Important: This service was previously called Pointy, and it's now fully integrated into Google. The Pointy box is now the product reader, and the Pointy app is now the Local Inventory app.
You can use the Local Inventory app or the product reader to add products to Google. When you add your in-store products to Google with the Local Inventory app or the product reader, they are assigned a stock status based on the frequency of sales.
Each product has a unique scanning pattern, which we use to determine its stock status. For example, if a carton of milk is scanned every 20 minutes, and then it isn’t scanned for 5 hours, we determine that it's out of stock.
Learn about stock status labels
In stockA product is labeled “in stock” if there’s a high level of confidence that it’s available based on the scanning and sales pattern.
A product is labeled “limited stock” if there’s a low level of confidence that it’s available based on the scanning and sales pattern.
A product is labeled “out of stock” if there’s a high level of confidence that it isn’t available based on the scanning and sales pattern.
Out of stock products won’t show on Google. When a product is back in stock and you scan it at your register, it shows as “in stock” again.
Understand stock status accuracy
If a product sells often, stock status is reliable. Products that don't scan often or have an infrequent scanning pattern may be labeled with “Unknown availability.”
Stock status accuracy increases:
- The longer the store is live
- With more scans and sales
- When retailers use the Local Inventory app on a POS integration
- When retailers supply inventory counts