The Dashboard in Detail: KPIs, Budget Forecast, and Conversion Funnel
5 min readLast updated: February 20, 2026Getting Started
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In this article, we explain all dashboard elements in detail. You'll learn what each metric means, how the budget forecast is calculated, and how to use the conversion funnel to optimize your campaigns.
In the upper area of your dashboard, you'll find eight metrics that show you the most important campaign data at a glance. Each card contains the current value and a trend indicator.
Shows the total number of imported orders in the selected time period. This number includes all orders that came in through your integrations (Billbee, Shopify, CSV, API) -- regardless of whether a letter was sent.
The number of letters that were actually printed and shipped via DHL E-PostBusiness in the selected time period. This number is the basis for your cost calculation.
The total cost of all letters sent in the selected time period. This value includes printing, enveloping, and postage. Billing is handled through Stripe.
Orders that can be directly attributed to a sent letter. AutoLetter detects conversions in two ways:
The total revenue generated by conversions. Shows you directly how much revenue your mail campaigns have brought in.
Calculated as: Spending / Conversions. The CPA shows you how much an acquired customer costs you on average. The lower the CPA, the more efficiently your campaign is performing.
Compare the CPA of your mail campaigns with other marketing channels (e.g., Google Ads, social media). Physical letters often have a higher CPA but also a significantly higher conversion rate and higher average order value.
The percentage of letter recipients who placed an order. Calculation: (Conversions / Letters Sent) x 100. A typical conversion rate for mail campaigns ranges between 2% and 10%, depending on the industry and target audience.
The number of scans of your QR codes in the selected time period. Each letter can contain an individual QR code that links to a URL of your choice. AutoLetter tracks each scan and attributes it to the respective recipient.
Next to each KPI value, you'll see a colored arrow or percentage:
For cost-related KPIs (Spending, CPA), the logic is reversed: a decrease is shown in green (positive), an increase in red (negative).
The budget card gives you a detailed view of your current spending situation and a forecast for the future.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Total budget | The sum of all active campaign budgets |
| Spent | Already billed costs for sent letters |
| Reserved | Costs for letters currently being processed (printed but not yet shipped) |
| Remaining | Available budget: Total budget - Spent - Reserved |
| Forecast (days) | Estimated number of days until the budget is exhausted |
| Daily average | Average daily spending based on the last 7 days |
The budget card uses a traffic light system so you can recognize the status immediately:
When a campaign's budget is fully exhausted, sending is automatically stopped. Letters already being processed will still be completed, but no new letters will be created. Increase the budget or create a new campaign to resume sending.
The conversion funnel visualizes your customers' journey from recipient to conversion in four stages:
Recipients -- all customers who meet the filter criteria of your campaign. This is your potential target audience.
Letters sent -- letters that were actually printed and shipped. The difference from the recipient count arises from budget limits, invalid addresses, or recipients not yet processed.
QR scans / visits -- recipients who responded to the letter by scanning the QR code or visiting the specified URL.
Conversions -- recipients who placed an order after receiving the letter.
Between each stage, the funnel shows the drop-off rate -- the percentage of customers lost from one stage to the next. This helps you identify optimization potential:
If you have open or overdue invoices, the dashboard displays a prominent warning card. It includes:
Unpaid invoices can cause letter shipping to be paused. Make sure your payment method on Stripe is up to date and has sufficient funds to avoid interruptions.
Make sure to settle outstanding balances promptly so your campaigns run without interruption.