Every month people ask me what I think of the same store sales numbers. What difference did an early Easter make? Was it new product that boosted a retailer's numbers? What effect do weather and gas prices have on shopping?

They are all relevant questions but what's most interesting about retail numbers today is where are the online sales? I have yet to get this question and wonder if people assume online sales are included in the monthly numbers or, even worse, if the millions of dollars transacted online are thought insignificant. Online sales are not included in the monthly retail numbers although I believe they should be.

To be realistic, there is a logistical issue of adding online sales. Retailers report sales in one month compared to sales from the stores that were open in the same month the previous year. That number is called same store sales or comparable sales. The numbers are based on physical stores so it becomes tricky to add online sales.

Let's look at the shopping bag as half full, however, and focus on what including online sales would tell us and why it's a good time to start including them.

Including online sales would give a more complete picture of sales and retailers' financial health. Some argue that online sales are still not a major percentage of the total business and therefore not a key indicator. I would argue that retailers are spending considerable amounts of money and effort on this channel and should show performance from it. I would also argue that consumers are moving a portion of their spending from stores to online. That means that a retailer may have less than ideal same store sales but could be doing well overall. In fact, a retailer that generates strong sales online may have lower costs and higher margins than a retailer with impressive same store sales numbers.

Now is the time to migrate to more comprehensive same store sales reporting as we'll soon see changes in many retailers' online channels. In the 1990s, many retailers rushed to put up a Web site and start selling online. Today, retailers are rethinking their online strategy and the technology upon which it's built. They want to ensure online is not a silo separate from the catalog and store and get rid of competition between the channels. Many customers today use the Internet to research items but still want to see and touch the product before making a purchase. With this trend, online has become a steady part of the shopping experience wherever the ultimate point of sale happens to be. (See "U.S. Consumers Increasingly Going Online And Calling Stores To Research Product, Availability And Price, Accenture Survey Finds.")

What will it take to include online sales? Any retailer can report online sales and, in fact, Neiman Marcus reports total direct-to-consumer sales each month. Comparable sales at Neiman Marcus Direct, catalogue and online sales combined, increased 9.9 percent in March. That is different from combining store-based and online sales as one number but it is a step in the right direction.

Besides retailers choosing to report, the change will come when the financial markets call for it. When equity analysts acknowledge the significance of the online channel and demand a full financial picture we'll see same store numbers that include both clicks and bricks. Until then, my same store sales answers are an early holiday, weather and gas prices don't affect retail performance long-term but knowing your target customer and delivering new, interesting product – in stores and online – can make retailers proud to announce their sales each month.