Amazon’s New “Potential Sales Lift” Tool – What It Really Means for FBA Sellers
Amazon’s New “Potential Sales Lift” Tool
— What It Really Means for FBA Sellers
Amazon has quietly rolled out a new feature inside Seller Central that every FBA seller should be paying attention to: Potential Sales Lift estimates.
On the surface, it looks like just another dashboard. In reality, it’s Amazon telling you — in dollars — where low inventory is costing you sales.
If you sell via Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), this tool directly impacts how you plan inventory, schedule replenishments, and avoid stockouts that quietly kill momentum.
Here’s what the tool does, what it doesn’t do, and how sellers should actually use it.
What Is Amazon’s Potential Sales Lift Estimate?
Amazon’s Potential Sales Lift estimate shows how much additional revenue your SKU could generate over a four-week period if you meet Amazon’s recommended minimum inventory level.
You can find it HERE in Seller Central:
Amazon calculates this by:
- Analyzing historical sales patterns of similar products
- Comparing those patterns to your SKU’s characteristics
- Modeling what performance could look like if inventory stays above Amazon’s minimum threshold
These estimates refresh weekly (every Sunday).
Important:
This is not a guarantee of future sales — Amazon is clear about that. But it is a strong signal.
What Amazon Is Actually Telling You (Plain English)
When Amazon flags “potential sales lift,” they’re effectively saying:
“Demand exists, but your inventory position is limiting performance.”
This usually happens when:
- Inventory dips below Amazon’s internal “healthy” range
- Replenishment arrives too late
- Stockouts interrupt rank, buy box momentum, or ad performance
In other words:
This is an execution problem, not a demand problem.
Why This Matters More Than Ever in 2025–2026
Consumer spending overall has held up. What’s changed is:
- Increased price sensitivity
- More competition at the Amazon retail level
- Less forgiveness for stockouts and slow replenishment
Amazon now penalizes inventory inefficiency faster and more quietly than ever.
When inventory drops:
- Rankings slip
- Ads underperform
- Recovery takes longer than most sellers expect
The Potential Sales Lift metric is Amazon surfacing that pain before it shows up in revenue reports.
Common Reasons Sellers Miss This Revenue
From a fulfillment and prep perspective, we see the same issues repeatedly:
-
- Conservative replenishment
Sellers try to avoid storage fees and run too lean. - Inbound prep delays
Inventory exists — it just isn’t available to Amazon yet. - Shipment cadence issues
Too many small, reactive shipments instead of a consistent flow. - No buffer for Amazon variability
Check-in delays, FC splits, or placement fees throw timing off.
- Conservative replenishment
The result: Amazon sees demand, but inventory never quite stays “healthy” long enough to capitalize.
How to Use the Tool Correctly (And Avoid Misreading It)
What this tool is good for:
- Identifying SKUs where execution is limiting growth
- Prioritizing replenishment for high-impact items
- Planning inbound timing more proactively
What it is not:
- A promise of guaranteed sales
- A replacement for forecasting
- A signal to blindly overstock slow movers
Smart sellers use it as a directional indicator, not a marching order.
The Fulfillment Angle Most Sellers Miss
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Many sellers don’t actually have an inventory problem — they have a flow problem.
Inventory exists, but:
- It’s stuck upstream
- It’s waiting on prep
- It’s delayed by shipment batching
- It arrives after the demand window has passed
Amazon’s Potential Sales Lift is often pointing directly at that breakdown.
What to Do Next
If you sell FBA and haven’t checked this yet:
-
- Log into Seller Central
- Go to Inventory Planning → Inventory Health
- Review Potential Sales Lift by SKU
Then ask:
- Are we replenishing too late?
- Is prep or inbound slowing us down?
- Are we reacting to stockouts instead of preventing them?
That’s where real gains come from.
Final Takeaway: Use This Dashboard to Strengthen Your Amazon Operation
Whether you’re an FBA seller, a wholesale operator, or running a hybrid model, this new Returns & Recovery dashboard gives you visibility Amazon has never offered before.
Use it to:
- Reduce preventable returns
- Identify operational bottlenecks
- Improve compliance
- Strengthen prep workflows
- Boost the customer experience
- Capture more margin from Grade & Resell
If your operations aren’t tight, this dashboard will make it obvious — and expensive.
If you want help improving your inbound compliance, strengthening prep processes, or reducing return-driven losses, reach out.
This is exactly the operational work we do every day.
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Family-owned and committed to excellence, Swifthouse is a Philadelphia-based warehouse, servicing the East Coast and beyond for more than 15 years. We continually invest in technology, processes, people and facilities to optimize and expand our service offerings.