Just In Case - JIC

An inventory strategy in which companies keep large inventories on hand. This type of inventory management strategy aims to minimize the probability that a product will sell out of stock. A company practicing this strategy essentially incurs higher inventory holding costs in return for a reduction in the number of sales lost due to sold out inventory.

The JIC inventory strategy is much different than the newer 'just in time' (JIT) strategy where companies try to minimize inventory costs by producing the goods after the orders have come in.

The older 'just in case' strategy is used by companies that have trouble forecasting demand. With this strategy, the companies have enough production material on hand to meet unexpected spikes in demand. Higher storage costs are the main disadvantage of this strategy.