to Analytics → Period Comparison in the admin menu.
Quick presets
| Preset | Period A | Period B | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| This week vs last | Mon-Sun current | Mon-Sun last week | Short-term trend |
| This month vs last | 1st-last | 1st-last previous | Monthly follow-up |
| YTD vs last year | Jan 1-today | Same days last year | Long-term growth |
| Custom period | Your choice | Your choice | Campaign evaluation, new opening vs reference |
Use case examples
Compare a campaign: Did you run an SMS campaign March 15-21? Pick March 15-21 this year vs March 15-21 last year to measure actual lift. Avoid comparing against last month — that mixes in seasonal effects.
Compare after a menu change: Did you swap out 5 dishes on March 1? Compare March 1-31 vs February 1-28 to see if check average and order count changed.
KPI comparison (5 cards)
For each KPI, Period A, Period B, and the delta in both SEK/count and percent are shown:
| KPI | Period A | Period B | Diff (SEK) | Diff (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales | 425,000 | 380,000 | +45,000 | +11.8 % |
| Order count | 1,240 | 1,180 | +60 | +5.1 % |
| Average check | 343 | 322 | +21 | +6.5 % |
| Food Cost % | 32.1 % | 34.5 % | −2.4 pp | −6.9 % |
| Gross Margin % | 67.9 % | 65.5 % | +2.4 pp | +3.7 % |
Color coding: Green = positive development, red = negative development. Note that for Food Cost % lower is better — the color logic takes this into account.
Line chart: Period A vs B
- Y-axis: Revenue in SEK
- X-axis: Day number within the period (1, 2, 3…)
- Solid gold line: Period A (current)
- Dashed gray line: Period B (comparison)
Because both periods are redrawn as day numbers (1-7 for a week, 1-31 for a month), you can directly see which days performed better or worse. Look especially at:
- Friday-Saturday effect: Is weekend revenue on pace between periods?
- Wednesday dip: Did it move, or is it stable?
- Peak days: Are they on the same weekday as before?
Category comparison with drill-down
The table below the chart shows revenue per category for both periods plus the delta. Example:
| Category | Revenue A | Revenue B | Diff SEK | Diff % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appetizers | 42,000 | 38,000 | +4,000 | +10.5 % |
| Mains | 180,000 | 170,000 | +10,000 | +5.9 % |
| Desserts | 28,000 | 32,000 | −4,000 | −12.5 % |
| Beverages | 95,000 | 70,000 | +25,000 | +35.7 % |
Click a category row to expand and see item-level details. This helps you quickly identify winners and losers — if desserts fell 12.5 %, it is either a specific item that lost ground or a pricing issue.
Common pitfalls
- Comparing only number of days, not actual dates: If Period A has 7 days and Period B has 6, KPI percentages are misleading. Vendion warns if you pick different lengths.
- Public holidays: Easter lands in different weeks year by year. Use same period last year when you want holiday matching.
- Interpret Food Cost % carefully: A 1-percentage-point improvement may come from one expensive item selling less, not a general improvement.
Recommended routine
- Mondays: This week vs last (short-term pulse)
- 1st of each month: Last month vs the month before (medium trend)
- Quarterly: Quarter vs same quarter last year (long-term growth)
Complete follow-up example
Monday morning April 8:
- Open Analytics → Period Comparison
- Choose "This week vs last" (auto Mon-Sun × 2)
- See that total sales is +8 %, average check is +4 %
- Click the category row "Desserts" — it shows −15 % vs last week
- Expand the row and see that "Chocolate Fondant" sold 18 vs 42 last week
- Action: Check with the kitchen team — the fondant was removed from the menu on Friday. Decision: put it back as a weekend special
In 5 minutes you have:
- Confirmed the week is going well overall
- Identified a specific problem
- Understood the cause (missing from menu)
- Decided on an action
This is the value of Period Comparison as a daily routine.
Period comparison for campaign evaluation
Say you ran an SMS campaign March 15-21 with 15 % off on evenings. To measure ROI:
- Pick March 15-21 this year as Period A
- Pick March 15-21 last year as Period B (or March 8-14 same year if you don't have prior year data)
- Check the delta in total sales and order count
- Subtract SMS cost (recipients × 0.89 SEK) and discount amount
- What remains = campaign lift
Example: +50,000 SEK sales, 2,000 SMS = 1,780 SEK, discount given = 18,000 SEK. Net lift = 30,220 SEK. Campaign was profitable.
Gotcha: Accounting date vs order date
Vendion uses order date (when the order was finalized) in the comparison, not accounting date. If you have late orders that are booked the next day, small differences may appear vs the SIE export. This is normal and does not affect the comparison's reliability.
This feature is part of Vendion Analytics++.
Curious how it looks in practice? Read more about the product or book a short demo.
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