How Many Products to Stock in Cambodia: Why Fewer Can Be Better
Deciding how many products to stock in Cambodia is harder than it looks. Most owners start by adding. A customer asks for something, so you stock it. A supplier offers a new item, so you try it. A competitor sells something, so you add it too. Over a year or two, the shelves fill up, the storeroom gets crowded, and the shop carries hundreds of items, many of which sell once a month or not at all.
It feels safe, because more choice should mean more sales. But every extra product has a cost: money spent, space used, and attention taken from the items that really earn. This guide shows you how to find the right range for your shop, using your own sales data.
What a Bigger Range Really Costs
1. Cash tied up in stock Every product on your shelf was bought with money. The more items you carry, the more cash is sitting still. How quickly that money comes back is measured by your inventory turnover.
2. Space and attention Shelf space is limited. A slow product occupies the place where a best seller could sit, and takes staff time to count, clean, and rearrange.
3. More slow and dead stock The more products you carry, the more likely some stop selling. Our post on dead stock shows how this quietly drains cash.
4. More mistakes More items means more prices to remember, more barcodes to scan, and more chances to ring up the wrong one.
5. Harder choices for customers A wall of similar products can leave customers unsure what to buy, and some leave without choosing. A clear, well-chosen range is easier to shop.
When More Choice Is the Right Answer
Fewer isn’t always better. Some shops win because of their range:
- A minimart or convenience shop that customers visit because it has what they need
- A specialist shop known for carrying hard-to-find items
- A shop where customers buy several things together and expect to find all of them
The question isn’t “how few can I carry?” It’s “which items earn their place?”
Step 1: Let Your Reports Show How Many Products to Stock in Cambodia
Open your sales by item report for a period of at least three months. In MyLekha, reports show sales by item and category, and can be filtered by date. Rank your items from highest to lowest sales.
You’ll usually find that a smaller group of items brings in most of your sales, while a long tail of items sells very little. This lopsided pattern is so common in business that it has a name, the Pareto principle, though the exact balance is different for every shop.
Step 2: Sort Items Into Three Groups
Group A: Your core items The best sellers. These should never run out, and should be easy to find.
Group B: Your supporting items Steady sellers that earn their place. Keep them, and watch them.
Group C: Your long tail Items that sell rarely. These are the ones to question.
This way of grouping stock is known as ABC analysis, and it works just as well in a small shop as in a warehouse.
Step 3: Question the Long Tail
For each item in Group C, ask:
- Does it sell at all? If not, it’s a candidate for removal.
- Is it bought together with something else? Some items sell little alone but help customers complete a purchase.
- Does it bring in a loyal customer? A few regulars may come for one special item.
- Is it seasonal? An item that sells only part of the year may be fine if it sells well then.
- Does it earn a good margin? A slow item with a high margin may still be worth keeping.
- Is it new? Give new items a fair trial before judging.
Step 4: Trim Carefully
You don’t have to cut everything at once. A careful approach is safer:
- Stop reordering the weakest items, and let existing stock sell down.
- Discount what’s left to turn it into cash.
- Watch the effect. Check that sales and customer reactions stay healthy.
- Repeat every few months.
Step 5: Add New Items With a Rule
To stop the range from growing again, use a simple rule such as “one in, one out.” Before adding a new product, decide which weaker one it replaces. Start with a small order, and check after a month whether it sells. Our post on how much stock to order covers a simple reorder method for the items you keep.
A Simple Example
Here is what a small shop’s range might look like after sorting. These numbers are only an example.
| Group | Number of Items | Share of Sales | What to Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: Core | 40 | 70% | Never run out |
| B: Supporting | 80 | 22% | Keep and watch |
| C: Long tail | 180 | 8% | Question each one |
In this example, 180 items, more than half the range, bring in only 8% of sales. That is where the cash is trapped.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Cutting based on one month. Look at several months, so a short slow period doesn’t mislead you.
- Cutting items that bring customers in. Some products draw people to your shop even if they earn little.
- Ignoring seasons. Check last year’s pattern before cutting a seasonal item.
- Removing what your regulars buy. Ask staff which items regulars ask for.
- Cutting too much at once. Trim gradually and check the results.
A Short Checklist
- Pull three months of sales by item
- Rank every item from strongest to weakest
- Split them into groups A, B, and C
- Question each Group C item before cutting it
- Stop reordering the weakest, and discount what’s left
- Set a “one in, one out” rule for new products
- Review again in three months
How MyLekha Helps
1. Sales by item and category Reports show which items sell and which don’t, so your decisions rest on numbers. Our post on finding your best selling products shows how to read them.
2. Stock counts and adjustments Every sale updates your stock, and you can run inventory counts and adjustments, so you can see how much of each item you hold. Our guide to inventory management covers alerts and stocktakes.
3. Compare periods Reports can be filtered by date, so you can check how sales changed after you trimmed an item or added a new one.
4. Compare branches If you have more than one shop, reports can be filtered by store, so you can see whether an item sells in one location but not another.
Quick Comparison
| Adding Without a System | Choosing From Your Reports | |
|---|---|---|
| Adding products | Because someone asked | Because the numbers support it |
| Slow items | Stay for months | Reviewed regularly |
| Cash in stock | Hard to see | Visible through stock counts |
| Range decisions | A feeling | Based on sales by item |
| New items | Ordered in bulk | Tested in small amounts |
Getting Started
If your products and sales are in MyLekha, the reports are ready. If not, most customers load their catalogue and start selling within a day. See everything the system includes on our features page, or check current plans on the pricing page.
FAQ
How many products should a small shop carry? There’s no single number. It depends on your type of shop and your customers. Use your sales reports to see which items earn their place.
Will customers leave if I stock fewer items? Not usually, if you keep the items they want most. Trim carefully, and watch your sales after each change.
How do I know which items to cut? Look at your sales by item report over a few months. Items that sell little, aren’t bought with other things, and earn little margin are the first to question.
Should I always cut slow items? No. Some slow items bring customers in or complete a purchase. Think about why each one is there.
Can I check this for more than one shop? Yes. Reports can be filtered by store, so you can compare branches.
Ready to Choose Your Range From Real Numbers?
See how MyLekha’s reports help you decide how many products to stock in Cambodia, and what to trim. Start your free 15-day trial today, no credit card required.
