1.4. Live Workshop: Creating an eCommerce Dashboard in Looker Studio - Part 1

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how to create, customize, and manipulate different types of charts.
2. Understand how to add interactive components, such as controls and filters, to a dashboard.

Building a Simple eCommerce Dashboard with Looker Studio

With these basics covered, you're ready to start building your e-commerce dashboard. Let’s dive in and explore the power of Looker Studio!

A Simple eCommerce Report

Imagine a simple eCommerce report connected to Google Analytics, displaying essential KPIs like sessions, transactions, average order value, eCommerce conversion rate, and revenue for a specific time period.

This report also allows you to change the date range and updates the data accordingly. It includes a map of transactions by US states, a time series chart for sessions and new users, a horizontal bar chart broken down by device category, male vs. female users, and new users and revenue from various source mediums.

Ready to recreate this in Looker Studio? Let's start!

Setting Up the Grid

First, let's organize our report by setting up the grid. Head to Theme and Layout and adjust the grid size to 20 pixels.

Adding Scorecards

Now, let's add scorecards for our metrics. Scorecards display a single aggregated value, like a number, ratio, or currency.

Add a scorecard, resize it, and snap it to the grid for a clean layout.

To change the metric, search for the desired field (e.g., "sessions") and drag it onto the scorecard.

You can also include comparisons to previous periods by adjusting the Default Date Range and Comparison Date Range settings.

Time Series and Horizontal Bar Charts

Next, let's add a time series chart for sessions and new users. After placing the chart, you can adjust the metrics by dragging and dropping or clicking and selecting the desired fields.

For the horizontal bar chart, add it beneath the time series chart and adjust the dimension to Device Category. Change the metrics to sessions and revenue, and customize the chart's appearance as desired.

Pie Charts: Use with Caution

Although it's generally not recommended to use too many pie charts, they can be suitable for dimensions with only a few values (e.g., male vs. female, desktop vs. mobile vs. tablet, new vs. returning visitor).

Use pie charts sparingly and thoughtfully in your reports.

Customizing Pie Charts

To start, add a pie chart and resize it as needed. This chart should show the gender of the user instead of device categories like desktop, mobile, and tablet. After making these changes, you'll notice some differences in the chart's appearance.

For the first time, let's head to the Style tab. Instead of only working with data properties, dimensions, metrics, and dates, you can now change the chart's style. Increase the thickness of the donut, and move the legend from the right to the bottom. Adjust the size as needed to achieve your desired look.

Creating a Simple Table

Sometimes, tables are the best way to communicate values in a simple and understandable way. For this table, you'll want to show source, medium, new users, and revenue. Add the chart, place it where you want it to be, and adjust the dimensions. Drag and drop the source and medium fields.

You'll also want to add revenue. If the revenue number is truncated, you can either change the widths of the columns or double-click on the edge of a column to automatically distribute the columns without truncation.

Adding a Google Map

Now, let's add a visually exciting chart: a Google Maps chart with bubbles. Choose the bubble map and adjust the size. This map should show one bubble per US state, with the size of the bubble representing the number of transactions.

To achieve this, go to the data properties and drag and drop transactions to the size field. This will make the bubbles larger when there are more transactions. If you want to show only the US and filter out other countries, you can use a chart filter.

Under the data tab, scroll down to the filter section. Apply a filter called "US only" and include the field "country" with the condition equal to "United States." This will remove all other data and only show values for the US.

However, you'll notice that there is only one bubble because the location field is showing the country. Change this field to "region" to show bubbles per region, representing the number of transactions. Now your map is complete!

With these steps, you've successfully created a pie chart, a table, and a Google Maps chart in Looker Studio. Keep experimenting and customizing your visualizations to create the perfect dashboard for your needs.

Excluding Regions in the Map

To exclude specific regions from the map, add another filter. In this example, we'll exclude Hawaii and Alaska. Create a new filter called "Exclude HI and AK" with the field "region" and the condition "in" followed by the names of the regions you want to exclude. Make sure to use proper capitalization, as it's case sensitive. Save the filter and apply it to the map. Now, only the remaining states will be shown.

Under the style tab, you can remove the street view and fullscreen controls if you find them distracting. With these adjustments, the map should look similar to the example provided.

Adding Controls, Logo, and Title

To complete the dashboard, you'll need to add a date range selector, a logo, and a title. The date range selector allows users to interact with the report and is found under the controls menu. Add it to your report, select the default date range (e.g., "Last 14 days"), and resize it as needed.

Next, add a logo to the dashboard by uploading an image from your computer. Resize and adjust the image as necessary. If the background isn't transparent, you can adjust the image's settings to make it so.

Finally, add a text box for the title. In this case, call it "eCommerce Overview" and increase the font size to 28 pixels. Adjust the font and styling to match the example dashboard.

Customizing the Dashboard Theme

Now that the first page is complete, let's create a second page and customize the dashboard's theme. Under "Theme and Layout," select the "Constellation" theme to apply a dark theme to the dashboard. You can customize the theme further by changing the font and border radius of components.

Remember to remove any unwanted styling elements that may have been added when the theme was applied, such as borders on images.

Managing Dashboard Pages

To add and manage pages in your dashboard, click the "Add Page" button. You'll see a sidebar with page navigation options. Rename the pages as desired, such as "eCommerce Overview" and "Cost and Profit." Click on each page to edit its content and layout.

By following these steps, you've learned how to create a multi-page dashboard in Looker Studio, add various types of charts, and customize the appearance to match a given example. Experiment with the platform's features and options to create even more advanced dashboards to suit your needs.

Excluding Specific Regions

Now, we want to exclude certain regions to focus on the majority of the US transactions. To do this, we'll add a filter. You can either pick a pre-existing filter or create a new one.

Name this filter something like "Exclude HI and AK" and set the condition to "in." If the region is in one of these values (case-sensitive), exclude them from the data. Save the filter, and it'll be applied to the Google map.

Under the style tab, feel free to adjust the map settings, like removing the street view control or full screen control.

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