To find slow-moving stock using EPOS reports, compare each product’s sales over a chosen period with its current stock quantity and last sale date. Look for items that are still on your shelves but sell infrequently, then check their cost, seasonality and stock accuracy before changing your orders or prices.
Start with 30, 60 or 90 days of sales, depending on what you sell. Fresh sandwiches need a much shorter review window than mobile phone accessories or bottled spirits.
Your aim isn’t to discount everything near the bottom of a sales report. It’s to understand which products are tying up money, why they’re moving slowly and what you should do next.
Key takeaways
| What to check | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Units sold over a suitable period | How quickly each product is selling |
| Current stock quantity | How much you’re holding |
| Last sale date | Which products haven’t sold recently |
| Stock value at cost | How much purchasing money remains in stock |
| Estimated days of stock remaining | How long existing stock might last |
| Deliveries, availability and seasonality | Whether low sales need further explanation |
What is slow-moving stock?
Slow-moving stock is inventory that sells more slowly than your business expects. It might still sell occasionally, but you’re holding more than current demand justifies.
There’s no single time limit that works for every business. A café might review unsold fresh food daily. A convenience shop could examine packaged groceries over several weeks, while a mobile shop might assess accessories over several months.
Slow-moving stock and dead stock aren’t quite the same. Slow-moving items still attract some demand. Dead stock has little realistic prospect of selling through your normal channels.
A phone case for an older handset could fall into either category. Your sales history, remaining demand and product condition help you decide.
For the wider stock-control process, see our inventory management guide for small retailers.
Which EPOS reports should you use?
You’ll usually need several views rather than one report. Names and available fields vary between EPOS systems, so check what your setup includes.
Product sales report
This shows sales by individual product over a selected period. Look at units sold, not just sales revenue.
An expensive bottle selling once could generate more revenue than several everyday products. That doesn’t necessarily mean it moves quickly.
Check how refunds appear too. Gross sales and net units sold after returns answer slightly different questions.
Current stock and valuation reports
Current stock tells you how many units the system believes you hold. Stock valuation shows their recorded cost value.
For example, 40 accessories costing £6 each represent £240 held in inventory. Their potential selling value is different from the money spent purchasing them.
Valuation may use different costing methods, so use a consistent basis when comparing products.
Stock movement and last-sale information
Stock movement records help explain deliveries, transfers, returns and adjustments. A last-sale field can highlight products that haven’t sold recently.
If that field isn’t available, inspect dated transactions or export the relevant reports.
Watch for products with zero sales. Some sales reports only list items that sold during the period. Compare your full list of stocked products against sales so completely unsold items don’t disappear from the review.
How to find slow-moving stock step by step
1. Choose a sensible review period
Start with a period that reflects your products’ shelf life and normal buying cycle.
For packaged groceries, you might begin with the last 30 days and compare against 90 days. For longer-lasting accessories, a broader period may reveal a clearer pattern.
Compare equivalent trading periods where possible. Christmas products shouldn’t be judged solely on February sales.
2. Confirm the stock figures
Before acting, physically count the products you’ve flagged.
A report showing 20 units is misleading if the shelf and stockroom are empty. Missing delivery entries, unrecorded damage, incorrect pack sizes or duplicate product records can distort the picture.
Check that purchases and sales use compatible units. Buying a case of 24 and selling individual cans needs the correct conversion.
3. Compare sales with stock on hand
Sort products by units sold, then examine those with meaningful quantities remaining.
Low sales alone don’t prove overstocking. Selling two specialist items a month may be perfectly reasonable if you only keep one or two available.
The concern is the relationship between demand and stock. Selling two units monthly while holding 60 deserves a closer look.
4. Estimate days of stock remaining
Days of stock remaining estimates how long your current quantity could last at the recent sales rate.
Average daily units sold = units sold ÷ days in the review period
Estimated days of stock remaining = current stock ÷ average daily units sold
Suppose you sold six bottles of a specialist sauce in 30 days and have 24 left:
- Average daily sales: 6 ÷ 30 = 0.2 bottles
- Estimated stock remaining: 24 ÷ 0.2 = 120 days
That estimate assumes demand continues at the same rate. It becomes less reliable when products are seasonal, newly introduced or unavailable for part of the period.
If sales are zero, the calculation cannot produce a useful finite result. Flag the item for review instead.
5. Prioritise by cost and urgency
Which deserves attention first: ten inexpensive greeting cards or £600 of accessories for discontinued phones?
