Data types · Availability
In stock, out of stock, and everything in between. By retailer, store, postcode and seller.
A product that can’t be bought doesn’t matter how well it’s priced. Availability moves faster than price, varies by store and fulfilment method, and decides more lost sales than any competitor’s discount. Import.io tracks it as shoppers see it — store by store, seller by seller — and tells you the moment it changes.
| Store | Pickup today | Delivery | Ship to home | Stock signal | Last change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati 0921 | out | out | in stock | — | 14:02 |
| Dayton 1156 | in stock | in stock | in stock | 12 on hand | 09:40 |
| Columbus 2208 | out | in stock | in stock | — | 13:15 |
| Louisville 3310 | in stock | out | in stock | only 3 left | 11:52 |
| Indianapolis 4471 | in stock | in stock | in stock | — | 08:05 |
| Online seller B | — | — | backorder | ships in 2–3 wk | 10:30 |
You can’t sell what nobody can buy.
Availability decides more lost sales than price. A stock-out at the store a shopper uses, a delivery slot that disappeared, a seller that switched to backorder — each sends the sale somewhere else, and none of it shows up in a national average.
Import.io captures availability the way the shopper meets it: per store and postcode, per fulfilment method, per seller, with the stock signals pages reveal. Your stock-outs become alerts; competitors’ become opportunities.
- Retail pricing and supply chain
- Brand sales and account teams
- Ecommerce operations
- Category management
- Commerce-intelligence platforms
What availability data answers.
Six questions teams use it for most.
Stock-out alerts
Your products going out of stock at any retailer, store or channel, as it happens.
alertsCompetitor stock-outs
When competitors run out, so pricing and promotion can react while the gap lasts.
opportunityOn-shelf availability
In-stock rate by retailer, region and store as a sales KPI for brands.
KPIFulfilment coverage
Pickup, same-day delivery and ship-to-home availability by location.
fulfilmentLaunch distribution
How quickly a new product becomes available across retailers and stores.
launchSupply signals
Backorders, lead times and “only N left” signals as early demand and supply indicators.
signalsThe data, field by field.
| field | type | example |
|---|---|---|
| retailer | str | homedepot |
| store_id | str | 0921 |
| zip | str | 45202 |
| product_id | str | 312345678 |
| gtin | str | 0033287… |
| status | enum | out_of_stock |
| fulfilment | enum | pickup_today |
| stock_signal | str | only 3 left |
| lead_time | str | ships in 2–3 weeks |
| seller | str | first_party |
| changed_at | ts | 2026-09-25T14:02Z |
| retrieved_at | ts | 2026-09-25T14:05:10Z |
- Retailer store and product pages
- Store locators and inventory lookups
- Grocery and quick-commerce platforms
- Marketplaces and seller offers
- Distributor and B2B catalogues
The hard parts, handled.
What breaks when this is done with scripts, and how Import.io handles it.
Store-true status
Store and postcode are set the way a shopper sets them, so status reflects that store, not the retailer’s national default.
Fulfilment, separated
Pickup, delivery and ship-to-home are captured as separate statuses, because a product can be all three at once.
Stock signals parsed
“Only 3 left”, backorder dates and lead times are parsed into fields, not left as text.
Change, not snapshots
Every status change is timestamped, so stock-out duration and frequency are measured, not guessed.
Three ways to get it.
Same capture engine underneath each one.
Aperture
Pricing and category teams who want stock-outs alongside prices and promotions in one application.
learn more →Managed feeds
Supply, sales and data teams who want store-level availability delivered hourly, under an SLA.
learn more →Self-service platform
Analysts who want to build their own availability monitors.
learn more →Programs collect publicly displayed availability. Where a store or postcode must be set, it is set the way any visitor sets it; no shopper accounts are used.
Availability data questions.
Straight answers.
Can you track availability by store?
Yes. Store or postcode is set per request, so status is captured for each store you specify.
Do you distinguish pickup from delivery?
Yes. Pickup, delivery and ship-to-home are captured as separate statuses.
How often is availability refreshed?
Hourly for priority products, daily for the long tail.
Can you alert on stock-outs?
Yes. Status changes are timestamped and delivered as alerts for your products and competitors’.
Do you capture stock levels?
Where a page shows them — counts, “only N left” or lead times — they are parsed into fields.