A common mistake among people starting to look at e-commerce data is treating every "growth" figure as if it meant the same thing. Sales growth (number of items sold) and revenue growth (total value generated) tell different stories — and confusing the two can lead to wrong decisions.
A product can sell many more units and still generate less revenue if its average price dropped due to promotions or competition. Likewise, a product can have few sales but high revenue if the average order value is high. Understanding which of these two indicators matters most for your goal is the first step to not being fooled by pretty but empty numbers.
On Vellum Lens, that distinction is clear: every product, shop and creator has separate indicators for sales growth and revenue growth, calculated over periods of 7 to 180 days, always comparing the current cumulative figure with a previous snapshot. That means growth is not an opinion — it is a mathematical comparison between two real moments of data collected directly from TikTok Shop.
One important point: when the comparison base is very small (a product that had few sales before), the growth percentage can look exaggerated — going from 10 to 100 sales is "900% growth", but that does not necessarily mean the product became a mass phenomenon. That is why looking at growth alongside absolute sales volume is essential so you do not confuse "truly went viral" with "small base, pretty number".
The correct reading is always combined: percentage growth + absolute volume + how long the product has been on the market. That is what turns a loose number into a business decision.
Want to stop guessing and start deciding with real data? Try Vellum Lens for free.
