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Slow Moving Products / Product Sales Velocity

Menu Location: Products > Reports > Slow Moving Products (page title displays as "Product Sales Velocity Report")

Last Updated: 2026-07-27

Overview

The Product Sales Velocity Report (labeled "Slow Moving Products" in the menu) helps identify products with low sales volume over a specified time period. Unlike the Never Sold Products report (which shows products that have never sold at all), this report shows products that did sell, but with very low quantity, helping you decide what to discount, promote, or discontinue.

Primary Functions:

  • Analyze product sales over a custom date range
  • Identify slow-moving inventory
  • Filter by parent product classification (category)
  • Use quick time range buttons (1 week to 1 year)
  • Results are listed lowest quantity sold first
  • Compare first sale vs. last sale dates within the period

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Never Sold Products Button: Link to the related report (top right)
  • Page Title: "Products \ Product Sales Velocity Report"
  • Info Alert: "Report Purpose: Identify products with low or zero sales over a given time period to help decide what to discontinue," with a link to the Never Sold Products report

Filter Form

  • Parent Classification: Optional dropdown to filter by top-level category
  • Start Date: Beginning of the analysis period
  • End Date: End of the analysis period
  • Quick Range Buttons: Pre-set time periods (1 week to 1 year)
  • Run Report Button: Generate the report with the selected filters

Main Content Area

A table appears once both a Start Date and End Date are set (either typed in directly or filled by a quick range button), showing:

  • Menu ID (linked to the product's edit page)
  • Name
  • Retail
  • Sold
  • First Sold
  • Last Sold

Quick Time Range Buttons

Click any button to automatically set the date range and run the report:

Button Date Range
Last Week 7 days ago → today
Last 2 Weeks 14 days ago → today
Last Month 1 month ago → today
Last 3 Months 3 months ago → today
Last 6 Months 6 months ago → today
Last Year 1 year ago → today

Tip: Quick buttons submit the form immediately - no need to click "Run Report" separately.

Filter Options

Parent Classification (Optional)

  • Dropdown of top-level (parent) product classifications
  • Filter to a specific top-level category
  • Leave on "-- None --" to see products across all categories
  • Useful for category-specific inventory reviews

Custom Date Range

  • Start Date: First day of the analysis period
  • End Date: Last day of the analysis period
  • Use the date pickers, then click "Run Report" to generate results

Report Data & Columns

Column Description Source/Calculation
Menu ID Product identifier (clickable, opens the product edit page) menu.id
Name Product name menu.name
Retail Retail selling price menu.retail_price
Sold Total quantity sold in the date range Sum of order-line quantity for qualifying line items (may reflect weight or unit count depending on the product)
First Sold Earliest qualifying sale date in the period Earliest delivery date among qualifying line items
Last Sold Most recent qualifying sale date in the period Latest delivery date among qualifying line items

Data Filtering:

  • Only permanent products (not weekly/rotating menu items)
  • Only active products
  • Cancelled orders are excluded; all other order statuses (open, closed, delivered, payment pending, complete) count toward the totals
  • Only counts add-on line items, not standard box-menu items
  • Results are ordered by quantity sold (lowest first), then by last-sold date
  • Limited to a maximum of 1000 result rows
  • A product only appears if it had at least one qualifying sale in the selected period

Note: Sales are grouped by the product's classification record. If a classification has had more than one product entry over time (for example, a renamed or replaced item still under the same category), this report combines their sales into a single row.

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Monthly Slow Mover Review

Goal: Identify products to discount or discontinue this month

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Products > Reports > Slow Moving Products
  2. Click "Last Month" button
  3. Review products at the top of the list (lowest sold quantities)
  4. For products with very low sold quantity:
    • Click Menu ID to review product details
    • Decide: promote, discount, or discontinue

Use Case 2: Seasonal Product Performance

Goal: Evaluate seasonal products after their season

Steps:

  1. Set Start Date to the beginning of the season
  2. Set End Date to the end of the season
  3. Optionally select the relevant Parent Classification
  4. Click "Run Report"
  5. Compare performance to a previous season using the same date range

Example: Summer products - set dates May 1 to August 31, review in September.

