Welcome, Shopify merchants! In the ever-evolving world of e-commerce, staying ahead of the game can often feel like a daunting task. We understand that. But what if we told you there was a way to turn a potential missed opportunity into a guaranteed sale? Sounds good, doesn't it? That's where 'Back in Stock' alerts for Shopify stores come in!
Back in Stock notifications are your silent sales superheroes. They swoop in when a product is out of stock, enabling customers to sign up for notifications and alerting them when their desired item is back in stock. It's a simple yet powerful way to enhance your customer's shopping experience, while also boosting your sales.
<Restock Rocket image of all notification types sent from the app>
But how do you set these alerts up? What should you consider when choosing a back in stock alert Shopify app? And how can you optimize these alerts to get the most out of them? We'll answer all these questions and more in this ultimate guide to setting up Shopify back in stock alerts.
What are Shopify Back in Stock Alerts?
Simply put, Shopify Back in stock alerts are email messages, SMS alerts or push notifications that inform your customer about their favourite product being back in stock again so that they can purchase it. They’re also called Restock alerts or Restock Notifications, and as you can guess from the name itself, it’s specifically for Shopify stores.
<Restock Rocket image of the registration form>
To get an alert, visitors to your store will register their email address or phone number for the out of stock product they want to receive a back in stock alert for. If you restock the product from your Shopify admin after they register, they will automatically get a notification informing them that their product has been restocked and that they should purchase it as soon as possible.
Shopify does not provide a back in stock feature built into the platform, so you will need to use a Shopify application designed specifically to send back in stock notifications. See our top 10 picks for best Back in Stock Shopify Apps <hyperlink>.
Why are Shopify Back in Stock Alerts Important?
If you have products that are in high demand, difficult to produce or require a confirmed buyer list before placing purchase orders, having a back in stock notifications app will make your life easy. Here’s the top 4 reasons why many merchants find back in stock alerts to be an essential part of their Shopify store -
Reduce customer frustration
When a customer wants to purchase a product that is out of stock, it can be frustrating for them to keep checking back to see if it's available again. A Shopify Back in Stock application, like Restock Rocket, provides a simple solution to this problem. Customers sign up to receive email, SMS or push notifications when the product they are interested in is back in stock. And just like that, it reduces their frustration and makes it more likely that they will return to your store to complete their purchase.
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Recover lost sales
When a customer visits your store and finds that the product they want is out of stock, they may leave and never return. Effectively, you may have just lost a sale opportunity. Shopify back in stock notifications provide a way to recover lost sales by notifying customers when the product is available again. This increases the chances that they will return to your store to complete their purchase. And you’ll find that to be the biggest benefit of having a back in stock app. For example, with Restock Rocket, thousands of Shopify merchants have recovered approximately $11 million in order value through back in stock notifications.
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Manage inventory better
A back in stock notifications app will also help you manage your inventory more efficiently. If you track the number of customer sign-ups for a particular product, you can get a better idea of how much inventory you need to keep on hand. This can help you avoid overstocking or understocking products, and you can rest assured that you always have the right amount of inventory to meet demand.
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Target more customers for marketing
Signing up a customer for back in stock alerts is a win-win situation - your customer gets an alert to purchase their favorite product and you get a new opportunity for marketing. When a customer signs up for a Back in Stock Alert, you can collect their email address or phone number. You can sync their data to Shopify, Klaviyo or other platforms and target them with marketing messages in the future such as new product announcements or promotions.
Choosing a Back in Stock Alert App
Now that we've established why back in stock alerts are so crucial for your Shopify store, let's delve into how you can select the right app to manage these alerts effectively. The Shopify App Store is chock-full of options, and we know it can be a lot to go through. So, we'll walk you through the key aspects you need to consider to make an informed decision.
- Features: The first and most critical thing to look for in a back in stock alert app is the features it offers. You want an app that not only notifies your customers when a product is back in stock, but also provides a user-friendly interface and a variety of notification options such as email, SMS, or even push notifications. Some apps also offer advanced features like integration with email marketing software, customization options, and advanced features like campaigns to help you recover more sales automatically.
