How E-Commerce Companies Can Continue Selling When Products Are Out of Stock

E-commerce companies can keep selling out-of-stock products by pooling inventory across supplier networks, treating stock as a shared resource, and enabling real-time fulfillment through connected partners.

The Problem of Stockouts in E-Commerce

Stockouts are a major growth constraint for online retailers. When products are unavailable, sales stop, customer trust erodes, and acquisition costs increase.

This episode explores how infrastructure startups are redesigning inventory to make e-commerce more resilient.

Making Inventory a Shared Resource

We meet Eliott Jabès, co-founder and CEO of Stockly, a company founded in 2018 with his partner Oscar.

Stockly’s core idea is simple but powerful: make stock a commodity. Instead of each retailer relying solely on its own inventory, Stockly connects merchants to a broader network of suppliers.

Selling Even When You’re Out of Stock

Stockly enables e-retailers to continue selling products even when they are unavailable locally.

By tapping into a shared supplier network, retailers can:

• Avoid lost sales
• Improve product availability
• Offer a smoother customer experience

Inventory becomes flexible rather than a fixed constraint.

Building Resilient E-Commerce Infrastructure

This model transforms inventory from a bottleneck into infrastructure.

Networked stock allows e-commerce companies to:

• Scale without overstocking
• Reduce operational risk
• Adapt quickly to demand fluctuations

Startups like Stockly play a key role in modernizing supply chains.

From Early Days to Scaling the Vision

In the episode, Eliott shares:

• The early days of building Stockly with Oscar
• The mission behind redefining inventory
• The story and strategy behind their fundraising round

These insights highlight what it takes to build foundational infrastructure for digital commerce.