Stock levels
The stock level label appears on item tiles to provide customers a general idea of how much inventory is available on the shelves in their selected store. The stock level label is not a guarantee of availability, rather an indicator of the likelihood that the item will still be available when the order is fulfilled. Instacart uses machine learning to predict how much stock is available based on information collected while orders are fulfilled. The predictions can change throughout the day.
In-stock levels
When items are available or likely available, the following levels are possible:
- Many in stock. An item has more stock than the machine learning algorithm expects for this item. For example, a store might have a special promotion running and has increased their stock for that time period. A Many in stock label appears below the item information.
- In stock. An item is in stock on shelves. This is the baseline state for most items a store carries. No label is displayed.
- Likely out of stock. An item is running low. A Likely out of stock label appears below the item information. Instead of an Add button, a customer can click a Request button to request the item and also select a replacement item.
The following image shows two items, one with the Many in stock label and one with the Likely out of stock label:
Out of stock
If an item is reported to be out of stock, the item tile is shown in an inactive state. In the inactive state, the Add button and item price are hidden, the Show similar button is active, and the tile colors are muted. A customer can click the Show similar button to view a list of suggested replacement items.
The following image shows an item tile in the inactive state:
