What It Measures
Percent change in sales tells you how much your sales grew or declined between two periods, expressed as a percentage. Buyers, planners, and store managers use it to compare this week to last week, this month to last month, or this year to last year. A positive result means sales increased; a negative result means they fell.
Worked Example
A clothing store had sales of $40,000 in March and $46,000 in April.
Step 1: Subtract — $46,000 − $40,000 = $6,000
Step 2: Divide by the old period — $6,000 ÷ $40,000 = 0.15
Step 3: Multiply by 100 — 0.15 × 100 = 15%
Sales increased by 15% from March to April.
Tips
Always compare matching periods — a week to a week, a month to a month — or the result will mislead you. When comparing to last year, note any calendar shifts (a holiday falling in a different week) that could distort the comparison. Percent change works for dollars, units, or transactions; just keep the measure consistent on both sides of the formula.
Related Formulas
Continue with more retail math formulas for the apparel industry, review the retail math terminology guide, or browse the apparel industry tools section.