Report of the Week - What-If Analysis (Influence of Discount over Sales)

Report of the Week - What-If Analysis (Influence of Discount over Sales)

When an archer is aiming to hit the bullseye (or a sniper, her target), she has to consider external factors like gravity, wind direction and wind speed. Similarly, when running your business, you will have to ask various questions. Have you aligned yourself against all external factors, when it comes to meeting your target? Should you raise the price, or increase the production to make more money in the current market trend? By how much percentage? Is it the right time to run a marketing campaign?


Would it not be easier if you knew what the outcome can be when you undertake such a change? What-if Analysis helps you evaluate such options. It shows you how external changes might affect the outcome of a decision you are about to take.


What can be done?

What-if Analysis shows what might happen if one or more factors change. It lets you know the impact of various factors on your business and gives you an idea of what needs to be done.


Here are a few scenarios where What-if Analysis can help you.


  • You are planning for a sales day. Based on your previous sales, you can measure the impact of discount percent on your revenue and learn what percent of discount makes people buy more. And you can set your discount percentage to an optimal value so that it leads to maximum profit for you.

  • You have spent various amount on marketing over the months, which affects the leads gained in each month. With What-If analysis, you can learn what will happen if you increase or decrease the expenses.

  • You have multiple teams working on different projects. There will be different billing prices and hours per week, each team member might be working for.  You can check the time and money needed for each member - project combination and choose the best combination out of it to assign projects.

  • You have projected sales for the next six months. There is a possibility of your revenue increasing or decreasing and you can know with What-if analysis how much your revenue would be, based on percentage increase/decrease.

  • And much more...


Now, let's see how to implement the first example of measuring the impact of discount percentages on your revenue.



How to do What-if Analysis

You can easily set up a What-if report by following the steps here.


Step 1: Creating Variables


As we said earlier, What-if Analysis is to show the outcome when one or more parameter value changes. To parameterize dynamic inputs, you need to store all the possible values in a placeholder named Variable.

Here, we have created two variables to apply the change in discount percentage and sales volume. 


Discount Percentage

Create a variable with a range of discount percentages you are planning to provide. We have set the Range between 5 to 50 with an Increment Size of 5. And the Default Value is set as 10. 




If you plan to have different discounts for each product category, you need to create different variable for each category.



Sales Volume
Create a variable with a range of possible sales volume change. We have set the Range between -50 to +50 with an Increment Size of 5. And the Default Value is set as 0.



Step 2: Creating Aggregate Formulas


Construct an Aggregate Formula to compute your metrics. Insert the variables appropriately in the formula to visualize the impact as the dynamic value changes. You can specify different calculations for each value or a range of values.  

The following is the formula to calculate the sales after discount.

 

‌ sum( "Sales"."Sales" )-(sum( "Sales"."Sales" )/ 100 )* ${Discount %} *(1+${Sales Volume}/100


If you have different product categories, then use the following formula to calculate the Sales after discount for all products with different discounts. 


‌ Sum( "Sales"."Sales" )

-(sumif( "Sales"."Product Category" = 'Furniture' , "Sales"."Sales",   0 )/ 100 * ${Furniture Discount %} )

-(sumif( "Sales"."Product Category " = 'Stationery',   "Sales"."Sales",   0 )/ 100 * ${Stationery discount %} )

-(sumif( "Sales"."Product Category" = ' Grocery', "Sales"."Sales",   0 )/ 100 * ${Grocery Discount %}))*(1+${Sales Volume}/100 )


Step 3: Creating Report


Create the What-if report using the Aggregate Formula in Step 2.
  • X-Axis - Date with Month & Year
  • Y-Axis - Sales with Sum and Sales After Discount (Aggregate Formula with variable) with Actual



Report will be created as shown below. Sales after Discount will be calculated with a 10% discount based on the Variable's default value.



Apply Forecast for next one month to see the prediction for the upcoming month. 



Now, how do you dynamically change the input for the reports? We will see how it's to be done in the following step.

Step 4: Adding Variable as User Filter


Add the discount variables we had defined in Step 1 as User Filters in the report. Each User Filter will be in the form of a slider and will list the discount values in steps of 5. As you change the input (discount percentage) by moving each slider, the report will get re-generated dynamically based on the appropriate calculations defined in Step 2.



