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Sell-through calculator

See what share of the units made available in a period actually sold. Sell-through is most useful with the selling window beside it: 30% early in a season tells a different story from 30% near its end.

Calculate sell-through

How much of the available stock sold?

Sell-through = units sold ÷ (opening stock + receipts) × 100

Sell-through
30.0%

30.0% of the units available in this period sold. Whether sell-through is healthy depends on how far through the selling period you are.

See it alongside

Another example: At week ten of a twelve-week season, low sell-through may prompt a price test; at week two, it may be too early. Read Markdown →

Download CSV template

Illustrative figures. Change any input to test your own scenario; values stay in this browser page.

How to calculate it

Sell-through = units sold ÷ (opening stock + receipts) × 100

  1. Choose one product, group or cohort and one clear selling period.
  2. Add opening units and receipts in that period to find the units available for sale.
  3. Divide units sold by available units and multiply by 100. Then compare the pace with elapsed time and remaining stock by store or size.

Illustrative example

The same 30% can mean two different things

A seasonal line opened with 300 units, received 100 more and sold 120. Sell-through is 120 ÷ (300 + 100) × 100 = 30%. That leaves 280 units from this simple unit flow before other adjustments.

In week two of a twelve-week season, 30% may be a healthy start. In week ten, it points to a likely exit problem. Check which sizes and stores hold the remaining units before marking down the whole line.

Check before acting

  • Do not mix units sold from one period with opening stock and receipts from another.
  • A strong chain-wide rate can hide a slow size, colour or store cluster.

Questions about this calculation

What is the denominator in sell-through?
This calculator uses opening stock plus receipts during the period: the units available to sell. Other reporting conventions exist, so keep the definition consistent when comparing periods.
How is sell-through different from sell-in?
Sell-in is stock sold by a supplier into a retailer. Sell-through is stock sold onward to shoppers as a share of the units available to sell during the period.
Is a 30% sell-through good?
There is no universal answer. Compare it with how much of the selling period has passed, the line's role and the remaining stock.
Should I markdown a low sell-through line?
First check availability, store and size mix, season timing, and whether the price cut would leave acceptable unit margin. A markdown is one possible action.

Keep working with this number

For a list of products, download this calculator’s CSV template or use the Excel workbook. The workbook can be imported into Google Sheets.

For the underlying term, read the glossary explanation. Then compare it with retail markdown calculator and gmroi calculator for retail inventory.

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