Sales Mix Variance: Definition, Comparison, Formula, and Example

Based on the budgeted sales mix and actual sales, A’s sales are under expectations by 200 units (1,200 budgeted units – 1,000 sold). However, B’s sales exceeded expectations by 200 units (1,800 budgeted units – 2,000 sold). The sales mix refers to the number of units sold of each product in a company’s line.

The sales price is the cost of the product that the consumer pays, while the cost of materials is simply the cost to produce the product. Sales mix variance explains the difference between the sales mix a company has budgeted for and its actual sales mix. This information helps companies understand how well their products are performing, providing valuable information about the potential profitability of their products. The sales mix is a calculation that determines the proportion of each product a business sells relative to total sales.

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From the two examples, we find that the hamburgers are earning less profit than your grilled cheese. Each hamburger you sell earns you $2 while each https://online-accounting.net/ grilled cheese earns you $4. However, there is a greater demand for hamburgers and you sell five times more hamburgers than you do grilled cheese.

Request a demo today, and watch Zendesk find the solutions to your sales mix at the touch of a button. The sales team of business think they managed to sell 3700 units of product B and 1300 units of product the last year. Furthermore, the same report can be generated at store-level, to align the products allocated to each store to the revenue contribution of those products. This is because different stores have different customer profiles and regional trends, that affect which products get sold and in what quantities. This might be different from the biggest contributor in terms of gross profit, because the highest selling categories might have lower gross margins. So another report that includes margin contribution can show us which department generates the most gross profit for the business.

What Is the Sales Mix?

It’s essential to keep track of the number of items sold per month for each product. Then, determine the percentage of total sales that each item accounts for over a set period (e.g., one year). Sales Mix variance is the difference between the target and actual mix, expressed as a percentage. Companies review sales mix variances to identify which products and product lines are performing well and which ones are not. It tells the “what” but not the “why.” As a result, companies use the sales mix variance and other analytical data before making changes.

This blog post will define the sales mix, provide a formula for calculating it, and give some examples. This company has been doing well, but it is currently experiencing lower net sales and wants to examine its sales mix to pinpoint the problem. Activa decides to compare its two most popular products from the previous year. You can also see that the top contributor to Home Depot’s revenue in all the 3 years was Indoor Garden, which contributed 10.3% to total sales in 2021.

• Through these calculations, we can see the sales of wired speakers had a positive variance, meaning the company made an additional $606 dollars in sales of this product.
• You may earn more per grilled cheese sold, but you earn more overall from hamburgers due to quantity sold.
• The sales mix can be used to plan business results and reach a target level of net income.
• Customer feedback, together with research and market intelligence team, can revamp the product and get it working in the market.
• There are several ways to calculate sales mix; it depends on what aspect of sales you’re looking to analyze.

Sales mix refers to the variety of products offered by a company and the profit generated from this range of products. The sales mix considers the profit margin from each product and the ratio in comparison to its total products. This means that different products may have different profit margins, with some performing much better than others with consumers.

Sales mix variance example

If you know your budgeted mixture and have access to your monthly or annual numbers, you can use this formula to determine the actual sales mix. Companies often change their sales mix over time as consumer preferences shift. For example, if the soda was once a profitable product for a company, but now it’s on the decline, the business might decrease its sales of that item to free up resources elsewhere.

Being able to calculate the sales mix ,and understanding what the best items you can offer for sale will help you be a more effective business owner. Additionally, understanding how the individual numbers compare allows you to make better business decisions. Sales mix is the proportion of different products and services that comprise the total sales of a company. Thus, if a company introduces a new product that has a low profit, and which it sells aggressively, it is quite possible that profits will decline even as total sales increase. Conversely, if a company elects to drop a low-profit product line and instead push sales of a higher-profit product line, total profits can actually increase even as total sales decline.

You can also create a seamless relationship between sales and marketing, thanks to the robust collaboration and communication tools. For example, the profit margin of this same t-shirt can be calculated when using the same numbers from the previous formula. To calculate for a target profit, simply add the target profit to fixed costs and run the same calculations.

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Profit margin is defined as net income divided by sales, and this ratio is a useful tool to compare the relative profitability of two products with different retail sales prices. Assume, for example, XYZ Hardware generates a net income a beginner’s guide to the accounting cycle of $15 on a lawnmower that sells for $300 and sells a $10 hammer that produces a $2 profit. The profit margin on the hammer is 20%, or $2 divided by $10 while the mower only generates a 5% profit margin, $15 divided by $300.

Arm your business with the tools you need to boost your income with our interactive profit margin calculator and guide. No matter what decision is made, a clear plan forward lets your company try a new tactic and reevaluate down the line. With a smart marketing plan, weight sets could move back into a best-seller slot. It’s all about avoiding stagnancy and moving away from decisions that are actively hurting your bottom line.

How Is This Report Used?

Therefore you can find out that the book makes a higher profit of 28% while booking a mix of this profit of 25%. Sales mix variance is a useful tool in data analysis, but alone it may not give a complete picture of why something is the way it is (root cause). Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Read our ultimate guide on white space analysis, its benefits, and how it can uncover new opportunities for your business today. You’ve finished the calculations above and have a pile of numbers in front of you—now what? It’s not worth very much unless you know how to use the results to shift sales practices and plans within the company.

If the sales mix changes drastically from month to month, it can make it difficult for employees to understand how their work contributes to the organization’s larger goals. In addition, because the sales mix is closely tied with costs, a sudden shift in product mix can lead employees to overestimate how much inventory they need. For example, if a chocolate bar is unprofitable and has been outselling the other two items over the past month, the company might decide to drop that item from its sales mix.

As companies complete an analysis of the sales mix, they may find some products more profitable than others. A sales mix is the collection of all of the products and services a company offers. It considers each individual item a company sells, and the profit margin each product earns. While every product may have a different profit margin, the sales mix considers the profit margin of all of the items combined. By analyzing the sales mix, a company can determine which products should receive the most focus and priority, based on the earning capacity, demand, and the resources needed to produce a product.