What is sell-through rate?
Sell-through rate is the percentage of the stock you received in a period that you sold in the same period. Retailers use it to judge how well a product, a delivery or a whole season is performing, usually month by month.
Formula
Sell-through rate = units sold ÷ units received × 100
Worked example
You received 500 units and sold 320 of them. The sell-through rate is 64%, leaving 180 units in stock.
How to use the sell-through rate calculator
- Enter your figures: units sold and units received.
- Read the result. It updates as you type, so there is no button to press.
- Try other numbers to compare scenarios. Reset brings back the example values.
Getting it right
- Measure it over a fixed window, typically 30 days from receiving the stock, so products can be compared fairly.
- A low rate late in a season is the signal to discount; a very high rate early on is the signal to reorder.
- Compare sizes and colours of the same product. The overall rate often hides one variant that is not moving.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate sell-through rate?
Divide the units sold in the period by the units received in the period and multiply by 100. Selling 320 of 500 units is a 64% sell-through.
What is a good sell-through rate?
Many retailers treat 40–80% in a month as healthy, depending on the category. Fashion and seasonal goods aim higher because unsold stock loses value quickly.
How is sell-through different from inventory turnover?
Sell-through looks at a specific batch of stock over a short window. Inventory turnover looks at all stock over a long period and is based on cost rather than units.