“In-stock head start” program makes inbound products available for sale

Amazon is opening up a pilot program to allow selling temporarily out-of-stock items immediately, even before the goods arrive at a fulfillment center.

The creatively titled In-Stock Head Start pilot program is open for sellers on an opt-in basis. The Program allows your customers to buy inbound stock so long as Amazon is confident in the date the product will arrive at a fulfillment center, reports sellerjournal.com.

Amazon:

“With the new In-Stock Head Start pilot program, customers can find and buy your temporarily out-of-stock products when your shipment is on its way to the fulfillment center.

Even with the best inventory planning, popular products may sometimes go out of stock, and that can affect your product discoverability and sales. With this new Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) pilot, we will make your out-of-stock products available for customers to find and buy when your shipment is on its way and we are confident about its arrival date. Customers will benefit from a wider selection of products, and you could see higher or more consistent sales”.

The enrollment page is here.

Incoming inventory needs to be sent using Amazon’s Partner Carrier Program, Amazon Carrier Central, or Amazon Global Logistics. These programs allow Amazon to see when the product(s) will arrive and create in-stock estimations based on said information.

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