Review both the money involved and the risk of waiting. Expiry dates, changing technology, storage space and supplier return deadlines can make one product more urgent than another.
A low-value food item approaching its use-by date may need action sooner than a higher-value product with a long selling life.
6. Investigate the reason
Before changing prices, check whether customers can actually find and buy the product.
It may have a missing shelf label, an incorrect barcode, poor placement or the wrong till description. It could also have arrived only recently.
In hospitality, low menu sales don’t automatically identify unused ingredients. You need recipe links, portion quantities, delivery records and waste entries to connect dish sales with ingredient stock. Our guide to tracking restaurant inventory through POS systems explains that distinction.
A practical stock report example
Imagine a Birmingham convenience shop reviewing the last 30 days. These figures are illustrative.
| Product | Units sold | Stock remaining | Unit cost | Stock held at cost | Estimated days remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist sauce | 6 | 24 | £2.00 | £48 | 120 |
| Reusable shopping bag | 30 | 45 | £0.80 | £36 | 45 |
| Seasonal gift mug | 0 | 18 | £4.00 | £72 | Review: no sales |
| Premium biscuits | 12 | 48 | £2.50 | £120 | 120 |
The premium biscuits hold the most purchasing money, but the gift mugs haven’t sold at all. The owner should check the mugs’ seasonal relevance and the biscuits’ dates before deciding which action comes first.
The bags are moving more regularly. Their stock level may be reasonable depending on delivery frequency and expected demand.
That’s why a useful slow-moving stock report combines sales, quantities, costs and context.
What to do with slow-moving stock
Reduce or pause reordering
Check automatic reorder settings and outstanding purchase orders first. Otherwise, more stock could arrive while you’re trying to reduce what you already hold.
You may need a smaller order quantity rather than removing the product altogether.
Improve visibility before cutting the price
Try a clearer shelf label, a better position or an appropriate display beside related products.
A mobile shop could place compatible cases beside the relevant refurbished handsets. A café could make a less-visible bottled drink easier to spot near the collection point.
Record the change and compare sales over a suitable period.
Use targeted promotions
A bundle or limited promotion may help, but calculate the margin first.
Selling more units isn’t automatically a better outcome if the discount removes your profit. Include relevant costs and use a consistent VAT basis when comparing selling prices with purchase costs.
Avoid broad discounts when only a handful of products need attention.
Explore returns or transfers
Ask whether your supplier permits returns or exchanges. Check the terms, product condition and any charges.
If you operate several shops, compare branch demand before transferring stock. An item that moves slowly in one location may sell elsewhere, but moving it without evidence only relocates the problem.
Remove products that no longer earn their space
Some items don’t justify another order. Others deserve a small ongoing quantity because regular customers expect them.
Use sales evidence alongside your knowledge of the business. A low-volume specialist line may still support valuable repeat visits.
Build a regular stock review routine
Set aside a short weekly review for urgent items and a broader monthly review for purchasing decisions.
Keep a simple action record: the product, the issue, the change made, who owns it and when you’ll check again. This helps you see whether a new display, reduced order or promotion actually worked.
Switch & Save’s EPOS bundles advertise stock management and sales reporting, with supplier and purchasing features depending on the selected setup. Ask for a demonstration using your own products and reporting needs. Switch&Save
Where AI-assisted recommendations are available, treat them as prompts to investigate. Accurate stock records and business context still matter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify slow-moving stock in EPOS?
Compare current stock with units sold over a relevant period. Check last-sale information, stock value and estimated days remaining, then confirm the physical quantity before acting.
How many days make stock slow-moving?
There’s no universal threshold. Set review periods according to shelf life, seasonality and normal demand. A 30-, 60- or 90-day check can suit some products, but fresh food needs much shorter intervals.
Can I find slow-moving products without a dedicated report?
Yes. Export your stocked-product list and product sales for the same branch and review date. Match them using a unique product code, keeping products with zero sales in the results.
Should I discount every slow-selling product?
No. Check availability, pricing, placement and ordering first. Reducing future purchases or correcting a product record may be more appropriate than a discount.
Does low stock turnover always mean a product is unprofitable?
No. A slow-selling product can still earn a useful margin. Review its profit contribution, stock investment and purpose in your range before deciding to remove it.
Make your next stock order a better-informed one
Start with ten products that hold stock but show weak recent sales. Count them, investigate the reason and choose one clear action for each.
Switch & Save helps UK businesses reduce costs with AI-powered EPOS systems, card payment solutions and business finance.
