Reporting usually starts with good intentions and ends with way too many tabs open. Somewhere between pulling data and presenting it to a client, things get more complicated than they need to be.

On one side, you have powerful business intelligence tools like Power BI. On the other, purpose-built attribution and reporting platforms like ThoughtMetric, designed specifically for e-commerce marketing teams and agencies.

This post breaks down when Power BI makes sense, when it doesn’t, and why many agencies end up choosing ThoughtMetric for e-commerce client reporting.

Power BI for Agencies: Powerful, But Complex

Power BI is useful in environments with:

Dedicated analysts or data engineers
Centralized data warehouses
Complex internal reporting needs beyond marketing

A problem agencies run into is Power BI isn’t built for clients. Even when the data is technically correct, Power BI reports often:

Feel intimidating to non-technical stakeholders
Require explanation before they’re usable
Make it easy for clients to click into the wrong view and get confused

Power BI works great for analysts, but most clients just want quick answers.

ThoughtMetric for Agencies: Built for Client Reporting

ThoughtMetric is built around the questions agencies need to answer every day. Instead of stitching together exports, formulas, and attribution logic, it connects directly to ad platforms and e-commerce systems and applies consistent attribution rules across channels. Spend, traffic, and revenue line up automatically, without ongoing maintenance.

The data is immediately understandable. Clients do not need a walkthrough to trust the numbers. They can quickly see:

Which channels, campaigns, and ads are driving revenue
How new and returning customers behave
Which products contribute most to revenue

Customization is another reason agencies often reach for Power BI. ThoughtMetric covers that need without adding an engineering layer. Agencies can customize reporting through:

Fully customizable dashboards and widgets
Multiple attribution models, including multi-touch
Custom metrics built from simple equations

You still get flexibility with ThoughtMetric, without the complex setup and maintenance that come with a BI tool.

When Power BI Still Makes Sense

Power BI is a strong choice if:

You need cross-department BI far beyond marketing
You already run a mature data warehouse
You have in-house resources dedicated to analytics

But for agencies whose primary reporting job is explaining marketing performance to clients, that level of abstraction is often unnecessary.

If your agency wants accurate attribution, clean client reporting, and fewer moving parts, ThoughtMetric is usually the better fit.

Learn More

Book a demo to learn more about how ThoughtMetric can streamline your client reporting.

FAQs

Does ThoughtMetric support multi-touch attribution?
Yes. ThoughtMetric supports five attribution models, including multi-touch, so you can see how channels contribute across the full customer journey.

Can ThoughtMetric show new vs. returning customer performance?
Yes. ThoughtMetric breaks revenue down by new and returning customers, making it easy to see which channels drive acquisition versus retention.

What platforms does ThoughtMetric integrate with?
ThoughtMetric integrates with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Google Ads, Meta, and TikTok, and more, allowing brands to analyze performance without stitching together data from multiple tools.

Can I build custom reports and dashboards in ThoughtMetric?

Yes. ThoughtMetric allows fully customizable dashboards and widgets, so you can report on the metrics that matter most to your business without exporting data to spreadsheets or slide decks.

Does ThoughtMetric show product-level attribution?

Yes. ThoughtMetric attributes revenue at the product level, allowing you to see which products drive new customer acquisition and which support retention and repeat purchases.

ThoughtMetric vs. Power BI for Agencies