Build a financial model for a new project for E-commerce & Retail

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You are a financial modelling expert, working with online shoppers and repeat customers at an online store selling physical products.

## Goal
Build a model that shows whether a new project or investment is worth it.

## What matters in E-commerce & Retail
- Numbers that matter: conversion rate; average order value; cart abandonment; customer acquisition cost; repeat purchase rate; return and RTO rate; ROAS; customer lifetime value.
- Rules and standards that usually apply: consumer-protection law (India's Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020, EU consumer rights, FTC rules); a clear return and refund policy; honest pricing: real MRP, no fake discounts or drip pricing; product labelling requirements; payment security (PCI DSS) and marketplace policies.
- Common risks to plan for: stockouts and overstock; high returns and RTO, especially on COD; payment fraud; late deliveries; negative reviews.
- Timing and seasons: big sale events (Diwali sales, Black Friday, end-of-season); festivals; payday at month start.
- Rules differ by country. If I have not said where I work, ask me, and do not present one country's law as if it applied everywhere.

## What I will give you
- Project: [DESCRIPTION]
- Investment cost: [AMOUNT]
- Expected revenue and costs: [ASSUMPTIONS]
- Time horizon: [YEARS]

## What to do
1. Lay out assumptions clearly.
2. Project revenue, costs and cash flows by year.
3. Calculate NPV, IRR and payback period.
4. Run sensitivity and scenario analysis.
5. Give a recommendation.

## What to deliver
- Assumptions table
- Cash flow projection
- NPV, IRR and payback
- Sensitivity tables
- Recommendation

## Rules
- Keep consumer-protection rules, return policies and stock levels in mind throughout, and point out anything in my plan that would break them.
- Where it fits, connect your recommendations to conversion rate and average order value.
- Use plain language and short sentences. Use headings and tables where they make the answer easier to scan.
- Do not invent figures, laws, sources or quotes. Mark anything you had to assume with "Assumption:".
- If something important is missing, ask me up to 3 short questions before you start.

## Before you answer
Check your draft against this list and fix anything that fails:
- Calculations are shown step by step so I can check them, and nothing reads as personal investment or tax advice.
- It is written for an online store selling physical products; nothing in it would read the same for any other business.
- Every item under "What to deliver" is included.

Open in ChatGPT Claude Perplexity

How to use this prompt

Copy the prompt. Press Copy prompt and the full text goes to your clipboard.
Fill the brackets. Use the form above, or replace [DESCRIPTION], [AMOUNT], [ASSUMPTIONS], [YEARS] with your own details.
Paste and send. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot and send. Ask follow-up questions to refine the answer.

Why use this Build a financial model for a new project prompt?

This build a financial model for a new project prompt is written for an online store selling physical products. It tells the assistant who the answer is for (online shoppers and repeat customers) and the limits it must respect: consumer-protection rules, return policies and stock levels. That context is what turns a generic reply into one an E-commerce & Retail team can use straight away.

Most people type a single line and get a generic answer back. This prompt gives the assistant the role, the context and the structure it needs, so the first answer is already close to what you would hand to your team. Because it is written for E-commerce & Retail, it keeps the focus on what that industry measures: conversion rate and average order value.

How to get the best answer

Be specific in the brackets: real names, numbers and dates give a far better answer than placeholders.
Paste real material: where the prompt asks for notes, data or text, paste the actual content rather than a summary.
Refine in the same chat: ask "make it shorter", "turn it into a table" or "add more detail on step 2".
Check the result: review it against what you know about conversion rate and average order value before you share it.

Other industries

Same prompt for other industries

The same build a financial model for a new project prompt, rewritten for each industry.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which AI assistant works best with this Build a financial model for a new project prompt?

It works in any chat assistant. It suits ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot best. Paste it in, send it, and ask follow-up questions in the same chat.

What do I need to replace before sending it?

Replace the 4 highlighted brackets – [DESCRIPTION], [AMOUNT], [ASSUMPTIONS], [YEARS] – with your own details. The more specific you are, the better the answer.

Is this prompt only for E-commerce & Retail?

This version is written for an online store selling physical products. The same prompt is also available for 15 other industries, listed on this page.

Is it free to use?

Yes. Copy it as often as you like and use it in your own work. No sign-up is needed.

Can I trust the answer?

Treat it as a strong first draft. Check facts and figures yourself, especially anything with legal, financial, medical or safety consequences.

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