The final report will be as shown here. As you drag the What-If Variable sliders (the User Filters at the top), the total sales after discount will be calculated based on the values.


Now you have the privilege to know what might be the outcome of your sale month. And you are one step closer to a discount campaign run successfully!



    Access your files securely from anywhere








                      Zoho Campaigns Resources




                            Zoho Developer Community



                                Bootcamp
                                Community
                                Pricing
                                Webinars
                                What's New
                                Integrations
                                Contact Support
                                Contact Sales
                                  Zoho Survey Resources
                                    Features
                                    Survey Templates
                                    Integrations
                                    Community
                                    iOS Mobile Surveys
                                    Pricing
                                    Android Mobile Surveys
                                    Insurvey Blogs
                                    Insight Blogs
                                    Tips & Tricks






                                                Latest Feature Updates

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts




                                                      Zoho SalesIQ Resources


                                                            Manage your brands on social media
                                                            Access Zoho Social

                                                              Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                  Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                                    Zoho DataPrep Resources


                                                                      Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                        Zoho Books Resources


                                                                          Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                            Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                              Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                Qntrl Resources


                                                                                  Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                      Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                      • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                        CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                      • Kaizen

                                                                                        Kaizen

                                                                                      • Functions

                                                                                        Functions

                                                                                      • Meetups

                                                                                        Meetups

                                                                                      • Kbase

                                                                                        Kbase

                                                                                      • Resources

                                                                                        Resources

                                                                                      • Digest

                                                                                        Digest

                                                                                      • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        CRM Marketplace

                                                                                      • MVP Corner

                                                                                        MVP Corner







                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now


                                                                                            Zoho Show Resources


                                                                                              Zoho Writer Writer

                                                                                              Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                              Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                  Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                      ご検討中の方




                                                                                                            • Recent Topics

                                                                                                            • how to add subform over sigma in the CRM

                                                                                                              my new module don't have any subform available any way to add this from sigma or from the crm

                                                                                                            • How to Install Zoho Workdrive Desktop Sync for Ubuntu?

                                                                                                              Hi. I am newbie to Linux / Ubuntu. I downloaded a tar.gz file from Workdrive for installing the Workdrive Desktop Sync tool. Can someone give me step by step guide on how to install this on Ubuntu? I am using Ubuntu 19.04. Regards Senthil

                                                                                                            • How to upload own video?

                                                                                                              How can you upload your own video on your zoho website? I do not want to use another host, but i want to insert my own files. how can i do this?

                                                                                                            • Support new line in CRM Multiline text field display in Zoho Deluge

                                                                                                              Hi brainstrust, We have a Zoho CRM field which is a Muti Line (Small) field. It has data in it that has a carriage return after each line: When I pull that data in via Deluge, it displays as: I'm hoping a way I can change it from: Freehand : ENABLED Chenille

                                                                                                            • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.32.5.0)

                                                                                                              Hello Community! Trident for Windows just got better! This update includes new features designed to improve and simplify email and calendar management—and it includes a feature you’ve been waiting for. Let’s dive into what’s new! Save emails in EML or

                                                                                                            • How to render either thumbnail_url or preview_url or preview_data_url

                                                                                                              I get 401 Unauthorised when using these urls in the <img> tag src attribute. Guide me on how to use them!

                                                                                                            • Zoho CRM Calendar | Custom Buttons

                                                                                                              I'm working with my sales team to make our scheduling process easier for our team. We primary rely on Zoho CRM calendar to organize our events for our sales team. I was wondering if there is a way to add custom button in the Calendar view on events/meeting

                                                                                                            • Default Sorting on Related Lists

                                                                                                              Is it possible to set the default sorting options on the related lists. For example on the Contact Details view I have related lists for activities, emails, products cases, notes etc... currently: Activities 'created date' newest first Emails - 'created

                                                                                                            • Create Lead Button in Zoho CRM Dashboard

                                                                                                              Right now to create Leads in the CRM our team is going into the Lead module, selecting the "Create Lead" button, then building out the lead. Is there anyway to add the "Create Lead" button or some sort of short cut to the Zoho CRM Dashboard to cut out

