A store audit before running ads: what we found in one Singapore store
Before we ran a single ad for a snacks and groceries store in Singapore, we did a read only store audit. Its sales on RedMart (Lazada) looked fine at SGD 34,122.95 a month. The audit found paused ads, inactive listings and expired promotions. Here is what we checked, and how to check your own store.
A store audit checks everything behind your sales chart: the ad account, the listings, the stock, the promotions and what each product earns after fees. Do it before you spend on ads. Ads bring buyers to the store as it stands, so if campaigns are paused, listings are off and promotions have run out, the ad money goes into a store that is not ready.
This post walks through a real one. In May 2026 we audited a snacks and groceries store in Singapore, selling on RedMart (Lazada) and Shopee, before we ran a single ad for it. The audit was read only: we could see everything and changed nothing. The figures are the real ones, with the store name removed.
Sales looked fine: what the chart showed
In May 2026, the month of the audit, the store sold SGD 34,122.95 on RedMart. Snacks alone sold SGD 24,915.65, nearly three quarters of it. The chart of sales by month, back to October 2024, looked fine. But a sales chart shows only what sold, not what had stopped working behind it.
| Category, as RedMart names it | Sales |
|---|---|
| FoodImpulse, the snack lines | SGD 24,915.65 |
| Beverages | SGD 4,962.35 |
| Frozen | SGD 3,057.45 |
| FoodCommodity | SGD 858.60 |
| DairyAndChilled | SGD 328.90 |
| Total | SGD 34,122.95 |
From the seller analytics of RedMart, on a real screen of the store, name removed.
What the store audit found
- Ad account
- Below zero, two RedMart campaigns paused
- Listings
- 165 of 563 inactive
- Stock
- 399 products flagged low on stock
- Promotions
- 27 of 35 RedMart promotions expired, none scheduled for June
- Shopee voucher sales
- SGD 841.92 in March, SGD 21.00 from 1 to 18 May
Real figures from our read only audit, store name removed.
The ads were paused. On Shopee and Lazada, ads are paid from a balance you top up in advance. This ad account had gone below zero, and its two campaigns on RedMart sat paused. The ads had been paying back, so the account was topped up within days.
Almost 3 in 10 listings were inactive. A listing is the page of one product, and an inactive one cannot be seen or bought. For the share, divide the inactive listings by all listings: 165 divided by 563 is 0.293, or 29.3%.
And 399 products were flagged low on stock. If ads work on a product that is about to run out, it sells out sooner, and its sales stop until it is back.
Most promotions had expired. A promotion is a deal set up in Seller Centre, such as a discount or a flash sale, with an end date. On RedMart, 27 of 35 had passed it, and on 22 May none was scheduled for June.
Voucher sales on Shopee had fallen sharply. These are the sales made with a voucher, a discount the buyer applies at checkout. They were SGD 841.92 in March and SGD 21.00 from 1 to 18 May. To compare periods of different lengths, divide by the days: SGD 841.92 over 31 days is about SGD 27.16 a day, and SGD 21.00 over 18 days is about SGD 1.17 a day. Before vouchers go back on, read why a voucher can raise sales and lower your profit.
Margin first, then ad spend
After the audit came the margin: what a product leaves you after the marketplace fees and its own cost. An ad is paid out of it, so the margin is the most an ad can spend on one order before that order loses money. Fees differ by category, and yours are on the income statement in Seller Centre. More on this in ads by product, not by shop.
Five days after the audit we built a profit model, a sheet that works out the margin of each product, for 36 pack sizes of 21 products. One product in two pack sizes is two lines, since each size has its own price and cost. On 17 June we checked the model against the real fees and costs. Shopee Ads went live on 22 June, a month after the audit.
| Date | What was done |
|---|---|
| 22 May | Read only audit of RedMart, the Lazada storefront and Shopee |
| 27 May | Profit model, 36 pack sizes of 21 products |
| 17 June | Profit review on the real fees and costs |
| 22 June | Shopee Ads live, two campaigns, one on the best range |
| 6 July | A new sponsored campaign live on RedMart |
| 22 September | Promotions on a written routine, each working day |
Real dates from the client project, name removed.
Of the two Shopee campaigns, one ran on the best range, the products that earned most. On RedMart the account had been topped up, and a new campaign went live on 6 July. From 22 September the promotions ran on a written routine, each working day: a calendar that depends on one person remembering it stops the week that person is busy.
- May 2026, the month of the audit
- SGD 34,122.95
- September 2026
- SGD 42,243.63
The result of one store, not a promise.
The case study of this store shows every step on its own screens, with each month between May and September.
Your store audit checklist for this week
Run the first checks yourself in Seller Centre, and write each number down to compare next month. For a quick first pointer, our free two minute store check asks ten questions and says what to fix first.
- Ads: on Shopee Ads, or Sponsored Solutions on Lazada and RedMart, check that the balance is above zero and no campaign is paused without a reason.
- Listings: count the products that are not live, divide by all your listings, and find out why each one is off.
- Stock: list the products low on stock, and keep them out of ads until they are restocked.
- Promotions: count the expired ones, then look at the calendar for next month. If nothing is scheduled, plan the next deals now.
- Vouchers: compare voucher sales this month with an earlier month, a day at a time.
- Margin: for your best selling products, work out what each earns after fees and its own cost. Only then choose which products get ads, and how much each may spend on one order.
Questions sellers ask
What is a store audit on Shopee or Lazada?
A store audit is a full check of a marketplace store: the ad account and its campaigns, the listings, the stock, the promotions and vouchers, and what each product earns after fees. It looks for what the sales chart does not show, such as paused ads or expired promotions, and ends in a list of what to fix first.
Should I audit my store before running Shopee ads?
Yes, if you can. Ads send buyers to the store as it stands, and they are paid out of your margin. In the store above, Shopee Ads went live a month after the audit, once the profit review had shown what each product earned, and so which products could carry ad spend.
What does a read only audit mean?
Read only means the auditor can see the store but changes nothing in it: in this audit, nothing was edited, saved or submitted. We work through a sub account on your own store, with the permissions the work needs, and you can remove the access at any time.
How long does a store audit take?
Our Full Store Diagnosis takes 3 business days for one store, counted from payment and data, and is read only. You get a written report with the five biggest leaks, three competitors and their price bands, the margin on your top 20 products and your ad spend against margin, then a 45 minute walkthrough. Start a monthly plan within 30 days and the fee comes off your first invoice.