Inventory how-to

How to find your best selling products

Look at units sold and revenue per variant over a fixed recent window, then rank them.

Short answer: Look at units sold and revenue per variant over a fixed recent window, then rank them. Pair that with a margin check so you are not just chasing volume on low-profit items. The goal is a short list you can act on for reordering and marketing.

Pick a time window first

Use a consistent window, like the last 28 or 90 days, so seasonal spikes do not skew the list. Compare the same window year over year if you have the history, since a product that sold well in December may be flat the rest of the year.

Rank by units and by revenue separately

A product can sell a lot of units but contribute little revenue, and vice versa. Pull both rankings from your store admin reports or export order data, then look at where a product shows up on both lists. Those are your real top performers.

Factor in margin, not just sales

High sales do not always mean high profit. Pull your cost per unit and calculate margin for your top 10 to 20 sellers. A mid-ranked product with strong margin can matter more to your bottom line than your number one seller by volume.

Check per-variant, not just per-product

If a product has size or color variants, look one level down. One variant can carry a whole product's sales while others barely move. This matters for reordering, since you do not want to restock variants that are not actually selling.

Step by step

  1. Export or pull sales data for a fixed recent window, such as the last 28 or 90 days.
  2. Rank products by units sold.
  3. Rank the same products by revenue.
  4. Cross-reference both lists to find products that score high on both.
  5. Pull cost data and calculate gross margin for your top 20 products.
  6. Break totals down by variant to see which specific SKUs are driving the sales.
  7. Repeat this every month or quarter so the list stays current.

Worked example

A store sells a hoodie in three colors. Over 90 days, black sold 240 units at $45 revenue each ($10,800 total), grey sold 60 units ($2,700), and white sold 15 units ($675). By units and revenue, black is clearly the top variant. Cost per unit is $18, so black's margin is $27 per unit, giving $6,480 in gross profit, more than grey and white combined. This tells the owner to prioritize restocking black and reconsider whether white is worth keeping in the lineup.

How SteadyShelf helps

SteadyShelf forecasts sales per variant using a rolling sales window, which gives you a running view of which SKUs are moving fastest and need reordering soonest. It does not rank products by margin or revenue, or handle bundle-level sales, so for a full best-sellers analysis with profit data you will still need to pull cost and revenue reports yourself.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial. Run the numbers now with the free reorder point calculator.

SteadyShelf is launching on the Shopify App Store. Join early access to get the install link first.

Related guides

All inventory how-to guides ยท Inventory glossary

FAQ

Should I include returns and cancellations when ranking best sellers?

No, use net sales, meaning completed orders minus returns and cancellations. Otherwise a product with a high return rate can look like a top seller when it is actually causing problems.

How often should I redo this analysis?

Monthly is reasonable for most small stores, or quarterly if your catalog is stable. Redo it sooner after a big promotion or seasonal event, since those can temporarily distort the rankings.

Let SteadyShelf do this math for every SKU

Order-by dates per supplier, seasonal forecasts and draft POs for your Shopify store. $29/month after a 30-day free trial.

Get early access