25 Proven Ways To Sell Slow Moving Inventory (eCommerce)

Slow moving inventory is ‘slow-selling’ – but by how much? Here are two scenarios:

Scenario A: You sell a full cleaning station that sells two to three units per year – so, you ended up ordering ten of those

Scenario B: You sell cotton t-shirts in multiple patterns and colors – at the end of the season, you see that some colors sold well

In both scenarios, you have excess inventory. You’ll clear out one in five years – and another in a few months. 

But, both can become obsolete in the eyes of a customer – or, get destroyed by rust or rodents.

Both are examples of slow moving stock or SLOB inventory (slow and obsolete inventory). However, the time to become slow, varies.

For example, in hardware, inventory becomes slow moving after a full year or two. For fashion and food, it's mere days and months.

So, how do you sell slow moving inventory? Here are 25 really smart ways:

Let’s dive in! 👇

25 Brilliant Strategies To Sell Slow Moving Products Online

1. Justify your pricing 

Ask an existing customer why they didn't buy your slow moving inventory. 7 out 10 times, they will point out that the price made them think. Or, they weren't sure about the value of the product. 

Or even worse, your competitors out-priced you – or, made your products seem like the lower alternative.

So, start checking if your pricing seems justified – or else, a discount will downplay your product even further.

We recommend running the following checks:

✅ Does the product page show ingredients – or information about the product – the USP(s)

✅ Is every inventory item shown as discounted – on the category page, all year long

✅ Are the prices questionable – like too low – or too highly-priced

✅ Are there extremely similar products that sell better – like product variants with different colors or patterns (but lower or higher prices)

Need inspiration? Take a look at how Bored Cow does this – they make sizing, reviews, and ingredients clear in the first fold itself:

⚡ Pro Tip: Offer a ‘click to apply’ discount on product pages – this will gratify the customer – and, make your discounts seem more legit. 

FURTHER READING: Pick the right product price: 8 eCommerce pricing best practices

2. Plan for downtimes

The first year is the toughest for any eCommerce brand. However, once you’re through – you’ll be pretty much able to tell when the demand is gonna turn up. 

Here’s how you can predict downtimes to plan your inventory:

✅ Use weather patterns and forecasting for your delivery areas:

Seasonal events can boost or slow down your inventory. If there’s going to be heavy rainfall or a heavy summer, you can plan out your inventory accordingly. For example, you would want to order more gum boots if you deliver to areas that may get 105% more rainfall.

✅ Map out socio-political changes on global and local level:

Changes in policy can lead to an increase or decrease in certain costs. This means it may never be a good idea to hoard – strategic planning can help minimize excess or slow-moving stock.

✅ Check if there have been changes in how customers discover you:

Think of updates to search algorithms, like the inclusion of AI in search results; or changes to algorithms on YouTube, X, or Snapchat.

⚡ Pro Tip: If you serve an extremely niche market, make sure you're in tune with your community – stay on top of developments within and outside the community. 

3. Check for Visibility

This may be an extremely obvious reason – but, it bears repeating. Why: a certain part of your inventory may not be even getting the visibility it deserves. 

Like a particular color variant of a well-selling product – or a product listing with incomplete information. 

The list goes on. This is why we recommend checking for:

✅ Is your slow moving product inventory discoverable?

Check if your product is easily available on your:

• Site search 
• Homepage
• Category pages
• SERP(s)

Take inspiration from how Uniqolo does this with their site search – note the subtle nudge announcing their limited-edition collection launch:

✅ Are variants shown as thumbnails?

If not, make sure your product variant visuals display miniaturized versions of the product.

✅ Do you recommend or upsell these products? 

Check if you are upselling or cross-selling your slow moving stock on related, but, faster-selling products.

✅ Do your slow moving product detail pages have enough session duration?

Check how many users drop off by the time they reach the page as well – if you are seeing low page durations, check your traffic sources and try getting more high-intent traffic.

✅ What do you see when you Google your product type?

Check if your product pages with slow moving inventory are getting traction on search results. If not, retune your product pages in line with SEO best practices.

✅ Are there negative impressions around your slow moving products?

This is another concern that most eCommerce brands skip – not being in tune with the conversation. Turn on a Google Alert, so that you know anytime your product names or brand names get mentioned.

