Live selling glossary / Metrics
Sales per hour (GMV per hour)
Definition
Sales per hour is a show's total sales divided by its length on air. It normalises for show length so a two-hour show and a six-hour show can be compared, and it is the metric that tells a host whether to keep going or sign off.
A show's sales per hour is rarely flat. It is highest in the first hour, when the room is fullest and the best items usually go up, then decays as viewers leave. Watching the live rate against the show's own average is the simplest momentum signal there is: when the current hour drops well below the average, something needs to change or the show should end.
Whatnot's own live analytics panel began showing sales per hour in 2026; before that sellers computed it from the post-show export.
The number
Median sales per hour by platform is a headline figure in the Live Selling Index every week. See this week's figures.
Related terms
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