IBM Sterling Always In Stock: Reducing Retail Out-of-Stocks

White papers

POS

IBM Sterling Always In Stock: Reducing Retail Out-of-Stocks

Describes how IBM Sterling Always In Stock uses real-time inventory visibility and cross-channel order management to locate ATP stock and complete sales when items are out of stock in-store.

Published

June 4, 2026

Read time

3 min read

Source

The white paper explains how retailers lose sales from out-of-stocks and details the Always In Stock solution components: store associate UI for ATP lookup, flexible order management across owned and unowned inventory, and seamless POS and WMS integration. It outlines the locate-transact-fulfill workflow and mobile extension for associates. Implementation focuses on rapid deployment without added inventory or heavy overhead.

Key takeaways

64% of consumers view out-of-stocks as a major issue; lost North American sales total $93 billion annually.

Always In Stock provides real-time ATP visibility across stores, DCs, and other locations via existing POS and WMS.

Solution walks associates through sourcing, sale capture, inventory reservation, and automated fulfillment triggers.

Cross-channel order hub optimizes fulfillment location and method while enforcing retailer rules and customer preferences.

Mobile extension enables associates to check availability, complete transactions, and initiate fulfillment from any store location.

Market overview

SCR methodology note

Vendor landscape

Leaders

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Important consideration

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