FURTHER READING: eCommerce Marketing Calendar 2024 (& Tips on How to Promote)

4. Use “mix effect” to plan effective sales offers 

If you're familiar with the mix effect concept, you’ll know how selling lesser quantities for a higher price can have a positive effect on overall revenue. 

For example, you can sell a $60 bracelet for $100, and still drive a profit (if you plan it well).

You'll have to be sure that increasing prices won't slow your conversion funnel down. Here's how you do it:

✅ Announce you’ll be increasing prices:

Plan a promo – like a countdown to your prices increasing.

✅ Sell enough quantities at a price that doesn't hurt your revenue:

For instance, if your $60 product sells 20 units historically, selling 40 units at $40 won't hurt your margin. 

✅ Change up the standard BOGO offer:

Do this after you mark up the inventory. Offer a greater quantity of lower priced items for free by a user's browsing or purchase history.

⚡ Pro Tip: Don’t forget to factor in variable costs like ad spend to set your discounted price – check how Nudestix promotes their flash sale on search ads:

5. Clear out in bulk with “Flash” & “Clearance” sales

Once you get the products priced right, focus on creating the demand. 

Plan out your promotions – so that customers and visitors take note. 

Here are some ideas you can try out to clear slow moving stock: 

✅ Create secret sales out of obsolete products – that aren’t in demand anymore (but still have a shelf life)

✅ Set aside some time for a one-day flash sale – provide early access to cart abandoners and medium to low-spenders

✅ Bring the product to a ‘deal of the hour’ section – add in some of your best-selling products to make the deals seem legit

FURTHER READING: Flash Sales Guide: 10 Proven Ideas & Amazing Examples

6. Bundle smartly 😉

Bundling is a tried and tested technique that doesn’t have perceived negative value as discounting. Instead, it helps add values – and maintain your revenue margin. 

Here are some ideas on how to offer bundles to sell slow moving inventory and get some cash flow:

✅ Create limited-time bundles from bestsellers and slow sellers – use a countdown timer to increase the urgency

✅ Offer a tiered discount on quantities of slow sellers – like ‘Buy 2 Get $50 OFF’ and ‘Buy 3 Get $99 OFF’

✅ Create bundles for special occasions or milestones of customers – like anniversaries

✅ Create personalized product bundles – personalize dynamically by browsing or purchasing history

✅ Partner with brands to co-create bundles – check how Bark does this:

⚡ Pro Tip: Make sure you have communicated the same over emails, SMS, or your preferred medium of choice. 

FURTHER READING: 15 product bundling examples that convert (& 10 proven ideas) 

7. Increase order size with thresholds

If dynamic recommendations are too much, there's an easier way to sell your slow moving inventory and boost your AOV.

What you have to do: Offer a threshold at a price – large enough to invoke the reciprocity principle. Reciprocity is based on a give-and-take policy. You give value – you get back a desired action. 

Here’s how you can use it to sell slow moving inventory:

✅ Give it out as a gift once customers make their first purchase – or a designated cart value

✅ Upsell/cross-sell as product recommendations on the cart page – to incentivize a cart value and free shipping

✅ Create a ‘Choose any X for $XX” type promotion – or ‘Complete the look for $XX” to make sure you’re able to clear old stock

✅ Create a customized product that lets customers pick and choose – all you have to do is slide product suggestions in:

⚡ Pro Tip: Don't forget to highlight the value of the discounted products in your copy – like “Get x worth $XX.”

FURTHER READING: Free Shipping: Still a Conversion Driver in 2024? (+ Brands Nailing It)

8. Refresh the product detail page

The fact is, your listings do get old, even on your website (don’t forget content decay).

Now, you need to use the data from the previous step to give the products a good ol’ push 💪.

A push in the context of slow moving inventory means:

✅ Jazzed up product photos – like on different models of ages, body shapes, or other attributes

✅ Include a video on the product page – show the USP through a demo or a customer

✅ Rewrite the descriptions – use the inverted pyramid theory to pull eyes 

✅ Include new keywords – this is to ensure that your SERP listings get a boost

✅ Use some SEO magic – include in structured markup on key pages

✅ Add in reviews – with social proof like product variant bought, date of purchase, and a trust badge – this shows a review is vetted:

⚡ Pro Tip: If you haven't been getting conversions, take the product out of stock, during the update process – upsell a higher or lower cost option instead, with a “notify me” form. 

