31.8% of Ad Shoppers Who Reach a Product Page Hit a Sold-Out Size.
Here’s How Stores Recover the Orders
By FeelingWear Research · · 5 min read
Short answer: in FeelingWear data from 14 stores over April–October 2026 (7.4M+ sessions, 92,607 orders), 31.8% of paid ad visits that reached a product page included a click on a sold-out size. When they were shown an in-stock alternative in the same size, 13.2% picked one and 10.2% of those completed checkout. Those recovered orders made up 4.29% of all orders, from traffic the stores had already paid for.
| Stage | Share of paid product-page visits | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Paid visits to a product page | 100% | Sessions that arrived from a paid ad and opened a product page. |
| Clicked a sold-out size | 31.8% | The shopper chose a size that was out of stock: a dead end without an alternative. |
| Chose an in-stock alternative | 4.2% | 13.2% of shoppers who hit a sold-out size picked an alternative offered in their size. |
| Bought the alternative | 0.43% | 10.2% of them completed checkout. These orders were 4.29% of all orders. |
How often do paid shoppers hit a sold-out size?
Nearly one in three. 31.8% of paid ad visits that reached a product page included a click on a size that was out of stock. The most popular sizes sell out first, but the product stays live because other sizes are still in stock, so the ad keeps sending shoppers to a page where their size can’t be bought.
Why a sold-out size click is the highest-intent moment
A shopper who clicks a size has already chosen the product and is one step from adding it to the cart. The only thing missing is stock. Without another option, that click ends in the back button, and the ad budget that brought the shopper in is spent with nothing to show for it.
What recovering the order looks like
When the shopper clicks a sold-out size, FeelingWear shows similar products that are in stock in that same size, right on the product page. In the data, 13.2% of shoppers who hit a sold-out size picked one of these alternatives, and 10.2% of those went on to buy it. Across all paid product-page visits, that is 0.43% of visits that would otherwise have hit a dead end.
How much revenue does it recover?
The recovered orders made up 4.29% of all orders, about 4.5 extra orders for every 100 the stores would have had otherwise. Only the alternative item is credited, not anything else in the basket, and the stores didn’t spend anything more on ads to get these orders.
How we measured it
The data covers 7 months, April to October 2026: 7.4M+ sessions and 92,607 orders across 14 FeelingWear client stores in several retail verticals. Seven months spans both in-season and end-of-season sales periods, so the numbers aren’t driven by a single sale. The funnel shares are percentages of paid ad visits that reached a product page; the 4.29% is a share of all 92,607 orders. An order is counted as recovered only when all three happened: the shopper viewed a product (item A) in a sold-out size, was shown an in-stock alternative (item B), and item B appears as a line item in their completed checkout. There is no modeled, view-through or assisted credit.
What to do about it
- Measure your exposure. The free missing size calculator scans a Shopify catalog for broken size runs and estimates what they cost each month.
- Give every sold-out size a next step. Show in-stock alternatives in the shopper’s size on the product page. See how out-of-stock recovery works.
- Restock from demand, not guesses. The sizes shoppers click while sold out show the buying team exactly what to reorder. Read the FOX case study.
Frequently asked questions
How many shoppers from paid ads hit a sold-out size?
In FeelingWear data from 14 stores over April–October 2026 (7.4M+ sessions), 31.8% of paid ad visits that reached a product page included a click on a size that was sold out.
Does recovering these orders need more ad spend?
No. The orders come from visitors the store already paid to bring in. Nothing changes in the campaigns; the shopper is offered an in-stock alternative in their size on the product page.
How is this different from a back-in-stock alert?
A back-in-stock alert asks the shopper to wait for a restock and come back later. An in-stock alternative gives them something they can buy in their size during the same visit, while the intent is still there.
How are recovered orders counted?
An order counts only when the shopper viewed a product in a sold-out size, was shown an in-stock alternative, and that alternative is a line item in their completed order. Only the price of that item is counted, not the rest of the basket.
How do I find out how many of my sizes are sold out?
The free FeelingWear size scanner checks a Shopify store’s catalog for broken size runs and estimates the revenue they cost each month.
How Much of Your Ad Spend Hits a Sold-Out Size?
Enter your Shopify store URL. We'll scan your catalog for broken size runs and show you how much revenue they're costing you.
Works with any Shopify store · No login required