Managing inventory is very difficult, just look at all the brick-and-mortar retailers going bankrupt because they'd bungled it.
If a part isn't selling - there are many reasons "management by numbers" can screw up:
Inventory shows part in stock, but actually there's none or trade-size incorrect (reels, tape, bulk, single). You can't sell what you don't have, or packaged wrong for typical production.
A part out of stock looks like a loser, it's not selling better drop it. My grocery store sells out of items fast, then thinks the item is selling poorly
and drops it from their lineup.
Inventory shows part in stock, but actually there's an error in specs/category. You can't sell what customers can't find.
Inventory shows part in stock, but it's been replaced by a new part. You wouldn't design-in old parts, so it gets orphaned.
When parts get discontinued, the price gets jacked up to make money from desperate purchasers I guess, until Engineering gives an alternate p/n on the BoM. I don't see any discounted/surplus pricing at all on Digi-Key and assume they then sell the stuff to surplus dealers, probably Marketplace Vendors lol. I get annoyed the items have gone up not down in price.
The New Product intros are nice, but there's nothing highlighting unique, cool parts or the lineup afterwards.