Stock Keeping Unit
Pronunciation: skew
A unique alphanumeric identifier assigned to a specific product variant for inventory tracking and sales analysis.
Full Definition
A stock keeping unit (SKU) is the fundamental unit of product identification in retail data systems, distinguishing every distinct combination of product attributes such as size, colour, and flavour. SKUs are used across purchasing, warehouse management, point-of-sale, and analytics platforms to link transaction data to specific product records. Editors should render the abbreviation as 'SKU' (all caps) on all subsequent uses after the full term is introduced. The plural is 'SKUs' (not 'SKU's'). In data analytics contexts, SKU-level analysis refers to granular product performance reporting as opposed to category- or range-level aggregation.
Usage
Usage note: The abbreviation 'SKU' is pronounced 'skew' in British retail contexts. Do not confuse SKU (an internal retailer code) with EAN or UPC (external standardised barcodes).
In Context
- "The report analysed sales performance at SKU level across all 4,200 active stock keeping units." — Range review document
- "Each stock keeping unit is mapped to a single EAN barcode in the product master file." — Data integration specification