Why Your Product Didn’t Sell (and What to Do Before Discounting It)

It can be so disheartening when you’ve poured your heart, soul, time, effort, and money into a new product, only to see it… flop.

It’s especially tough when you’ve got a ton of stock behind it and feel like your only option is to discount heavily to clear it. Not only can that eat into your profits, but it might not align with your brand image either.

But there’s often a simple reason why your product isn’t selling, and it might not have anything to do with the product itself.

I’m a Stock & Profit Specialist with over 20 years’ experience in retail, helping small businesses make sense of their data and get their stock working harder for them.

So before you reach for the discount code, here’s my no-nonsense guide to what to check first, and how to improve your product sales without slash the price.

1. Is Your Product Visible Enough?

Before assuming your product’s a flop, check whether customers actually know about it or can find it.

Ask yourself:

• Was there enough of a launch campaign around it?
• How often have you talked about it on social media and in your emails this month?

Remember, your audience won’t see every single post or email. If you feel like you’ve mentioned your product loads, chances are most of your followers still haven’t seen it. You might be tired of talking about it, but your customers won’t be!

Check Your SEO

It’s important to think about how easy it is for customers to find your product, both on Google and on your own website. Is your product name and description clear enough for search engines (and shoppers) to understand what it is?

For example, Secret Garden might be a beautiful name for a rose-scented candle, but Google doesn’t know it’s a candle. Customers searching for “rose-scented candle” or “soy candle” won’t find it. A clearer name like Secret Garden Rose Scented Soy Candle tells Google (and your customers) exactly what it is.

Also, think about what your audience might be searching for. Make sure your description clearly outlines all the key features and specifications so Google understands your product and can show it to the right people.

Naturally weave in keywords and phrases your customers are likely to use when searching. For example, if your candle would make a lovely present, include phrases like “great gift for Mum” or “Mother’s Day candle.” This helps your product appear in searches for gifting ideas.

If you want expert guidance, Laura from White Light Studio, an SEO strategist for small businesses, has a fantastic free download, Get Your Products Seen, which helps you optimise your product titles and descriptions for better search visibility.

Check Visibility on Your Website or Shop

Even if your SEO is solid, your product still needs to be easy to find once customers land on your site or walk into your shop.

Is it buried on page 10 of a collection or hidden in a corner in your physical shop?

If so, move it! Try featuring it on page one of key collections or giving it a more prominent in-store position to test if visibility is the issue.

If It’s Still Not Selling...

If your product is visible everywhere, online, in-store, and across your marketing, but still not selling, then it’s time to look deeper. The issue might lie in your pricing, product range, or product page conversion (we’ll get to that next).

2. Where Does It Sit Within Your Product Range?

Sometimes it’s not that your product is bad, but it’s that it’s competing for attention within your own range.

Ask yourself:

• Do you have multiple products that are too similar? For example, a Rose Candle and a Rose Oud Candle might be splitting your sales.
• Or is your range simply too big, making it hard for customers to choose and for you to give every product the attention it deserves?

If your range is too large, you’ll likely find:

• Your marketing feels spread too thin, you can’t showcase everything equally on social media or in emails.
• Your website feels cluttered, making it harder for customers to browse and buy.
• Some products never get the spotlight they deserve.

If this sounds familiar, it might be time to refine your range. (You can read more about this in my blog [How Many Products Do You Really Need in Your Small Business?])

How to Simplify Your Range and Boost Sales

If you have products that are splitting sales, or just too many to manage, look at discontinuing or discounting the lower-performing one.

A leaner range has big benefits:

• It helps your bestselling products shine.
• It makes your marketing more focused and effective.
• It keeps your stock and cash flow healthier.
• And it makes shopping simpler for your customers.

When customers can choose easily, they’re far more likely to buy.

3. Is Your Product Priced Right?

Pricing can make or break a product, even if everything else (like design, quality, and visibility) is spot on.

If your product isn’t selling, it’s worth checking whether the price is hitting that sweet spot between value and profit.

Compare Against Competitors

Start by benchmarking your price against similar products in your market.

