Stockout

A stockout is when a product has no units left to ship, so a shopper who wants it cannot buy it.

By Berend Vrakking, founder of Product Metrics. Updated 7 October 2026.

Example

Worked example, ads keep running for three days
Day	Stock at start	Ad clicks	Ad spend	Orders
Day 1	5	100 clicks	€50.00	5
Day 2	0	100 clicks	€50.00	0
Day 3	0	100 clicks	€50.00	0

Trail Runner 2 sells out on day 1. If its ads keep running at €0.50 a click, days 2 and 3 cost €100.00 for clicks that cannot become orders. Illustrative data.

For one product, and for an account

A stockout happens to one product at a time, but an account-level view rarely shows it. Total stock looks healthy while your best seller has run out, and its ads keep spending until someone notices.

Inventory Insights in Product Metrics works back from each product’s lead time, safety buffer and projected demand to a reorder date, so you can act before the stock reaches zero. If a product runs out anyway, its stock label in Merchant Center, which you approve, drops to paused and returns when the restock lands. Campaign settings stay yours.

Common mistake

Looking at total stock instead of stock per product. A full warehouse does not help the one product that has run out.

Questions

What is another word for stockout?

Out of stock. You will also see it written stock-out or stock out; the spelling changes, the empty shelf does not.

What causes a stockout?

Usually demand higher than expected, a supplier that delivers later than planned, a reorder placed too late, or a stock count that does not match the shelf. A buffer of safety stock and a reorder date worked back from lead time reduce the risk.

Should I keep advertising a product that is out of stock?

Usually not. Clicks on a product you cannot ship cost money and cannot become orders. Lower its priority or pause it until the restock lands, then return it.

Keep reading

Inventory InsightsSee reorder dates and stop paying for clicks on stock you cannot deliver.
Days of inventoryHow long your stock lasts before a stockout.
Safety stockThe buffer that protects against a stockout.
Lead timeHow long a restock takes, which sets when you must reorder.
Custom labelsHow a stock change reaches your Google Shopping campaigns.
Dead stock inventory: how to find it and clear itThe other side of stock: products that have stopped selling.