What is sell-through?

Sell-through rate is the share of the units available to sell — opening stock plus receipts — that have sold: units sold ÷ units available × 100. It tells you how quickly a style is moving relative to what you put into the channel, which signals whether to reorder, hold, or plan a markdown.

How do you calculate sell-through percentage?

Sell-through % = units sold ÷ units available (opening stock + receipts) × 100. For example, 350 units sold against 1,000 units available is a 35% sell-through, leaving 650 units remaining.

What is a good sell-through rate for apparel?

There is no universal target — it varies by category, season, price point, and where you are in the product lifecycle. A healthy week-four sell-through on a fashion drop looks very different from a basics replenishment program, and seasonal goods are read against their selling window. Compare sell-through to plan and to the same style last year rather than to a fixed number.

How do apparel teams use sell-through in-season?

Teams track sell-through by style, size, and channel against plan to decide where to chase, hold, or mark down. Strong early sell-through on broken sizes can trigger a reorder; slow sell-through past the planned curve flags the need for a markdown while there is still demand to capture.

// Tools

Sell-through rate calculator

Sell-through rate is the share of the units available to sell — opening stock plus receipts — that have sold: units sold ÷ units available × 100. It tells you how fast a style is selling and whether it needs a reorder or a markdown.

Working out which base to divide by, reading weekly against season-to-date, or summing sell-through across sizes and stores? The guide works all of it through on one style.

Read the Guide →

Units sold

Units available (opening stock + receipts)

Enter units sold and units available to see sell-through.

// How it works

01
Enter units sold
Units sold in the period you are measuring.
02
Enter units available
Opening stock at the start of the period plus every receipt that became sellable in it, for the same merchandise. Not opening stock alone, and not receipts alone.
03
Read sell-through
Sell-through % = units sold ÷ units available × 100.

// Reading the result · where spreadsheets break

Read sell-through against the planned selling curve, not a single benchmark. A 35% sell-through can be ahead of plan for a slow-burn basic and badly behind for a fashion drop that should clear in weeks. Break it out by size and channel — a strong overall number can hide broken size runs that warrant a chase, or a single channel dragging the rest down.

In a spreadsheet, sell-through is a snapshot pulled after the fact — units sold in one export, receipts in another, reconciled by hand a week or two later. By the time a slow style surfaces, the selling window has narrowed and markdown is often the only lever left. The value is in seeing it by style and size while there is still demand to chase or protect.

// FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is sell-through?: Sell-through rate is the share of the units available to sell — opening stock plus receipts — that have sold: units sold ÷ units available × 100. It tells you how quickly a style is moving relative to what you put into the channel, which signals whether to reorder, hold, or plan a markdown.
How do you calculate sell-through percentage?: Sell-through % = units sold ÷ units available (opening stock + receipts) × 100. For example, 350 units sold against 1,000 units available is a 35% sell-through, leaving 650 units remaining.
What is a good sell-through rate for apparel?: There is no universal target — it varies by category, season, price point, and where you are in the product lifecycle. A healthy week-four sell-through on a fashion drop looks very different from a basics replenishment program, and seasonal goods are read against their selling window. Compare sell-through to plan and to the same style last year rather than to a fixed number.
How do apparel teams use sell-through in-season?: Teams track sell-through by style, size, and channel against plan to decide where to chase, hold, or mark down. Strong early sell-through on broken sizes can trigger a reorder; slow sell-through past the planned curve flags the need for a markdown while there is still demand to capture.

// Related resources

See the connected workflow in RetailNorthstar →

Sell-through is most useful tracked by style, size, and channel over time. RetailNorthstar surfaces it in-season against plan — see more retail tools.

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