5 KPI & Metrics for a Zero Waste Store: What Should You Track?
Zero Waste Store
You're tracking performance for a zero-waste store: track MRR, churn, refill transactions per kiosk, gross margin per SKU, and minimum cash/runway. Use MRR vs fixed and wage burn monthly; monitor progress from Year 1 revenue $280,000, negative EBITDA of -$708,000 toward Year 4 revenue $5,300,000 and breakeven, and plan fundraising before minimum cash hits -$603,000 or the Jan-29 shortfall.
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KPI Metric
Description
1
MRR
Monthly subscription revenue by tier and location to track growth and forecast cash runway.
2
Churn Rate
Percent of subscribers cancelling each 30 days to prioritize retention and preserve recurring revenue.
3
Refill Txns/Kiosk
Completed refills per kiosk to evaluate kiosk performance, throughput, and installation economics.
4
Gross Margin/SKU
Profitability per SKU after costs to prioritize high-margin, high-turn products for space and stocking.
5
Minimum Cash & Runway
Forecasted minimum monthly cash to anticipate shortfalls and schedule financing or capex accordingly.
Key Takeaways
Track MRR monthly and compare to fixed burn
Reduce churn by cohort targeting within first 90 days
Monitor minimum cash runway monthly to avoid Jan-29
Optimize kiosk refills per device to hit utilisaton
What Are The 5 Must-Track KPIs?
You're running a zero waste store-track the five metrics that tell if the model scales and stays solvent. Focus on monthly recurring revenue (MRR), subscription churn rate, refill transactions per kiosk, gross margin per SKU, and minimum cash runway, and use them to trigger action before cash runs out. Read How to Write a Business Plan for a Zero Waste Store? to align targets to your plan. Keep these five KPIs front and center every month so you can spot problems early.
Must-track KPIs
Monthly recurring revenue MRR
Subscription churn rate
Refill transactions per kiosk
Gross margin per SKU and minimum cash runway
What Numbers Tell You If You're Actually Making Money?
You'll know if you're making money by comparing monthly recurring revenue MRR to fixed and wage burn each month - keep reading to see the exact checks. Track gross margin per SKU after Bulk Product Cost percentages and monitor EBITDA progression from negative to positive in Year 4. Also watch net cash and the reported minimum cash of negative six hundred three thousand, and confirm breakeven revenue milestone reached in Year 4; review startup cost assumptions How Much Does It Cost to Start a Zero Waste Store?.
Key numbers to check
Compare MRR to fixed and wage burn
Track gross margin after Bulk Product Cost%
Follow EBITDA progression to Year 4 positive
Monitor minimum cash (negative six hundred three thousand)
Which KPI Predicts Cash Flow Problems Early?
Minimum cash runway predicts cash flow problems first, so forecast minimum cash each month and flag the shortfall early. Also monitor monthly recurring revenue MRR growth deceleration, accounts payable aging versus inventory turnover speed, and refill transactions per kiosk drops to catch issues before they hit the bank. Read How to Write a Business Plan for a Zero Waste Store? to tie these signals into your funding triggers and runway plan.
Early warning KPIs
Minimum cash balance and projected runway
MRR growth deceleration versus planned ramps
Accounts payable aging vs inventory turnover
Refill transactions per kiosk dropping below forecast
Which KPI Shows If Marketing Is Paying Off?
Track new subscribers per marketing dollar to see direct return and watch growth in monthly recurring revenue MRR from each channel - keep reading to act on weak channels. Also measure customer acquisition cost CAC versus first year subscription revenue and watch container sales uplift and kiosk transactions at partnered residential sites for promotional impact. See practical setup in How to Write a Business Plan for a Zero Waste Store?
Marketing KPIs to track
New subscribers acquired per marketing dollar spent
Growth in MRR attributable to each marketing channel
Container sales uplift following campaigns
Increase in refill transactions per kiosk at partnered sites
CAC versus first year subscription revenue
What KPI Do Most New Owners Ignore Until It's Too Late?
You're probably overlooking five operational KPIs that hit cash and growth first. Track customer churn segmented by cohort and subscription tier, kiosk throughput and utilization, logistics cost per refill, container replacement and manufacturing cost, and capex timing versus installed kiosk revenue - and read How to Write a Business Plan for a Zero Waste Store? to tie these into your forecast. Start watching them now to spot revenue and runway risk early.
