This is the total amount of revenue your company has brought in from sales, before any deductions. You’ll typically look at this figure on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. It will cover all payment options, whether that’s via cash, credit card, debit card, gift card, or bank transfers.

Net sales can give you an idea of how successful your business is by comparing it to previous periods, or to your competitors. It’s something you need to know when measuring growth and the sustainability of your cash flow over the long term.

Net sales is the total amount of revenue a business generates from sales after accounting for discounts, customer returns, and other deductions. It’s one of the top line metrics you’ll see on a company’s income statement of product-based businesses, and it’s usually measured over weekly, monthly or annual accounting periods.

As a brick-and-mortar retailer, the cost of staying “open for business” is much higher than for online-only merchants. And while staying open 24/7 might initially sound like a good way to boost sales, it may not always help the bottom line. You have staffing, operating, and other associated expenses with keeping the doors open. But that doesn’t mean that once you flip the sign from “open” to “closed” that you have to stop generating revenue. In fact, there are ways that other retailers have thought outside the box to both directly and indirectly affect sales in an upward trajectory outside of normal business hours. Below, we’ll take a look at four ways you can keep the cash rolling in after you shut your doors. Share Your Space Consider opening your doors to more than just shoppers. If you have the square footage, you can rent out a portion of your store to other retailers or businesses. They could set up shop, be it permanently or pop-up-in-a-shop, and you could charge rent or a commission on their sales, creating more of a passive income stream. Just make sure they have a separate entrance or that you can easily distinguish the two so you don’t need to stay open when they’re there. Sharing your store could also mean turning it into a community space of sorts, which will establish strong connections with the local market and create a positive image for your brand. Birch & Main, a candle shop in Port Jefferson, NY, has done exactly that. “We love to use our space as a community center after hours,” says founder Michael Mcpolin. “Our main focus is our candle and body line, but we are considered a lifestyle boutique.” Birch & Main opens their doors to outsiders to host workshops, private events, classes and more. “The minimal cost not only helps generate a higher dollar per square foot, but it has grown so quickly that it now contributes up to 25% of the business,” Self-Serve Shopping Okay, let’s first start out with what we mean by “self-serve shopping.” This is when customers can purchase something from your store without needing a sales associate present to administer the transaction. The customer can do everything themselves, from product selection to payment and fulfillment.