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Inventory

ABC analysis

ABC analysis prioritizes items by economic contribution and separates high-impact A items from B and C items.

Also known as

ABC classification

Direct answer

What is ABC analysis?

ABC analysis prioritizes items by economic contribution and separates high-impact A items from B and C items. It prevents teams from treating every SKU equally. A items need tighter forecasts, more frequent reviews, and closer availability control.

Formula

Item contribution = sales volume × value per unit

Practical example

Twenty percent of SKUs generate 80 percent of contribution margin. Those items become class A and are monitored daily.

What teams should remember

ABC analysis prioritizes items by economic contribution and separates high-impact A items from B and C items.

It prevents teams from treating every SKU equally. A items need tighter forecasts, more frequent reviews, and closer availability control.