Use Case 3: Quarterly Inventory Reduction

Goal: Free up warehouse space and capital

Steps:

  1. Click "Last 3 Months" button
  2. Review the lowest-sold products (already sorted to the top)
  3. Identify candidates for liquidation or discontinuation
  4. Cross-reference with inventory holding costs before deciding

Use Case 4: Category-Specific Analysis

Goal: Review specific product category performance

Steps:

  1. Select a top-level category from the Parent Classification dropdown
  2. Click "Last 6 Months" button
  3. Review all products in that category
  4. Identify underperformers relative to the rest of the category

Use Case 5: Before/After Campaign Comparison

Goal: Measure whether a promotion improved a product's sales

Steps:

  1. Run the report for the "before campaign" date range and note the Sold quantities
  2. Run the report again for the "during/after campaign" date range
  3. Compare the Sold quantities for the products in question
  4. Decide whether the campaign should continue or the product should still be discontinued

Interpreting Results

There are no built-in velocity categories or thresholds in the report itself - it only returns raw Sold/First Sold/Last Sold numbers. The following are suggested starting points; set your own thresholds based on your business and margins:

Very low sold quantity in the period: - Strong discontinuation candidates - Tying up inventory and resources without meaningful revenue

Moderate sold quantity: - Consider promotion, better placement, or a pricing review

Higher sold quantity relative to the rest of the list: - Acceptable performers - monitor for trends over time

Date Pattern Analysis

First Sold = Last Sold: Only sold once in the entire period - worth a closer look.

Long gap between First Sold and Last Sold: Sporadic, unreliable demand across the period.

Recent Last Sold: Some ongoing interest - may be salvageable.

Old Last Sold (relative to End Date): Demand may have dried up.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Report Shows No Results

Check:

  1. Verify both Start Date and End Date are set - the table only renders once both are present
  2. Ensure there are orders in the selected period
  3. Remove the Parent Classification filter (may be too restrictive)
  4. Click "Run Report" after setting custom dates

Issue: Product I Know Sold Isn't Showing

Check:

  1. Verify it's a permanent product, not a weekly/rotating menu item
  2. Confirm the product's status is active
  3. Check that the sale falls within the selected date range
  4. Confirm the sale was an add-on line item, not a standard box-menu item

Issue: Numbers Look Combined for a Product

Sales are grouped by classification record, not strictly by individual Menu ID. If a classification was reused across different product entries over time, their sales appear combined on one row.

Issue: Expected More Products in Results

Remember:

  • Limited to 1000 result rows maximum
  • Only shows permanent, active products
  • Only includes products with at least 1 qualifying sale in the period
  • Products with zero sales ever belong on the Never Sold Products report instead

Best Practices

Review Frequency

  1. Monthly: Quick check of last month's slow movers
  2. Quarterly: Deep dive with a 3-month or 6-month view
  3. Annually: Year-over-year comparison
  4. Post-Season: Seasonal product performance review

Analysis Workflow

  1. Run the broadest report first (Last Year, no classification filter)
  2. Re-run with specific classifications for a detailed review
  3. Compare across time periods for trends
  4. Cross-reference with inventory levels and holding costs

Action Thresholds

Set your own thresholds based on your business model:

  • Define a minimum acceptable sold quantity for your inventory
  • Establish discontinuation criteria
  • Document your promotion/discount decision process

Things to Avoid

  • Discontinuing seasonal products based on off-season data
  • Comparing niche specialty items directly to mainstream products
  • Ignoring profit margins (low volume, high margin may still be worth keeping)
  • Making decisions on very short time periods for established products

Quick Reference Card

Task Action
Check last month's slow sellers Click "Last Month" button
Quarterly product review Click "Last 3 Months" button
Seasonal product analysis Set custom dates for the season, click "Run Report"
Category-specific review Select classification, click a time range button
Find worst performers Run the report - lowest Sold quantities appear first
Get data out for further analysis No built-in export; use your browser's print-to-PDF or copy the table
Edit a slow-moving product Click its Menu ID number
  • Never Sold Products (never-sold-products.php) - Products with zero sales ever
  • Product Edit (add-product.php) - Edit product details
  • Product Classifications (product_classifications_active.php) - Manage categories
  • Addons Report (additional-items.php) - Add-on sales by date range or by week, with customer counts, revenue, and quantity

Typical Workflow:

Slow Moving Products → identify low performers → check Never Sold Products for zero-sale items → edit or discontinue products

FAQs

What's the difference between Slow Moving and Never Sold?

Slow Moving = sold something, but very little, in the selected time period. Never Sold = zero sales ever (all-time), covering active, permanent products.

What's a good sales velocity benchmark?

There's no built-in benchmark - it varies by business. Set your own based on your product mix and margins.

Should I use this report or Never Sold Products?

Both are useful together. Never Sold finds total failures. Slow Moving finds declining or niche products that still need attention.

How do I account for seasonal products?

Compare the same season year-over-year, or set custom dates to look only at the in-season window.

Why does this show quantity instead of revenue?

Revenue can be misleading (one high-price sale vs. many low-price sales). Quantity sold shows the underlying demand pattern.

Can I see this broken down by week instead of the total period?

Not on this report - it aggregates the entire selected period into one number per product. For a weekly breakdown, use the Addons Report, which supports viewing by individual week.

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.