Actual Sales and Forecasting

Actual sales and forecasting use point of sale (POS) data to populate real-time sales totals and generate projected sales in 7shifts. These values help compare sales against labor costs and support data-driven scheduling.

Things to know

• Actual sales and forecasting are available only for POS integrations that support sales syncing.
• 7shifts and the POS must be configured with the same time zone and workday boundaries to ensure accurate reporting.
• Historical sales data edits must be completed directly in the POS.

Supported POS integrations

7shifts supports sales syncing for various point of sale systems. Use the list below to verify if your POS is supported for actual sales and forecasting.

How actual sales sync into 7shifts

When a supported POS integration is activated, sales data begins syncing automatically. 7shifts backfills up to 90 days of historical sales data if that data is available from the POS integration.

Actual sales reflect finalized POS transactions and appear only after sales data (if available) is received from the POS. For more information on the specific logic used to determine these totals, see Calculating Net Sales in 7shifts. Sales data populates the following areas:

• Sales vs. Labor Dashboard
• Manager Log Book
• Actuals Report
• Labor Budget Tool

How sales forecasting works

Sales forecasting (the calculation) uses historical actual sales data to estimate future sales volumes. Projected sales are generated automatically once sufficient historical data exists to help managers build schedules that align staffing levels with expected demand.

When sales projections become available

Sales projections (the results) may not appear immediately after activating a POS integration. In most cases, projections begin displaying 1-2 weeks after activation and can extend up to 4 weeks into the future.

How projections are used for scheduling

Projected sales feed directly into the Labor Budget Tool. When creating schedules, 7shifts compares projected sales against target labor percentages.

• Managers can adjust staffing levels based on expected demand.
• Managers can identify potential overstaffing or understaffing.
• Managers can monitor labor costs proactively.

Projected Sales

When creating future schedules, 7shifts automatically uses historical sales data to generate sales projections in the Labor Budget Tool. This feature enables more accurate scheduling, helping you stay within budget and achieve your labor targets.

Actual Sales

Actual (Net) Sales data for the current and future days will initially be empty until sales data is received. Once the sales numbers are synced from the POS, they will appear under the corresponding days in 7shifts.

Sales data refresh frequency

7shifts retrieves sales data from supported POS systems on a recurring basis. Sync frequency varies by POS and appears in 7shifts only after transactions are finalized in the POS.

Time zone and workday alignment

For accurate reporting and consistent sales totals, both 7shifts and the POS must be configured with the same time zone and workday boundaries. For many integrations, workday hours must specifically span from 5:00 AM to 5:00 AM. If time zones or workday hours differ between systems, sales totals may appear misaligned across days.