Create a simple spreadsheet and note down:

• The product name and brand
• Materials or ingredients used
• Features or functionality
• Any extras that add value (for example, eco packaging, handmade quality, or premium scents)
• Postage and packaging costs

This will help you see where your price sits in the market,  and whether it feels fair from a customer’s perspective.

Could It Be Too Cheap?

It might sound strange, but pricing too low can actually hurt your sales. Customers often associate low prices with poor quality, especially for lifestyle, gift, or homeware products.

If your product is significantly cheaper than competitors, ask yourself whether it might be undervaluing your brand or making customers question the quality.

Find the Sweet Spot

• The goal is to find the balance where:
• You’re covering your costs and making a healthy profit.
• The price reflects the quality and value of your product.
• Your customers feel confident that what they’re buying is worth it.
• A small price tweak, up or down, can sometimes make all the difference.

4. Is Your Product Page Converting?

Your product page is where the sale happens, so if it’s not doing its job properly, even the best product can struggle to sell.

Take a moment to review your product page objectively and check:

• Does it make people want to buy?
• Does it answer all the questions a customer might have?
• Does it remove any hesitations that could stop them from checking out?

Check Your Imagery

Your photos should be clear, consistent, and engaging. Customers can’t touch, smell, or feel your product online, so your imagery needs to help them imagine owning it.

Use lifestyle images to show your product in context (for example, a candle glowing on a bedside table or a mug styled on a breakfast tray). These visuals help customers picture how your product fits into their life.

Review Your Product Description

Your description should do more than list features, it should sell the experience.

For example, buying a scented candle online is tricky when customers can’t smell it. Your job is to bring that scent to life through words. Describe how it feels, is it calming, fresh, floral, cosy?

Also, make sure the basics are covered:

• Is it clear what the product is and how to use it?
• Are your postage and delivery details easy to find?
• Do you include size, material, or care information?

For extra inspiration, check out Studio Cotton’s blog, 9 Enticing Details of a Really, Really Good Product Description, as it’s a brilliant read packed with practical tips from an expert website design studio for small businesses.

Get a Fresh Pair of Eyes

We’re often too close to our own products to spot what’s missing. Ask a friend, family member, or fellow small business owner to review your product page and tell you what they think.

• Do they understand what the product is and why it’s special?
• Would they buy it based on what’s there?

Their feedback might reveal simple tweaks that could make a big difference.

You can also visit The Ecommerce Assistant’s blog for 9 Expert Tips for Creating Irresistible Product Pages for Your Online Shop. Elle’s blog is a brilliant resource from a Klaviyo and Shopify specialist, packed with practical, actionable advice for small business owners.

5. Use Your Audience to Find Out Why Your Product Isn’t Selling

When in doubt, ask your customers! Your audience can be a goldmine of insight when you’re trying to figure out why a product isn’t performing as well as expected.

Sometimes the issue isn’t that people don’t like your product,  it’s that they simply haven’t seen it yet. Other times, there might be small tweaks (like colour, scent, size, or price) that are putting them off.

Ask for Feedback

Use your social media platforms or email list to open the conversation. Ask questions like:

• Have you seen this product before?
• If you haven’t bought it, what’s stopped you, was it the price, colour, size, or something else?
• What kind of products would you love to see next?

People love to share opinions, and asking directly not only gives you valuable data but also makes your customers feel heard and involved in your business.

Don’t Be Discouraged, Every Product Teaches You Something

If you’ve checked all these factors and exhausted every way to improve sales, it might be time to discontinue the product. That’s not a failure, it’s part of running a smart, sustainable business.

When that moment comes, have a read of my blog [When (and How) to Discontinue a Product Without Hurting Sales or Your Brand], it’ll help you make that decision confidently and strategically.

But don’t be disheartened. Every product teaches you something valuable about your customers, your range, and your business. What you learn now will help you make stronger decisions next time you develop or launch something new.

If you’d like help understanding why a product didn’t sell and what to do next, my Product Audit Service might be exactly what you need. I’ll dig into your sales and stock data, uncover what’s really going on, and create practical actions to help you clear inventory, without always resorting to discounting.

You’ll walk away with:

Clear, data-led insights

Actionable next steps

And a better understanding of what your numbers are really telling you

I only open a few Product Audit slots each month, so check back soon or drop me an email to find out when the next ones become available.