Give a header name
Customer churn by cohort and tier
Kiosk utiliztion and per-device throughput
Logistics cost per refill (delivery + fleet)
Container replacement rate and manufacturing cost
Timing of capex vs installed kiosk revenue
What Are 5 Core KPIs Should Track?
KPI 1: Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
Definition
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) is the total predictable subscription revenue the zero waste store earns each month from all active Tier 1 and Tier 2 subscribers. It shows whether subscription revenue growth is covering fixed costs and improving runway.
Advantages
Tracks reliable revenue to model cash runway and fundraising timing
Highlights performance by tier and partner location for prioritizing installs
Enables variance analysis vs forecast to trigger quick corrective actions
Disadvantages
Ignores one-time sales and refill transaction revenue unless included
Can mask rising churn if growth comes from heavy discounting
Needs accurate tier segmentation; misclassification skews runway models
Industry Benchmarks
For subscription retail, a healthy early-stage MRR growth path targets moving from a small base to material scale: using your plan, Year 1 revenue of $280,000 equals $23,333 MRR, Year 2 $1,110,000 equals $92,500 MRR, and Year 4 $5,300,000 equals $441,667 MRR. Benchmarks matter because they tie MRR to runway, breakeven, and the expected EBITDA progression toward profitability.
How To Improve
Raise average revenue per user via clear Tier 2 upsell paths
Segment MRR by location and redeploy marketing to top-performing partners
Reduce churn with onboarding and 30-60 day engagement nudges
How To Calculate
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) = sum(subscription price × number of active subscribers per tier)
Report MRR by Tier and by partner location every month
Use MRR plus monthly burn to model minimum cash runway and trigger fundraising before Jan-29 shortfall
Compare MRR growth vs forecast-missing Year 2 $1,110,000 is a red flag
Blend refill transaction revenue into ARR scenarios to see full subscription economics (yes, include one-offs)
KPI 2: Churn Rate
Definition
Churn Rate measures the percentage of subscription customers who cancel in a 30-day period. It shows whether your zero waste store is keeping customers and protecting future monthly recurring revenue MRR.
Advantages
Flags revenue loss early so you can act on retention
Drives targeted fixes by cohort, tier, or partner location
Ties directly to LTV (customer lifetime value) and runway
Disadvantages
Can mask product issues if not segmented by reason
Monthly swings can be noisy for small subscriber bases
Misleading if you ignore upgrades, downgrades, and reactivations
Industry Benchmarks
Benchmarks vary by subscription model and product. For refill-kiosk subscription services, compare cohort retention to your planned MRR ramp from $280,000 in Year 1 to $1,110,000 in Year 2; use cohort churn trends rather than a single industry number. Benchmarks matter because rising churn directly delays reaching the breakeven revenue milestone in Year 4.
How To Improve
Segment churn by cohort and cancellation reason
Improve onboarding and target 30-day win-back campaigns
Offer subscription tiers that reduce price-driven cancellations
How To Calculate
Churn Rate = (Customers lost during 30 days ÷ Customers at period start) × 100
Track churn weekly for new cohorts, monthly overall
Map churn to MRR and flag when growth stalls vs forecast
Use win-back emails within 7 days of cancellation
Correlate churn spikes with kiosk utilization and container issues - fix fast, defintely
KPI 3: Refill Transactions per Kiosk
Definition
Refill Transactions per Kiosk counts completed customer refills processed by a single kiosk over a set period (day or month). It shows real usage, helps decide where to install more kiosks, and ties directly to subscription revenue and inventory needs.
Advantages
Reveals true kiosk utilization rate for site economics
Drives inventory stocking by SKU from real demand
Aligns ops and marketing - link promos to transaction uplift
Disadvantages
Can be skewed by a few high-traffic locations
Doesn't show transaction value (revenue per refill)
Hardware downtime hides true demand if not corrected
Industry Benchmarks
Benchmarking varies by site type: residential partner kiosks will run lower transactions than grocery or high-footfall retail. Use transactions per kiosk per month to compare similar site classes and to test kiosk payback and breakeven revenue milestone assumptions.
How To Improve
Place kiosks in high-footfall retail to raise throughput
Reduce refill time to under 90 seconds to boost transactions
Promote SKU bundles and subscription upsells at kiosk touchpoint
How To Calculate
Refill Transactions per Kiosk = Total completed refills in period ÷ Number of kiosks active in period
Example of Calculation
Refill Transactions per Kiosk = 1,200 refills ÷ 24 kiosks = 50 transactions per kiosk per month
Tips and Trics
Track transactions daily, review weekly for drops
Segment by SKU to spot stockouts and overstock
Log refill time; aim <90 seconds for UX gains
Compare transactions to expected throughput before installing more kiosks
KPI 4: Gross Margin per SKU
Definition
Gross Margin per SKU measures the profit percentage left after subtracting the bulk product cost and any allocated container manufacturing cost from the SKU's selling price. It shows which products earn the most per refill and which to prioritize in limited kiosk space.
