How do you spot and fix underperforming SKUs without guessing or drowning in data? In short, eCommerce sellers need clear rules for what “underperforming” means, plus reporting that shows you where pricing, competition, and demand are out of sync. Repricer.com gives you that view in one place so you can fix issues fast instead of guessing.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to define underperforming SKUs, which Repricer.com reports to check first, and how to turn insights into simple, repeatable fixes.
What counts as an underperforming SKU in your catalog?
Let’s start by what we actually mean by an underperforming SKU in an eCommerce catalog. In simple terms, it’s any listing that ties up cash, time, or Buy Box potential without giving you enough sales or profit back.
In this section, we’ll pin down some red flags that suggest a SKU is underperforming, so you know what to look for in your reports.
Red flag #1: Low sales with decent traffic
One obvious red flag is a product that gets decent impressions or sessions but barely converts. You’ll see it show up in views, but not in units sold.
Here, pricing and positioning are usually the culprits. Either competitors look like a better deal, your offer’s missing the Buy Box more often than not, or your content is out of step with what buyers expect.
Red flag #2: Sales volume but weak profit
Another underperformer is the SKU that “sells” on paper but silently drains margin. It ships regularly, but fees, returns, and discounts eat nearly everything.
You’ll see this as healthy sales numbers paired with low or negative net margin. Those SKUs need price or fee-aware repricing rules, not more volume at the same economics.
Red flag #3: Erratic Buy Box or featured offer share
A third pattern is the product that flips in and out of the Buy Box or featured offer position. Some days it performs. Other days your visibility vanishes.
These SKUs often respond well to more thoughtful repricing based on minimum prices and competitor behavior, rather than reactive manual changes.
Data-driven companies are 23 times more likely to top their competitors in landing customers, about 19 times more likely to stay profitable and nearly seven times more likely to keep customers.
Which reports should you check first?
Once you know the patterns, you’ll need to know which reports actually help you spot those underperforming SKUs. So let’s look at the core reports that help you find the right levers to pull.
Sales reports to surface weak performers
Repricer sales reports show you orders, revenue, and units sold by SKU over the date range you care about. They make it easy to:
- Rank SKUs by sales and find the tail that barely moves
- Spot products where sales trend down while traffic or catalog size grows
- Compare performance before and after price or rule changes
Those bottom-of-the-table SKUs are your first candidates for deeper investigation.
Buy Box reports to check visibility
Next, the Buy Box report shows how often you win or share the featured offer on Amazon and similar positions on other marketplaces.
If a product has low sales and a low Buy Box share, pricing strategy and seller metrics are likely in the way. If sales are weak but Buy Box share’s high, the issue may be demand, reviews, or content instead.
Pricing bounds and inventory reports
Pricing Bounds and Inventory reports help you catch more subtle issues. You can see where:
- Minimum prices are so high that you rarely compete
- Maximum prices are capped below the market ceiling
- Stock levels or fulfillment channels make your offer less appealing
When you see low sales, low Buy Box share, and tight bounds together, there’s a good chance the SKU is boxed in by your own settings.
Checking and fixing wrong inventory counts can boost sales for those specific products by up to 11%.
How do you fix pricing issues that hold SKUs back?
Once you’ve flagged underperforming SKUs in your reports, how do you actually fix them? In many cases, the problem isn’t the product itself but the pricing rules wrapped around it.
In this section, we’ll go through a simple workflow for using Repricer.com to tune those SKUs without risking the rest of your catalog.
Reset floors and ceilings around real margin
Begin by checking whether your minimum and maximum prices match reality. If you set them months ago, supplier costs, fees, or competition may have moved.
Use your latest cost data to define net margin floors per SKU or group. Then update pricing bounds so your rules can move flexibly between “healthy minimum” and “sensible maximum” instead of being locked into outdated numbers.
Change strategy for different SKU groups
Not every underperforming SKU needs the same approach. Repricer.com lets you create strategies per group so you can:
- Run more aggressive Buy Box targeting on high potential SKUs that lag today
- Switch slow movers to a profit first strategy with firmer floors
- Ease off on products that are seasonal or that you plan to phase out
The goal is to line up strategy with intent instead of throwing the same rule at every listing and hoping.
Test and measure small changes
Finally, use reports to track what happens after you change rules. Rather than overhaul everything at once, tweak one lever for a defined SKU group and watch sales, margin, and Buy Box share for a few weeks.
If performance improves, roll similar changes to related products. If not, you can revert quickly because you know exactly what changed and when.
Repricer.com customers have seen an average increase of 143% in weekly sales after automating pricing rules.
What should you take away from all this?
Remember:
- Underperforming SKUs drain cash and focus, even when your overall sales look healthy.
- You can spot them quickly by combining sales, Buy Box, pricing bounds, and inventory reports.
- Many weak SKUs respond when you reset floors, adjust strategies, and test measured changes.
- Some products are better retired so you can invest in the SKUs that carry your brand.
- Repricer.com keeps all of this visible in one place so you don’t have to guess which levers to pull.
Do these things next:
- Shortlist SKUs with low sales, low profit, or erratic Buy Box share in your reports.
- Update pricing bounds based on real costs and profit targets for those SKUs.
- Assign clearer strategies per group, from “Buy Box first” to “margin protector.”
- Run small tests and watch the impact in reports before rolling changes wider.
- Use what you learn to trim the true dead weight and double down on proven winners.
If you want your reports and pricing rules to work together instead of in silos, Repricer.com can help. You can turn raw data into simple actions for each SKU and free up your team from constant manual tweaking. Book a free demo and walk through it with the team in real time.
FAQs
How often should I review underperforming SKUs in my reports?
Most sellers do well with a monthly deep dive and lighter weekly checks. Weekly reviews help you catch sudden drops or Buy Box issues. Monthly reviews are better for spotting structural problems and deciding which SKUs need rule changes, bundles, or retirement.
What’s the difference between a seasonal dip and a true underperformer?
Seasonal SKUs usually show strong performance in specific periods, with predictable slowdowns the rest of the year. Underperformers tend to lag even when their category is busy. Comparing this year to the same period last year, and checking category trends, will help you avoid overreacting to normal seasonality.
Can reports help me decide which SKUs to promote more heavily?
Yes. Reports highlight products that already convert well when they get visibility, which often make great candidates for ads, coupons, or featured placements. They also show you where extra promotion would be wasted because price, reviews, or supply chain constraints are still in the way.
What if underperforming SKUs are tied to bundles or multipacks?
In that case, look at the performance of the whole offer, not only the individual SKU. If bundles perform well, the “underperforming” component might still be pulling its weight. Repricer reports can show you which specific ASINs or SKUs drive revenue so you can keep smart bundles and drop the combinations that don’t move.
Do I need to be an advanced data expert to use Repricer.com reports effectively?
Not at all. Repricer.com presents the key metrics in simple dashboards and exports so you can filter by SKU, strategy, or channel, then act on what you see. Over time, you’ll build a rhythm where reports guide your weekly and monthly decisions without overwhelming you.
