1. The Customer Places an Order
Revenue begins in your storefront or marketplace, but accounting needs more than the gross order value.
Depending on the business, the transaction may involve:
- product revenue;
- shipping income;
- discounts;
- promotional codes;
- refunds;
- sales taxes collected;
- marketplace adjustments;
- gift cards or credits.
Those elements need to be recorded consistently so your accounting records reflect the underlying transaction rather than simply the amount shown on a sales dashboard.

