In Excel or Google Sheets, geometric mean for the sample data is =GEOMEAN(E2:E31). It returns ₹600.08.
Geometric mean = (x₁ × x₂ × … × xₙ)^(1/n) = exp(average of ln x)
Step by step
- Download daily.csv below and open it in Excel (File → Open) or Google Sheets (File → Import). Columns: A day, B ad_spend, C website_orders, D app_orders, E avg_basket; data in rows 2 to 31.
- Click an empty cell and enter =GEOMEAN(E2:E31).
- Check the result against ₹600.08. If it differs, check that the ranges cover rows 2 to 31 and that no cell holds text instead of a number.
The formula
=GEOMEAN(E2:E31)Expected result on the sample data: ₹600.08.
What the result means
Applied to the daily baskets it is slightly below the arithmetic mean, as it always is unless every value is the same. The gap grows with the spread of the values. For growth, take the geometric mean of the growth factors: monthly factors of 1.10 and 0.90 have a geometric mean just under 1, which correctly says the business shrank slightly.
Notes for Excel
- Google Sheets supports the same function names. In locales that use a comma as the decimal separator, separate arguments with semicolons.
- Excel functions skip blank cells and text but include zeros. A missing day typed as 0 changes the answer; leave it blank if it is unknown.
Where geometric mean misleads
- It only works for positive numbers. For growth rates, average the growth factors (1.10, 0.90) and subtract 1 at the end.
- Computing the product directly can overflow; the logarithm form avoids that.
- It is not a replacement for the mean when you need a total.
The plain-language explanation is on the Geometric mean page.
The data
| day | avg_basket |
|---|---|
| 1 | 612 |
| 2 | 598 |
| 3 | 640 |
| 4 | 587 |
| 5 | 605 |
| 6 | 622 |
| 7 | 579 |
| 8 | 601 |
| 9 | 633 |
| 10 | 590 |
| 11 | 615 |
| 12 | 608 |
| 13 | 584 |
| 14 | 597 |
| 15 | 626 |
| 16 | 593 |
| 17 | 548 |
| 18 | 611 |
| 19 | 589 |
| 20 | 603 |
| 21 | 620 |
| 22 | 586 |
| 23 | 599 |
| 24 | 614 |
| 25 | 581 |
| 26 | 595 |
| 27 | 607 |
| 28 | 576 |
| 29 | 602 |
| 30 | 590 |
Same method, other tools
Related methods
Learn more about Excel
About the data on this page
The figures come from a small made-up dataset, printed above in full so you can check every number by hand. Download it as daily.csv. The results are computed from those rows when the page is built, and the Excel formulas, SQL and Python on these pages are run against the same rows before publishing, so the code and the answers agree.
To get these numbers from your own data without writing formulas, try AnalyzeIt: ask in plain words and it shows the working behind every figure.
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