How to build a QBR with digital shelf data (and Profitero)

In my job I prepare QBRs (quarterly business reviews), monthly MBRs and weekly meetings with clients. After many quarters I learned something: clients do not want to see every metric, they want to understand their business. The best way to explain the business is to combine three layers: shelf, media and sales. Here is the structure I use and how data from Profitero or another digital shelf tool fits in.

What a QBR is (and is not)

A QBR is not the monthly report multiplied by three. If the monthly report answers “how are we doing?”, the QBR answers “why are we doing this way and what are we going to change?”. That is why it needs data that explains causes, and that is where the digital shelf helps.

The 4-block structure

With this structure, a QBR fits in 10 to 15 slides. Everything else goes into an appendix for whoever wants the detail.

Which shelf metrics to include

How Profitero helps

Profitero provides the shelf layer (availability, search, content, price and reviews) and, with Sales & Share, Amazon sales and share estimates. For vendors, its AMZ Vendor Health module combines Vendor Central data with Profitero data and, according to its site, is designed for JBP and QBR preparation, with metrics such as Net PPM, brand share of sales, procurable out-of-stock, weeks of cover, glance views and customer returns.

You do not need Profitero to run a good QBR, but you do need the shelf layer from some source: a tool, retailer reports or manual reviews.

Common mistakes

• Showing 60 slides. If everything is important, nothing is.
• Only talking about media. Clients want to understand sales, not just ROAS.
• Hiding what went wrong. Learnings build more trust than wins.
• Ending without agreements. Every QBR should close with priorities, owners and dates.
• Not connecting with the previous QBR. Start by reviewing whether last quarter’s commitments were met.

How to prepare the QBR without burning out

A good QBR starts three weeks earlier. In week one I pull sales, media and shelf data into a single file. In week two I write the story on one page: the main message, the three causes and the five priorities, still without slides. Only when the story is clear do I build the deck. I use the last week to validate numbers with the client and rehearse. This order avoids the most common mistake: designing pretty slides before knowing what you want to say. It also makes the review faster, because everyone discusses the story rather than the formatting.

Agency secrets for QBRs

What I learned presenting QBRs to directors:

I’m Alonso Jiménez, a Retail Media account director. I manage campaigns on Amazon, Walmart, Target, Instacart and Mercado Libre every day, for brands in the US, Mexico and Latin America. In my day-to-day I prepare QBRs, MBRs, weekly meetings and dynamic pacing dashboards for my clients. For budget tracking, see Amazon Ads pacing.

Frequently asked questions