Dock-to-stock measures the gap between when a truck delivers your inventory and when those units appear as available in the warehouse management system. During that gap, your products exist physically but not digitally. Customers see “out of stock” even though the product is sitting on a pallet 50 feet from the pick line.
Why Brands Can’t Track This
Unless your 3PL shares receiving timestamps, you have no visibility into dock-to-stock time. You only notice the symptom: products show out of stock days after the delivery receipt confirms arrival.
When It Matters Most
Restocks after a stockout and peak season inbound. If your 3PL takes 72 hours to process receiving during November, your restock doesn’t actually help until mid-week. Plan inbound shipments accordingly.