FURTHER READING: eCommerce Product Detail Page: 20 Do's and Don'ts

9. Roll out the product (once again) – to generate interest

Once you are done with updating your slow moving products – make sure people know about it. 

If you’ve taken the product out of stock, you’ll have a custom retargeting and email list. 

Here’s how you can increase interest in your slow moving products:

✅ Launch a pre-order campaign – do this if your product has been kept out of stock

✅ Retarget all website visitors over Meta/Instagram/TikTok ads – inform them of the (re)new product

✅ Run a back-in-stock drip on email – this is for subscribers who signed up while the product was out of stock

✅ Push it up to your homepage – feature it if needed – in your new products section or hero banner

✅ Hit the rebuy – remind customers who once bought the product to stock up on the newer version of the product (only applicable if the product is a replenishable item)

⚡ Pro Tip: Push products by expiration date. Or else, prioritize by the time and cost you’ve held it for. For example, it won’t matter much if you haven’t sold a dog collar for 3 years – but it will matter if you have 6 crates of it stuck in your warehouse.

You'll also love to read: 30 Amazing Drip Email Campaign Examples That Actually Drive Sales

10. Place slow moving products centrally on category pages

Doing this is a perfect example of using the decoy effect. It puts the most desired item in the user's mind by using simple hacks like:

✅ Showing 3 to 4 listings and making the pricing close – but not close enough to lead to a choice paralysis

✅ Showing more information on listings – like trust badges or awards

✅ Using price anchoring – or other offers on those listings 

✅ Using a comparison chart on product pages – to help drive faster purchase decisions

Need an example? 

Check how these three products are arranged:

All of the three products display similar prices and styles – but, did you spot the difference? 

The other two listings are just there to pull attention towards the central listing. A simple color contrast pulls attention – to be backed up by a lower price.

FURTHER READING: The Psychology Of An Online Shopper

11. Create “product-led” content 

If you have been looking to promote slow-moving items to convert them to fast-moving items – content marketing is the way.

This ensures there's perennial demand for it, all year long with these methods:

✅ Create product demo videos on YouTube:

Create playlists that target a user's pain point and solve targeted pain points with your slow moving inventory.

✅ Create boards on Pinterest:

Target your product’s intended usage. For example, makeup box inspiration or cat tree inspiration – make sure to link back to your product pages.

✅ Turn your blogs into podcasts:

Invite customers and employees to take part – including your slow inventory as a topic – to get live ideas on why it's selling slow

✅ Consider creating content for gifters across all kinds of occasions and types:

Take inspiration from how Nordstrom does this by creating separate category pages by gifting type with custom inline banners:

⚡ Pro Tip: This strategy, if implemented from Day 0 (i.e. before launching a product) will ensure that the demand doesn't taper off. 

FURTHER READING: 14 eCommerce content marketing mistakes (+ their fixes)

12. Try live-streaming events

Live streaming deserves its own point because it has the capability to convert high-intent visitors. 

All you have to do is drop hints of savings – opportunities – special guests – or special drops. 

If you plan it right, you can create a shoppable live stream that converts:

Other than that, you can also use live-streaming to sell slow moving products by:

✅ Generating interest for an offline event – like an expo sale

✅ Creating pre-launch events for in-website events – like flash sales or Black Friday sales

✅ Conducting giveaways and contests – to help generate interest and sign-ups

✅ Hosting influencers and micro-creators – for Q&A sessions, and, opening your products to new audiences

13. Mystery boxes – use intrigue to push the inventory 

This bundling-type tactic works exceptionally well, for low-ticket items – like t-shirts. 

The goal here is simple: Clear out slow moving stock in bulk – without the need for discounts. 

Before you begin, check the AOV and average quantity purchased per customer segment – this ensures that what you pitch appeals to prospective customers.

✅ Create three types of mystery listings – show different quantities and pricing tiers

✅ Highlight the products that may be in the box – this is to ensure that customers don't think of the box as high-risk

✅ Launch a mystery product – check how Universal Standard amps up the exclusivity with a mystery product:

⚡ Pro Tip: Launch this strategy on social media first to generate a few reviews – give away the first few boxes for free (or at a very nominal rate).

14. Set up a subscription

Subscriptions work awesome for moving slow moving stock, if you know how to create them. For example, if you sell a mattress, you can upsell a subscription for mattress cleaning kits. 

