Retailer Velocity Benchmarks No One Publishes (So We Did)

Every founder wants to know, “what’s good velocity?”  The problem they come across time and again, is that most benchmarks are vague, outdated, or meaningless out of context. So here at Shopra, we built a real one: a benchmark based on what actually drives performance across retail channels and categories.

Velocity = units per store per week (U/S/W) — if you’re not using that lens, you’re not benchmarking anything.

Channel Benchmarks: What “Good” Actually Means

“Good” means something different to everyone, but in the beverage industry, this is how “good” is determined:

To justify shelf space, you need 3+ units per store per week. For ready-to-drink (RTD), energy, or cold drinks, the number climbs to 5-7+. Execution is everything; even small planogram gaps crush sell-through.

Natural & Specialty (Sprouts, Whole Foods)

For natural and speciality stores, expect 4–8 U/S/W for better-for-you beverages. While functional SKUs move slower out of the gate, they tend to show sticker trends.

Strategies like running promotions lead to short-term spikes, but long-term velocity relies on consistent, repeat purchases.

Club (Costco, Sam’s Club)

At retail clubs, velocity is lumpy but big. At these locations, 15–40 U/S/W isn’t rare, especially for hydration, energy, and protein categories. But it’s important to keep in mind these are often sold as multi-packs — and ultimately volume doesn’t mean frequency.

Regional Grocery (Publix, Kroger, Wegman’s, Target)

With regional grocery chains, velocity is highly dependent on store traffic and product placement. Target, in particular, often expects higher performance on front-end displays or coolers, but in most cases, the average velocity ranges from 6-15 U/S/W.

Realistic Category Ranges

Water / Hydration

This category moves fast, especially in club and grocery stores. In high volume stores, you should see 5-8 U/S/W minimum.

Functional Soda

This genre starts slow, but once it finds its audience, it can hit 7–10 U/S/W in natural or grocery stores. At the end of the day, placement is everything for this category.

Protein Drinks

As a more niche category, 3–5 U/S/W is viable if you’re able to drive consistent repeat purchases. You can expect higher than average velocity in gym-adjacent retailers.

Energy

Currently sitting at the highest velocity, 6–12+ U/S/W is common with energy, especially in convenience stores. If you’re seeing low numbers, it’s a sign to dig deeper for a potential issue.

RTD Coffee

Since it’s most tied to routines, expect weekday patterning in this category. In well-placed accounts, healthy velocity sits around 6–10+ U/S/W, neck-and-neck with functional soda.

Why Velocity Shifts Across Distributors

Same SKU, different distributor, and a velocity shift of 2-3x — but why?

• Not re-filling stock fast enough
• Misreporting inventory
• Incorrect pricing or UPCs
• Lack of SKU prioritization

What looks like “bad velocity” at first glance, might just be bad logistics. The only lasting solution is visibility and normalization across all partners.

How to Use These Benchmarks

If you’re pitching buyers

Get specific. Replace “we’re doing well”, with “we’re doing 7 units per store per week in Sprouts and 10 in Target, and outperforming category average by 20%.”

If you’re managing ops

It’s critical to watch for trend breaks. A drop from 8 to 5 U/S/W week-over-week is a red flag, even if the sales look okay.

If you’re building presentation

Don’t overstate. Buyers know the benchmarks — and now, so do you.

Context Is Everything

At the end of the day, velocity is nothing without context. There’s no magic number for “good velocity”, but there is a right number based on where and what you’re selling. If your team isn’t tracking U/S/W week over week, you’re not really managing performance — you’re guessing.

Our team at Shopra has created a Google Sheet version of these ranges you can plug your own data into. (EMAIL XX??) to get it in your inbox.