Why SKU rationalization matters
Catalogs bloat by default: launches accumulate, variants multiply, and nobody’s job is deletion. Every underperforming SKU quietly bills the business, inventory dollars, storage, forecasting error, photography, page maintenance, and buyer attention split across choices that convert nobody. Rationalization is the head’s discipline of making the catalog pay rent.
Running a rationalization
- Rank SKUs by contribution and velocityThe tail reveals itself
- Check the role before cuttingSome slow SKUs feed heroes or retention
- Decide per SKUKill, merge variants, fix the page, or reprice
- Exit deliberatelySell down, mark down, and redirect the URLs
Questions
How often should catalogs be rationalized?
On a seasonal or annual cadence, plus before peak: entering the busiest quarter carrying known losers wastes the year’s best traffic. The review is calendar work, not a crisis response.
What does review data add to SKU decisions?
The why behind the numbers: a slow seller with strong reviews has a visibility problem worth fixing; one with weak reviews has a product problem worth exiting. Sales data nominates the candidates, review data sentences them.