Which you can set to auto-renew with items like cleaner fluids. 

Your goal here is to implant ideas that a customer might not have formed yet.

Ideas for stock reduction strategies you can try out with subscriptions:

• A mystery box subscription of products
• Spare-part kit subscription 
• Repair or warranty subscriptions to move out raw materials 

⚡ Pro Tip: Showcase that customers can cancel subscriptions at any time – use a trust badge to show your money-back guarantee as well.

15. Use your affiliates

If you have got an affiliate program set up – and are already getting results, why not use it?

Set up a higher margin – and incentivize your affiliate partners to move out the product.

If needed, drill down on top performers, and offer them bulk commissions on quantities.

16. Offer it up in exchange for an email

Exit intent pop-ups are reliable for stopping people in their tracks. 

It's great for getting visitors towards their first purchase – and clear slow-moving inventory. 

Other than that, you can also try using these in your exit intent pop-up:

• Spin the wheel 
• Scratch to win
• Non-intrusive in-website push (over live chat):

FURTHER READING: 28 No-BS Ways To Get More Email Subscribers in eCommerce

17. Target last-minute shoppers or people with expiring rewards

The easiest way to clear stock lies here. All you have to do is absorb express shipping – and give strong but subtle recommendation nudges to people like:

• Customers with expiring gift cards
• Customers with upcoming anniversaries/life events
• Customers with loyalty points

Check how Sol De Janeiro uses a free product – to give a customer a free gift on their birthday:

⚡ Pro Tip: You can also run ads on similar audience targeting – and ensure that you are able to clear your old inventory in time.

FURTHER READING: Black Friday: Last-minute ideas and hacks to boost sales 

18. Ask customers to save the product

Have a product that used to sell well –  but has shown signs of slowing down?

This happens when your own products (as well as competitor products) cannibalize an ‘okay’ kind of product. 

How do you make it work? 

✅ Announce you will be permanently taking it out of stock – on your website, socials, and emails – check how Wayfair does this:

✅ See if there's any engagement – retarget openers and people who clicked through 

✅ Offer an option to save the product for themselves – offer volume discounts

✅ Incentivize them to bring in customers – for a part of the sale

✅ Open up a secret sale – but, make sure hints of the sale are on your social story or status formats

⚡ Pro Tip: This stock reduction strategy works great if you haven’t got too much excess stock of the slow-moving product.

FURTHER READING: Scarcity marketing: Fix these 6 most commonly made mistakes

19. Challenge customers to turn it into #art

This method is a great way to generate UGC – and challenge customers to try creating with the product. 

Like how they wear it with – or creating a new product using your slow moving inventory.

The reward? A recurring subscription or a gift card worth $XX.

⚡ Pro Tip: Give an added push with an influencer collaboration, if needed. 

FURTHER READING: 15 Underutilized Social Media Ideas For eCommerce Brands

20. Spy on your competitors

Facing stiff competition from wildly lower prices? Chances are your competitors are facing the same crunch. 

Sign up to their email and SMS lists – interact with their socials – and check if they regularly drop product prices. 

If you see a product regularly on discount – chances are they aren't selling well. Which means it's time to go back to your supplier. 

21. Recognize old stock when it’s not so old

The quickest way to convert slow-moving items to fast-moving items? Ensure that you put these strategies in place beforehand. 

Here’s how you can tell if your stock is moving slowly:

✅ Keep good track of your inventory turnover rate – calculate ITR for each product you sell

✅ Know when products expire – and plan your promotions in advance

✅ Know how much safety stock is too much – avoid ordering huge amounts of product variants in the same product category 

✅ Perform all calculations of stock weekly – this helps you catch downturns early

FURTHER READING: eCommerce marketing automation: 9 underrated ideas

22. Turn raw materials into a complete (but smaller) product

This works in two scenarios:

a) you’ve got finished products – ready for packaging

b) raw materials are lying around for manufacturing inventory not moving

For example, let’s assume that you’ve got a range of unpacked jam that’s not moving as fast – what you can do is convert the jam into a smaller SKU – like a solidified toffee or a smaller package of jam.

You can use these smaller packages:

• For sale in your store 
• As free samplers with packages

This ensures that your raw or unpacked material gets moved out – so you can break even. This also helps generate some demand for the larger variant of the sampler.

23. Create a charity auction

This is a last resort method, but it's great for your brand and saving tax.

