Ecommerce Cash Flow Forecast Template

What’s inside

• 13-week weekly forecast linked to a 12-month monthly view and 3-year outlook
• Cash in lines ready to use: Shopify / store payouts, Marketplace payouts (Amazon, Etsy), Wholesale orders, Inventory financing
• Cash out lines ready to use: Inventory purchase orders, Freight and duties, Fulfilment and 3PL fees, Paid ads
• Best, expected and worst case scenarios with one switch
• Actual vs forecast tracker with variance highlighting
• Dashboard: lowest balance, runway, buffer alerts and charts
• Loan, tax and one-off payment schedules
• Start-here tab with a filled-in Ecommerce example
• Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets versions

Who it’s for

Models inventory purchases months ahead of sales, marketplace payout delays and ad spend that has to be paid before it earns. The template is built for owners, managers and bookkeepers of ecommerce businesses who want a forecast that already speaks their language, rather than a generic spreadsheet they have to rebuild.

What’s inside

• Start Here: setup steps, colour key and a guide to every tab.
• Dashboard: cash today, the lowest balance in the next 13 weeks and 12 months, weeks below your buffer, runway, actual vs forecast and two charts.
• Settings: start date, bank balance, minimum buffer, currency, the expected / best / worst case switch and 3-year growth rates.
• Stock Purchases: stock has to be paid for before it sells. This tab pulls purchase payments forward by your lead time.
• Order Costs: fulfilment, payment fees, returns and sales tax as a share of store and marketplace sales.
• 13-Week: weekly receipts and payments for the next quarter, with automatic week dates and buffer warnings.
• 12-Month: the monthly forecast for the year, with a check row that compares it with the 13-week view.
• 3-Year: an annual outlook built from the 12-month forecast and your growth rates.
• Actuals: what really happened each month, typed in from your bank statement or accounts.
• Variance: actual minus forecast for every line, in green and red, with year-to-date totals.

How the Stock Purchases tab works

The Stock Purchases tab calculates what you pay for stock each month: cost of goods at 40% of shopify / store payouts, marketplace payouts (amazon, etsy) and wholesale orders, paid 2 months before it sells. Raise next season’s sales forecast and the stock payments move earlier and grow automatically.

The Order Costs tab calculates fulfilment and 3pl at 9% of shopify / store payouts and marketplace payouts (amazon, etsy), payment processing at 2.9% of shopify / store payouts, returns and refunds at 6% of shopify / store payouts and marketplace payouts (amazon, etsy) and sales tax at 6.5% of shopify / store payouts, paid 1 month later. Change a percentage once and every month of the forecast updates, so costs rise and fall with the sales that drive them.

Green numbers on the 12-Month tab come from these calculations. You can change the assumptions on the tab, or type over a green cell if you’d rather enter a figure yourself.

Cash lines already in place

Cash in: shopify / store payouts, marketplace payouts (amazon, etsy), wholesale orders and inventory financing. Cash out: inventory purchase orders, freight and duties, fulfilment and 3pl fees, paid ads, payment processing, returns and refunds, apps and software and sales tax remittance. Rename any line, or insert a row inside a section and the totals include it.

Set up in about 20 minutes

1. On Settings, enter the start date, today’s bank balance and your minimum cash buffer.
2. On the Stock Purchases tab, replace the example assumptions with your own.
3. Enter the remaining cash in and cash out lines on the 12-Month and 13-Week tabs, in the period each amount actually moves.
4. Check the Dashboard for your lowest balance and any red weeks or months.
5. At each month end, type actual figures on the Actuals tab and review the Variance tab.

Excel, Google Sheets and delivery

The workbook is a standard .xlsx file with no macros or external links, tested in Excel and Google Sheets. After payment you get an instant download link on screen and by email, plus a quick-start PDF. For background on the method, read the Ecommerce cash flow guide or how to make a cash flow forecast.

Questions people ask

Do I need accounting experience?

No. You enter numbers in clearly marked cells. The instructions tab walks through a filled-in example first.

Can I change the categories?

Yes. Rename, add or delete lines. Totals and charts update automatically.

What do I receive after buying?

An instant download link by email with the Excel file and a Google Sheets copy link.

Is there a refund?

If the template doesn’t fit your business, email us within 14 days for a refund.