Revenue Analytics
Part of Store demand and stock analytics
Measuring lost shopping opportunities from unavailable variants
Define and count observed unavailable-variant actions while keeping later purchases and unobserved demand separate from lost sales.
Count an observed blocked opportunity when a recorded shopper action identifies a particular variant and the shopper could not order it at the time. Report the result as observed blocked interest, with its counting unit. It is not a count of lost orders or revenue.
Choose an eligible signal
A recorded size selection, an attempted add-to-basket action rejected because the option is unavailable, or a restock request can identify interest in a variant. Use each only when the event records that variant. A parent-product view before any option is chosen cannot be assigned to a particular size.
For each eligible action, retain its time, variant key, channel and the orderability state for the shopper’s delivery area. Match the storefront rule, not just the quantity. Shopify normally prevents purchase at zero tracked stock, but continued selling can be enabled. Stock at a location that does not fulfil online orders may also leave an online shopper unable to buy.
Before counting a signal, confirm that the event records the selected variant and can be matched to the orderability state at that time.
State what is being counted
Events count recorded actions and can include repeated attempts by one shopper. Sessions with a blocked variant action count a session once for that variant but can count a person again on another visit. A shopper-level count needs permitted, reliable identity linkage. Choose one unit for the headline and show the others separately if useful.
Report field / What it adds
- Blocked actions under the chosen unit
- Observed interest meeting the stated rule.
- Variant and blocked interval
- The option and time to which the action relates.
- Later same-variant orders
- Recorded purchases within a stated follow-up window.
- Later alternative orders
- Observed substitution under the same linkage rule.
- Outcomes not linked or observed
- The part that remains unknown.
Make later-outcome groups mutually exclusive under a documented rule if they are added together. A shopper may both buy an alternative and later buy the original variant. An action with no linked later order is an unknown outcome, not a lost order.
Key Metrics for Measuring Blocked Shopping Opportunities
- Observed Blocked ActionsCount of recorded shopper actions where a variant was unavailable at time of selection
- Sessions with Blocked Variant ActionUnique sessions where a shopper attempted to order an unavailable variant
- Later Alternative OrdersSubstitutions made for different variants under same shopper identity linkage
- Unlinked or Unobserved OutcomesOpportunities not captured due to hidden products or no action tracking
Show what the count misses
A product hidden while out of stock may generate no product-page events. Shopify allows merchants to hide out-of-stock products from collections. Those unseen opportunities cannot be recovered from the observed action count. Conversely, a recorded selection does not prove the shopper would have completed a purchase.
If planning requires a possible-sales estimate, label it as a scenario, state the assumed purchase probability and follow-up rule, and show how the result changes across plausible assumptions. Keep that scenario separate from the measured blocked-action count.
Impact of Hiding vs. Showing Out-of-Stock Variants on Tracking
- Hidden Product (Shopify setting)
- No product-page views or selections tracked; lost opportunity unobservable
- Visible Product (Even if out of stock)
- Selections, add-to-basket attempts, and restock requests can be tracked
