inStock

In stock, often written as instock, is a retail and logistics term describing inventory that is presently available in sufficient quantity to fulfill customer orders immediately or without delay. It is commonly used to distinguish available items from products that are backordered or out of stock.

Instock status is tracked across warehouses, stores, and online storefronts. Accurate instock information is essential for ordering, fulfillment, and customer experience, and is typically shown as part of product detail pages or procurement dashboards.

Managing instock levels involves demand forecasting, inventory replenishment, reorder points, and safety stock. Lead time from suppliers, supplier reliability, and seasonality influence instock status. Technology such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, warehouse management systems (WMS), and real-time inventory feeds support visibility.

Having products in stock supports sales and customer satisfaction by enabling immediate fulfillment and reducing backorders. However, excess inventory raises carrying costs and risks obsolescence.

Common strategies to improve instock reliability include just-in-time replenishment, optimizing reorder quantities, multi-channel fulfillment, safety stock management, and supplier diversification. Metrics used to monitor instock performance include service level, fill rate, stock turnover, and days of inventory on hand.