                                                                                                            • Searching customer field

                                                                                                              Hello, When entering a receipt, we select customer information. The customer information is synced with Zoho CRM. However, we can't find the customer information because it searches for words that begin with the entered value. It needs to search for words

                                                                                                            • Introducing Version-3 APIs - Explore New APIs & Enhancements

                                                                                                              Happy to announce the release of Version 3 (V3) APIs with an easy to use interface, new APIs, and more examples to help you understand and access the APIs better. V3 APIs can be accessed through our new link, where you can explore our complete documentation,

                                                                                                            • Rotate an Image in Workdrive Image Editor

                                                                                                              I don't know if I'm just missing something, but my team needs a way to rotate images in Workdrive and save them at that new orientation. For example one of our ground crew members will take photos of job sites vertically (9:16) on his phone and upload

                                                                                                            • Resume Harvester: New Enhancements for Faster Sourcing

                                                                                                              We’re excited to share a set of enhancements to Resume Harvester that make sourcing faster and more flexible. These updates help you cut down on repetitive steps, manage auto searches more efficiently, and review candidate profiles with ease. Why we built

                                                                                                            • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

                                                                                                              Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards

                                                                                                            • Zoho CRM Tracking Google Enhanced Conversions

                                                                                                              Can anyone @Zoho, consultants, or users help me understand if Zoho CRM is going to support Google's Enhanced Conversions? I included some information from Google below about it. We use Google Adwords for our pay per click advertising for lead generation,

                                                                                                            • zoho click, and nord VPN

                                                                                                              Unfortunately, we've been having problems with Zoho Click, where essentially the line cuts off after about a minute's worth of conversation every time we are on VPN. Is there a way we can change this within the settings so it does not cut the line off

                                                                                                            • Connecting Portals from different Zoho apps

                                                                                                              Hi, I note that Zoho has functionality for customer portals for several of the Zoho apps, like CRM, Projects, Desk etc. Is there any way to connect these portals?  It would be great if we could give our customers access to a portal in which they could

                                                                                                            • Billing Management: #5 Usage Billing

                                                                                                              After understanding the nuances of Advance Billing and Retainers, we will explore one of the booming billing models. Long ago, villagers drew water from a shared well in a small village. The well was a lifeline for the entire community. Ravi, the well

                                                                                                            • Function #10: Update item prices automatically based on the last transaction created

                                                                                                              In businesses, item prices are not always fixed and can fluctuate due to various factors. If you find yourself manually adjusting the item rates every time they change, we have the ideal time-saving solution for you. In today's post, we bring you custom

                                                                                                            • Inventory Adjustments

                                                                                                              Hi, How to transfer the material from one head to another ? Like materials purchased for manufacturing the laptop need to transfer from consumption inventory (Quantity of raw materials reduced) to destination inventory ( Quantity of Laptop increased)

                                                                                                            • Zoho CRM Community Digest - Aug 2025 | Part 1

                                                                                                              Hey everyone! The first half of August went by, and we have a few announcements and some good noteworthy discussions. So, let's take a look at them! Product Updates: Introducing Connected Records feature: Zoho CRM’s Next-Gen UI now includes Connected

                                                                                                            • Please make it easier to Pause syncing

                                                                                                              right now it takes 3 clicks to get there. sounds silly, but can you make it just 2 clicks to get it done instead? thats how dropbox does it, 2 clicks to pause instead of 3.

                                                                                                            • How to create a Zoho CRM report with 2 child modules

                                                                                                              Hi all, Is it possible to create a Zoho CRM report or chart with 2 child modules? After I add the first child module, the + button only adds another parent module. It won't let me add multiple child modules at once. We don't have Zoho Analytics and would

                                                                                                            • SalesIQとPageSenseの利用について

                                                                                                              初めての投稿で場違いだったらすいません。 弊社ではSalesIQを運用しているのですが、追加でPageSenseの導入もしたいと現場からの声があります。 両サービスともクッキー同意バナーが必要なサービスなのですが 弊社では同意無しに情報はとりませんという方針なので 2つ入れると2つバナーを出す必要がでてきます・・・ 両サービスを運用されてる方があれば運用状況とか教えてほしいです。 PageSenseについては詳細まで機能を理解してないなかでの質問です。

                                                                                                            • How to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM on Standard Plan

                                                                                                              Hello Zoho Support Team, I am using the Standard Zoho Forms plan (USD 30/user) and I would like to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM so that certain fields in my forms can be automatically prefilled using data from Deals in CRM. Specifically, I want

                                                                                                            • Export PDF File Name

                                                                                                              Is it possible to change the default Zoho .pdf naming scheme for inventory items like quotations? Would like to use the the Subject as the default quote name. Is this possible?

