SKU quantity selection for AliExpress sellers: key considerations and suggestions in the start-up stage

As a world-renowned B2B e-commerce trading platform, AliExpress provides sellers with broad sales opportunities. However, sellers entering the AliExpress market for the first time face key decision-making challenges when determining the number of SKUs (stock keeping units). This article will discuss the start-up stage suggestions and key considerations for selecting the number of SKUs on the AliExpress platform.

Advice during the start-up phase

For sellers who are new to AliExpress, it is recommended to focus on a small number of SKUs in the start-up stage to enhance market understanding and business efficiency. These suggestions include:

1. Market understanding and learning: Focusing on limited SKUs can help sellers gain a deeper understanding of the demand and competition in the target market, thereby mastering the operating rules of the AliExpress platform and improving operating efficiency.

2. Reducing business risks: Focusing on a small number of SKUs can effectively reduce business risks in the start-up stage and avoid inventory backlog problems caused by excessive inventory investment.

3. Improve product quality: The limited number of SKUs allows sellers to focus on improving product quality and ensuring that each product meets high standards, thereby winning the trust of consumers.

Key considerations for SKU quantity

When determining the appropriate number of SKUs, several factors need to be considered:

1. Industry and product characteristics: Different industries and product characteristics have different requirements for the number of SKUs. Some specific areas may require more products to meet diverse needs, while other industries can increase product exposure through intensive development.

2. Warehouse and logistics capabilities: Increasing the number of SKUs requires corresponding warehousing and logistics capabilities. Sellers need to ensure they can effectively manage and handle increased inventory to prevent problems caused by poor inventory management.

3. Market competition: Paying attention to market competition is an important factor in determining the number of SKUs. If competition is fierce, sellers may need to add SKUs to promote product differentiation.

4. Brand positioning and strategic planning: It is particularly important to clarify brand positioning and strategic planning. Some brands may prefer to dig deep and focus on a small number of premium SKUs, while others may choose to cover a wider market by launching a large number of SKUs.

By comprehensively considering the above factors, sellers can develop a SKU strategy that meets their business needs. Sellers entering the AliExpress market for the first time should start with a small number of SKUs and gradually expand their business scale. This strategy helps reduce operating risks, improves the efficiency of experience accumulation, and lays a solid foundation for future long-term success.