Advantages
Highlights high-margin SKUs to maximize revenue per square inch.
Improves SKU mix decisions when kiosk inventory is limited.
Feeds pricing and subscription tier choices tied to profitability.
Disadvantages
Can mislead if logistics and refill labor costs aren't allocated.
Ignores lifetime value differences between high- and low-frequency SKUs.
Subject to bulk cost swings; needs regular updates as bulk costs decline.
Industry Benchmarks
Benchmarks vary by category: commodity refills (low margin), specialty cleaners or cosmetics (higher margin). Use your plan milestones-like $280,000 in Year 1 and $5,300,000 in Year 4-to test whether SKU margins scale with volume and support projected EBITDA progression from negative $708,000 toward breakeven in Year 4.
How To Improve
Negotiate bulk purchase pricing to lower the bulk product cost percentage.
Prioritize high-turn, mid-high margin SKUs in kiosk slots to boost per-device throughput.
Bundle containers upfront to recover container manufacturing cost and protect SKU margin.
How To Calculate
Gross Margin per SKU = (Net price per SKU - Bulk product cost per SKU - Container Mfg Cost per SKU) / Net price per SKU
Update bulk cost inputs monthly to reflect volume discounts and keep margins accurate.
Include refill logistics and pickup labor in SKU-level P&L for true profitability.
Segment margins by channel (kiosk, B2B host, online) because B2B service fees change economics.
Run sensitivity tests: show breakeven SKU mix that supports minimum cash runway and the Jan-29 shortfall plan.
KPI 5: Minimum Cash and Runway
Definition
Minimum Cash and Runway measures the lowest projected cash balance and how many months that cash will cover at current burn. It tells you the exact month you hit a shortfall so you can plan financing or cost cuts before the business goes negative.
Advantages
Shows the calendar month of cash shortfall (e.g., Jan-29)
Guides timing for fundraising and capex to avoid negative balances
Enables stress tests to compare normal vs slower revenue ramps
Disadvantages
Depends on forecast accuracy; small revenue misses shift shortfall month
Ignores non-cash items like depreciation that affect EBITDA but not cash
Can create false comfort if contingent liabilities or delayed payables exist
Industry Benchmarks
Early-stage retail subscription businesses typically target a minimum runway of 12-18 months before fundraising. For this zero waste store, use revenue milestones like $280,000 in Year 1 and $1,110,000 in Year 2 to judge whether runway is improving toward the Year 4 breakeven and $5,300,000 revenue milestone.
How To Improve
Delay non-essential capex until MRR growth hits planned ramps
Negotiate longer supplier payment terms to stretch runway
Prioritize high-margin SKUs and subscription tiers to raise gross margin
How To Calculate
Minimum Cash = Opening Cash + Cumulative Net Cash Flow; Runway (months) = Minimum Cash / Average Monthly Net Burn
Start with MRR, churn, transactions per kiosk, gross margin, and minimum cash Use revenue milestones like Year 1 $280,000 and Year 4 $5,300,000 to benchmark growth Track EBITDA progression from negative $708,000 in Year 1 toward positive in Year 4 to validate profitability trajectory
Review operational KPIs weekly and financial KPIs monthly Check refill transactions and churn weekly, MRR and gross margin monthly, and runway with minimum cash monthly Use five-year forecasts that show revenue by year to assess longer term alignment with targets
Aim to minimize churn relative to subscription ramp expectations rather than a fixed number Compare cohort retention to your planned MRR growth from $280,000 in Year 1 to $1,110,000 in Year 2 Lower churn materially speeds reaching breakeven in Year 4
Yes you need host KPIs and consumer KPIs separately Track host uptime, kiosk utilization and B2B service fee revenue per location track consumer MRR, refill frequency, and container adoption Compare location-level revenue to overall forecasts to prioritize partnerships
Begin fundraising before minimum cash hits negative territory and well before Jan-29 shortfall Use triggers like stagnant MRR growth, rising churn, or failing to reach Year 2 revenue of $1,110,000 as signals to raise capital to protect runway and scale kiosks
