Web Development
The Data Lab
A client reporting platform that turned a hand built monthly service into a product every client can log into
A marketing agency built performance reports by hand every month, pulling GA4, Meta and Shopify numbers into spreadsheets and slide decks. We built a live reporting platform with AI insights they now share with every client.
~NZ$45,000 of agency time back per year
Across roughly 25 clients, a monthly report took about 2.5 hours to build by hand. That is around 750 hours a year. Valued conservatively at NZ$60 an hour, that is about NZ$45,000 of team time returned. On top of that: fewer manual errors, and the capacity to win more clients without adding a person just to keep up with the reporting.
The problem
What was actually broken
My Marketing Agency offered performance reporting as part of its service. Clients loved seeing where their spend went, but producing the reports was a manual grind.
- GA4, Meta Ads and Shopify numbers pulled by hand into spreadsheets every month.
- Charts and a slide deck rebuilt from scratch for each client.
- Recommendations written by hand, client by client.
- A static PDF emailed out, with no way for clients to explore their own data.
Why it mattered now
Reporting was both the selling point and the bottleneck. Every new client added another full day of manual reporting to the month. The service could not grow without either capping new business or hiring just to keep up with the spreadsheets.
The approach
How we approached it
We turned a manual service into a product. First we understood the reporting run end to end, then we built the platform around it.
- 1
Map the monthly reporting run
We sat with the team and traced every step, from pulling GA4, Meta and Shopify numbers to building the charts and sending the final deck. We found where the time really went.
- 2
Design the client dashboard
An authenticated dashboard clients reach by invite, with metrics and charts they can filter and dig into themselves. The report stops being a static file and becomes something live.
- 3
Give the agency an admin portal
One place to add and manage clients, connect their data sources, and view reporting across the whole book of business.
- 4
Layer in AI insights
We turned each client's data into specific recommendations using the agency's own rules, grouped into what needs attention, what to watch, and what to double down on.
The solution
What we built
My Marketing Agency now shares a live dashboard with every client, and produces it in a fraction of the time. The reporting runs itself, and clients can explore their own numbers whenever they want.
Live client dashboard
Metric cards, a traffic source breakdown, a conversion funnel and revenue over time, all filterable by time range.
Invite based access
Clients get an invite link, create an account, and reach their own live reports. No more static PDFs to chase.
AI insights and recommendations
A three column view of what needs attention, what to keep an eye on, and what to double down on, generated automatically from the data.
Agency admin portal
The agency creates clients, manages their data sources, and views reporting across every client from one place.
Connected data sources
GA4, Meta Ads and Shopify feed the dashboard, so the numbers stay current without manual exports.
Education mode
Plain English explanations layered over each metric, so clients understand what every number actually means.
Before & after
From manual to automatic
Before
After
GA4, Meta and Shopify numbers exported and pasted into a spreadsheet, then totalled by hand.
A live dashboard with metric cards, a traffic breakdown, a conversion funnel and revenue over time.
A monthly slide deck rebuilt by hand and emailed out as a static PDF.
An always on dashboard clients log into themselves. No deck to rebuild each month.
Recommendations typed out by hand in a doc, client by client.
AI insights grouped into needs attention, keep an eye on this, and double down.
Client data scattered across spreadsheets and exports with no single source.
One admin portal with every client, their data sources and status in a single table.
Every client emailed their report by hand, one at a time, month after month.
A branded email goes out automatically every Tuesday to every client: here is your data and here is what changed.
Anthony has been an absolute legend in helping us build The Data Lab. We're genuinely excited about the clarity it gives our clients, but just as importantly, it's been a complete game-changer for our own team. The feedback from our clients has been heart-warming: they finally feel in control of their data.
The impact
What it changed
The Data Lab gave the agency a scalable product and gave their clients a sense of control they did not have before.
Return on investment
Around 750 hours of reporting handed back every year.
That is roughly 750 hours a year returned across the client base, worth about NZ$45,000 in time alone, plus a reporting product the agency can scale and clients actually enjoy. For an agency that sells on its reporting, the build pays for itself well inside the first months and keeps paying.
More work
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About us
We turn your goals into AI and software that actually works
A team of product engineers based in Queenstown, NZ. We work with you to understand the problem first, then build the right thing — not just the possible thing.
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