The problem: Your store's reports are full of numbers, but you rarely have time to dig in. So you miss the slow-selling items, the products about to run out, and the bestsellers you should be promoting.
What you end up with: A short weekly check-up: top and bottom sellers, items running low, how this week compared to last, and three ideas to act on, built from your own store or point-of-sale data for you to review.
What you'll need
A store or point-of-sale system with sales and inventory data, or a weekly sales export in a spreadsheet.
Getting set up
Want a quick weekly read on how your online store is doing? This playbook sticks to what each tool's own docs say. First, pick a tool. Shopify lists Sidekick prompts like a weekly performance summary and low-stock alerts. Square says you can ask Square AI about your sales data in plain English. Microsoft says Copilot in Excel analyzes data and creates charts, useful if you work from an export. Next, pick the five numbers you care about most. Then, choose a day each week for the check-up. And last, the AI summarizes. You decide what to do.
Step by step
- Each week, ask your tool for last week's sales summary.
- Ask for the top five and bottom five products.
- Ask which items are running low.
- Compare with the week before.
- Ask for three ideas, like promoting a bestseller or bundling a slow item.
- Spot-check a number or two against your reports.
- Pick one idea to try this week.
A prompt to start with
Try this prompt, and tweak it for your tool. "Give me a weekly check-up for last week: total sales vs. the week before, top five and bottom five products by sales, items likely to run out in the next two weeks, and three practical ideas to try. Keep it under 200 words, and show the numbers you used."
What you'll get
A short weekly summary with key numbers, low-stock items, and three ideas.
If something goes wrong
If numbers look off, check the date range. If ideas are generic, give it context, like an upcoming holiday. If low-stock alerts miss items, check your inventory counts are current.
Keep in mind
AI summaries can be wrong, so check anything you'll act on. Discounts and price changes are your call. Keep your sales data private.
Sources
- Shopify Sidekick — official page and FAQ
- Square AI — official page
- Microsoft Copilot for small business — product page and FAQ
Where each fact came from
- Recommended tools · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked regularly — Shopify Sidekick — official page and FAQ
- Getting set up · checked Oct 28, 2026 · rechecked regularly — Square AI — official page
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