Low sales is not the only reason to exit
A smaller product can be valuable when it earns a healthy margin, completes a product family, or serves a distinct audience. A high-sales SKU can destroy value through advertising, returns, inventory, and support burden.
Score each SKU across four dimensions
- Economics: contribution profit, margin, return cost, and price resilience.
- Cash: inventory value, order quantity, lead time, and funding gap.
- Operations: supplier reliability, catalog issues, support, and quality burden.
- Strategy: customer role, brand fit, cross-sell value, and future potential.
Choose repair, harvest, or exit
A repair candidate has a specific fix with measurable upside. A harvest candidate remains sellable with limited investment while inventory runs down. An exit candidate has weak economics or strategic value even after realistic improvements.
Plan the exit before cutting demand
Coordinate purchase orders, advertising, price, remaining stock, customer expectations, and related listings. A rushed shutdown can leave stranded inventory or confuse shoppers who still depend on the product family.