Lifecycle
Every product in SKU.io has a lifecycle state: Active, Phasing out, Discontinued, or a state you create yourself. The state decides whether SKU.io still plans, reorders, backorders and lists the product, and how much of it your channels show. This chapter covers the whole exit of a product, from the first decision to stop buying it to the last unit sold.
You work in three places:
- PIM → Lifecycle is the workspace for everything that's exiting. Its tabs are Overview, Sell-through, Scheduled, Suggestions, Successors and FBA checklist, and it opens on Overview.
- PIM → Clearance Plans lists your markdown plans for products you're clearing.
- Settings → Products → Product Lifecycle holds the rules: States, Sell-out, Channels, Suggestions, Clearance and Customer notices, with a link to Product seasons.
To change one product, open it and use Change lifecycle… in its Actions menu.
New to lifecycle states? Start with How product lifecycle works.
Understand the model
| To… | Go to… |
|---|---|
| learn what each state changes, how products move between states, and how discontinuing differs from archiving | How product lifecycle works |
Set up
Decide what each state allows, what happens when a discontinued product sells out, how your channels show it, and which seasons your products belong to. Start at Set up.
| To… | Go to… |
|---|---|
| change what each state allows, or add your own states | Customize lifecycle states |
| choose whether listings stay live, end or are archived when stock runs out | Choose what happens when a product sells out |
| set how Shopify and Amazon FBA handle ending products | Set up channel lifecycle behaviour |
| create product seasons, tag products, and mark core lines as never out of stock | Set up seasons and carryover |
Change a product's lifecycle
Move products between states now or on a date, link the products that replace them, and act on what SKU.io suggests. Start at Change a product's lifecycle.
| To… | Go to… |
|---|---|
| stop buying a product and sell through what's left | Discontinue a product |
| place a last order and discontinue on a set date | Phase out with a final buy |
| change the state of many products, or of a matrix product's variants | Change lifecycle for many products or variants |
| name the product that replaces an old one and pass its sales history on | Link a successor product |
| plan a change for a future date, then move or cancel it | Schedule lifecycle changes |
| bring a product back to Active, or undo a recent change | Reactivate a product or undo a change |
| accept, dismiss or snooze the products SKU.io thinks should change state | Review lifecycle suggestions |
Sell through
Follow ending products until the last unit is gone: track sell-through, mark down prices, offer closeout stock to wholesale buyers, and close out FBA stock and seasons. Start at Sell through.
| To… | Go to… |
|---|---|
| learn what SKU.io does when a discontinued product's last unit sells | What happens when a discontinued product sells out |
| track ending products and act on the ones that need you | Work the Lifecycle workspace |
| plan step-by-step markdowns for products you're clearing | Create a clearance plan |
| approve, change or skip the markdowns a plan suggests | Review and approve clearance markdowns |
| send leftover stock to wholesale buyers as a file, a linesheet or an email offer | Sell off closeout stock |
| deal with discontinued products still at Amazon FBA before aged-stock fees start | Work the FBA checklist |
| close a season and decide what carries over | End a season |
Lifecycle reference
Look up states, policies, channel behaviour, clearance settings, file columns, alerts and permissions. Start at Lifecycle: Reference.
| To… | Go to… |
|---|---|
| look up each built-in state, its chip and the reasons you can give | Lifecycle states reference |
| look up every row of the policy matrix and its default for each state | Lifecycle policy matrix reference |
| see what ending or deleting a listing does on each marketplace | Sell-out behaviour by channel |
| look up price floors, guardrails and "was" price rules | Clearance plan settings reference |
| import or export lifecycle, successor and season data | Import and export lifecycle data |
| look up lifecycle alerts, automatic run times, workflow triggers and permissions | Lifecycle alerts, automations and permissions |
| fill in the closeout linesheet PDF template | Closeout Linesheet template reference |
Next steps
- Read How product lifecycle works before you change your first product.
- Ready to stop buying a product? Go to Discontinue a product.
- Want a last order first? Go to Phase out with a final buy.