When to cut a slow SKU yourself
Short answer: When a SKU sits at the bottom of your sales-per-store-per-day ranking for several review periods in a row, while it was in stock and got the same marketing as the others, propose to the buyer or distributor that its slot goes to extra facings for your best seller. Cutting it yourself beats waiting for the store to do it: you still choose who gets the space, and you keep credibility with the buyer.
Why brands rarely cut
Every SKU has someone attached to it: the owner's favourite flavour, the size head office insists on, the SKU that just had a big production run. But in a store with limited space, a slow SKU pulls the brand's average down, and at range review the store looks at the whole brand, not just your hero product.
Rank with three numbers
- Sales per store per day for each SKU, counting only stores that carry it.
- Share of brand sales. A SKU contributing a small slice of the brand's sales while taking a full slot is the first candidate.
- Hidden costs: returns, expired stock, and higher delivery cost per unit because volumes are small.
There is no universal cut-off number. Rank SKUs against each other within your brand and look across several periods, not a single week.
Check three things before cutting
- Was it really in stock? Low sales caused by out-of-stocks in many stores don't mean shoppers rejected it.
- Did it get equal marketing? If every video featured one flavour, the others were always going to lose.
- Does it have a niche? Some SKUs sell well only in certain areas and may suit a regional listing or an online-only role.
How to propose it to the buyer
Bring a proposal, not just a removal request: "We'd like to drop flavour C and use that slot for more facings of flavour A, our top seller." Attach the SKU ranking using the same figures the store sees, and the marketing plan for the remaining SKUs over the next three months.
Where the cut SKU goes
- Online as a bundle on TikTok Shop, if people still reorder it there.
- Clear remaining stock under the returns terms in your agreement.
- Keep the data in case you re-pitch it later in a different form.
Limits
- Delisting follows the store's and distributor's terms, and may carry costs or return conditions. Read your trade terms first.
- The flavour names above are hypothetical.
FAQ
We only have one SKU in store. Does this apply? Not directly. See the page on keeping a product on shelf instead.
Will the store reduce our space if we cut one? It might, which is why the proposal should include how the space will be used.
How long should we watch before deciding? Several weeks outside long holidays and major promotions, so unusual weeks don't drive the decision.
Sources
- How to keep your product on shelf: https://www.flowupth.com/en/insights/keep-product-on-shelf
- Units per store per day: https://www.flowupth.com/en/insights/units-per-store-per-day
- Listing fees, GP, rebates and markdowns explained: https://www.flowupth.com/en/insights/modern-trade-fees-explained
Related guide: Listed in 7-Eleven Thailand but Not Selling?
Get Flowup to help: Listed in 7-Eleven Thailand but not selling? Fix it before delisting
Next step: Not sure where your product should start? Send the Flowup team your product and where it sells today, on LINE or by email.
What Flowup can do for you: Services · Contact Flowup · Insights