Why this matters
A healthy-looking product total can hide a size or color that consistently sells out and another that sits unsold.
Break totals into variant rows
Start with units sold, current inventory and sell-through for each size, color or configuration. Use the same reporting window for comparisons.
Compare availability against demand
For example, Medium sells 48 units and has 12 remaining while XXL sells 3 and has 40 remaining over the same period. These variants warrant different purchasing reviews.
Check relative sell-through
Using units sold ÷ (units sold + ending stock), Medium is 48 ÷ 60 = 80% and XXL is 3 ÷ 43 ≈ 7%. These illustrative calculations are not universal thresholds.
Investigate exceptions
Color preferences, merchandising placement, recent restocks, item launches and stockouts can make simple comparisons misleading.
Avoid copying the best seller
Reordering every variant according to the strongest one can increase excess inventory. Review each variant based on its own evidence and supply context.
Example with numbers
Illustrative product: Medium has 48 sold and 12 remaining, while XXL has 3 sold and 40 remaining. The difference is visible only when looking below the product-level summary.
All example products and numbers on this page are illustrative.
Related inventory guidance
For the calculation details, see our sell-through guide.
Explore related topics:
- Dead stock
- Sell-through
- Identify Slow-Moving Inventory
- Spot Stockout Risks
- Shopify Sales Velocity and Days of Supply Explained
- How Much Cash Is Tied Up Inventory?
How InventoryPulse can help
InventoryPulse combines Shopify sales and inventory data to help merchants review product and variant performance, recent selling pace, sell-through and inventory recommendations. Ask InventoryPulse can answer supported questions using available store evidence, with limitations where evidence is insufficient. InventoryPulse does not make guaranteed sales predictions or purchasing decisions.