                                                                                                            • How to change the from address from 'no reply' for an email template in CRM

                                                                                                              Hi, We have our CRM set up with the from field as sales@XXX. I have just created a series of email templates and sent a test and they are sending from noreply@zoho I have tried searching for how to change the email template but don't have the options

                                                                                                            • Zoho CRM Client Script - SetCriteria in lookup Field

                                                                                                              Hello All One More Zoho CRM Client Script Tips & Trick. Now you can Set the Criteria on Your lookup in zoho CRM, It Comes With a Create Page, Edit Page, and Details Page (Standard). Example:- We have a Room Module that includes Room Name, Status, Campus,

                                                                                                            • Kaizen #71 - Client Script ZDKs for Detail (Canvas) Page

                                                                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss Client Script ZDKs support for Detail (Canvas) Page. What is Detail (Canvas) Page? A Detail(Canvas) Page allows you to customize the record detail page to your

                                                                                                            • Add Custom Reports To Dashboard or Home Tab

                                                                                                              Hi there, I think it would be great to be able to add our custom reports to the Home Tab or Dashboards. Thanks! Chad

                                                                                                            • Rich-text fields in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                              Hello everyone, We're thrilled to announce an important enhancement that will significantly enhance the readability and formatting capabilities of your information: rich text options for multi-line fields. With this update, you can now enjoy a more versatile

                                                                                                            • Zoho Reports Duplicating Entries

                                                                                                              I have a custom costing tab with a table where we entre invoices. These are under a Heading (PO Subject) and notes added in the form with different line items. In the reports, I have organised the report to group per PO Subject, with the total of the

                                                                                                            • Validation Rule Not Working for Mandatory Field in Zoho Blueprint

                                                                                                              As a Zoho user, we created a validation rule for a specific field. However, we noticed that when we made the same field mandatory within a Blueprint, the validation rule we defined did not work. When we reported this issue to Zoho Support, they stated

                                                                                                            • Notes Issues

                                                                                                              Been having issues with Notes in the CRM. Yesterday it wasn't showing the notes, but it got resolved after a few minutes., Now I have been having a hard time saving notes the whole day. Notes can't be saved by the save button. it's grayed out or not grayed

                                                                                                            • Export from Contacts module to Products module in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                              Good afternoon, I would like to send a number of contact info from the Contacts module into the customized module (tickets to an event) in one operation. I have selected several contacts in the Contact module (people who I have labelled as people I want

                                                                                                            • Zoho Commerce

                                                                                                              Hi, I have zoho one and use Zoho Books. I am very interested in Zoho Commerce , especially with how all is integrated but have a question. I do not want my store to show prices for customers that are not log in. Is there a way to hide the prices if not

                                                                                                            • Can’t receive emailI c

                                                                                                              I have generated a basic for but when I submit it I don’t get a email, I’ve been in the settings and tested me email, all appears correct, can you please help me

                                                                                                            • Data Capture for Historical Activity (Especially One Lead Downloading Variois reports without Overwriting the info)

                                                                                                              Is there a better way in Zoho CRM to capture and archive a lead’s historical activity—specifically whenever they download reports—so that the data is stored without being overwritten?”

                                                                                                            • Client Script - Updating Field Value in Detail Page of a Lead

                                                                                                              Hello, I'm trying to use Client Script To enrich some data of the Lead when one of my User fill the "City" field in the detail page of the Lead. This is my Script: log (value); var response = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("getInfoCitta", { "nomeCitta":

                                                                                                            • Auto shapes in Zoho sheet.

                                                                                                              Does Zoho sheet supports inserting auto shapes (rectangle, circle...). I did not see any option to do so.  If its not supported currently, is there any plans on bring in this features. Any timelines ?

                                                                                                            • Next Page