A revenue trend is the general direction of a company's revenue over time. This can be evaluated by looking at the revenue growth (or decline) over multiple periods, such as months, quarters, or years. A company's revenue trend can give insights into the overall health of the business and whether it is growing, stagnating, or in decline.
There are a few different ways to measure revenue growth, but the most common is to look at the year-over-year (YoY) growth rate. This is simply the percentage change in revenue from one year to the next. For example, if a company's revenue was $100 million in 2018 and $110 million in 2019, the YoY growth rate would be 10%.
YoY growth rates can be positive or negative, and companies will often compare their own growth rates to those of their competitors or to industry averages. A company that is consistently growing at a faster rate than its competitors is said to have a competitive advantage.
Revenue trends can also be affected by seasonality, which is why it's important to compare growth rates over multiple periods. For example, a company that sells winter clothing is likely to see a decline in revenue in the summer months. However, if the company is still seeing overall revenue growth, then this is not necessarily cause for concern.
In short, a revenue trend is the general direction of a company's revenue over time, which can give insights into the overall health of the business.