The goal here is to make sure that you contribute to a cause – and cut down on variable costs. 

Think of it like a garage auction – except, it's for charity. 

Your customers get to compete – have fun. Meanwhile, you get to write off your inventory as a charitable donation while contributing to a greater good. 

Want to take it a step further? Hire a local venue and make it an actual garage auction or a sale. 

The wins? 

👉 Brand recall

👉 Increased customer loyalty

👉 Some new customers

⚠️ Do make sure you talk over this strategy with your accountant for country-specific taxation laws regarding donations.

⚡ Pro Tip: Consider running an auction for returned items – and dead stock (like Amazon or Walmart does). Or you can create a microsite like Eileen Fisher does for refurbished/obsolete/returned products:

FURTHER READING: Limited Time Offer: 20 compelling examples + how to copy them 

24. Destroy slow moving inventory in the weirdest way possible

This helps you minimize your carbon footprint – and create share-worthy content like:

“We created a table out of Ramen!”

The best part is: the more wacky your projects get – the more you can capitalize on it. 

Here's how Mixoloshe does it with their “can smashing strategy”:

The genius here is that it combines UGC, a bit of giveaway, conversational commerce, and a central theme of doing wacky stuff with a new product that's moving kinda slow. 

FURTHER READING: 10 eCommerce brands winning at Social Commerce (+ Lessons we can learn from them)

25. Ask your supplier for a discount

Ask if they would be willing to take the unsold inventory back, in exchange for a discount on your best-selling items.

This way, you actually save more and earn back the lost capital. 

However, if you see suppliers offering you sudden discounts on product ranges – they may be trying to clear their own stock as well. 

⚡ Pro Tip: If you're all out of ways, you can always liquidate excess stock using reseller platforms.

People Also Ask

Why does inventory become slow?

• Seasonal purchase spans
• Unappealing pricing
• Change in consumer tastes
• Poor product-market fit (for new products)
• Product launches by competitors in the same or similar product categories
• Poor demand forecasting
• The product is a one-time buy kind of item
• You ended up overstocking – because you thought you were getting a good deal

What is the difference between excess inventory and slow-moving inventory?

Not a lot, but if not handled right, excess stock can become slow moving stock. Here’s the exact difference between the both:

→ Slow-moving inventory is made up of products that sell at a slower rate than expected – or haven't sold out for over a typical sales cycle

→ Meanwhile, excess inventory is overstocked inventory – it can be made of fast moving products – or slow moving products.

Excess inventory, if not handled, in time, can become slow-moving, or worse, obsolete.

What’s the difference between slow moving inventory and obsolete inventory?

Obsolete inventory can’t be sold to anyone – because it’s useless/expired/not in demand anymore.

Slow moving inventory, if not dealt with, in due time can become obsolete. For example, customized merchandise that didn’t sell out – or Valentine’s Day heart-shaped breads that didn’t sell.

How do I identify slow moving products in my inventory?

The quickest way to identify slow moving items in your inventory is to look at your inventory turnover ratio (ITR) for each product, individually.

You can calculate your inventory turnover ratio for each product by prioritizing items by demand and time to order.

How to sell slow moving products online?

1. Justify your pricing

2. Plan for downtimes

3. Check for Visibility

4. Use “mix effect” to plan effective sales offers

5. Clear out in bulk with “Flash” & “Clearance” sales

6. Bundle smartly 😉

7. Increase order size with thresholds

8. Refresh the product detail page

9. Roll out the product (once again) – to generate interest

10. Place slow moving products centrally on category pages

11. Create “product-led” content

12. Try live-streaming events

13. Mystery boxes – use intrigue to push the inventory

14. Set up a subscription

15. Use your affiliates

16. Offer it up in exchange for an email

17. Target last-minute shoppers or people with expiring rewards

18. Ask customers to save the product

19. Challenge customers to turn it into #art

20. Spy on your competitors

21. Recognize old stock when it’s not so old

22. Turn raw materials into a complete (but smaller) product

23. Create a charity auction

24. Destroy slow moving inventory in the weirdest way possible

25. Ask your supplier for a discount

Start selling off your excess/slow moving inventory

The box in your office stares at you. As you read this, 98% of your website visitors may have already left, without buying anything.

Why: user experience issues cause friction.

And this is the problem Convertcart solves.

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How we can help you:

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