- Price: As a savvy merchant, you need to balance your budget with the benefits you'll receive. Many apps offer a basic package for free or a low monthly cost, with premium features available for an additional charge. Remember, you want to start with an application that has a generous free tier so you can see the value of a back in stock app before fully committing to it.
- Ease of Use: Let's be honest, nobody likes to spend hours figuring out how to use a new tool. An effective back in stock alert app should be intuitive and straightforward to set up. Look for an app with clear instructions, a clean interface, and round the clock customer support to help you if you get stuck.
- Reviews: Finally, don't forget to check out what other users have to say. Reviews can provide real-world insight into how well the app works and how responsive the developer is to customer queries and issues. Look for an app with a solid rating, at least a few hundred reviews and positive feedback from other Shopify merchants.
Remember, the goal is to choose an app that fits well with your business model and objectives. Spend some time exploring different options and you'll find the perfect back in stock alert app that will keep your customers happy and your sales rolling in.
While we’ve tried to make it easy for you to evaluate your different options when it comes to back in stock apps, we understand that even that can be overwhelming and quite honestly time consuming. That’s why we’ve collated the top 10 best Shopify back in stock apps; read our recommendation based on an in-depth analysis of reviews, features, and pricing.
Setting Up Back in Stock Alerts on Shopify
Now that you know how to pick a Shopify back in stock app that works for you (and hopefully you’ve picked one), we’re going to guide you through setting up the alerts. For this process, we’re going to use Restock Rocket. Restock Rocket is a tried and tested Shopify back in stock app with all the features you need, 24*7 support and a price that can’t be beat. And don't worry, setting it up is simpler than you think and we'll be with you every step of the way.
Install the application
Click this link to open the Restock Rocket app and enter your store’s myshopify domain. You can also go to the Shopify App Store & search for “restock rocket”. Click on the "Add app" button and afterwards, follow the prompts to set up the “Notify me when available” button on your store.
<Restock Rocket onboarding screenshot>
Configure your settings
Now that you’re set up, it’s time to configure your settings. Open Restock Rocket from your Shopify dashboard and navigate to the “Back in stock alerts” section. Here, you can customize how you want the button and back in stock alert registration to appear and function. Select colors that match your store’s brand, change the text as you feel fit and also look into setting up mailing list-based features to grow your newsletter base. See a live preview of the changes you make on the right side of your screen too!
<Restock Rocket Design page screenshot>
Set up notification methods
Restock Rocket allows you to choose how you'd like your customers to be notified when a product is back in stock. This could be via email, SMS, or push notifications. Make sure to enable or disable the channels you’d like customers to register for, and then customize the message template for each.
<Restock Rocket Edit templates page screenshot>
Customize your alert message
Restock Rocket lets you personalize the message that your customers will receive when their product is back in stock. Head to “Back in stock alerts” > Campaigns > Edit Templates to customize your messages. Add your store logo, set your store’s colors and craft a message that encourages your customers to complete their purchase. Make sure to set up the alert messages as you’d like it for each notification method you enabled in the step before.
<REstock Rocket Edit email template screenshot>
Test your back in stock alerts!
It's always a good idea to test your setup before going live. Try signing up for a back in stock alert for one of your products, restock the product in your Shopify admin and check if you receive the back in stock alert. This way, you can make sure your customers will have a smooth experience!<Register for notification with test email screenshot>
And that's it! You've now set up back in stock alerts on your Shopify store with Restock Rocket.
Customising Your Back in Stock Alerts
You've done it! You've got back in stock alerts set up on your store and it's ready to fire off alerts to your eagerly waiting customers. But don't just stop there. Let's explore how you can tailor these alerts to truly reflect your brand and resonate with your customers.
Customise the design
Make sure your button and registration form matches the look and feel of your brand. With Restock Rocket, you can change colors, font and text for the button and registration form. All of this ensures that the back in stock alert experience feels like a part of your store rather than an external addition. The more integrated and cohesive the experience feels, the better it is for your customers. You can even go a step further and contact Customer Support for advanced customizations too! (Or if you have developers or a Shopify Expert, ask them to go to Advanced Controls > CSS to add custom code)
<Restock Rocket Registration form designer>
Personalise your message
Most back in stock apps let you customize the message that is sent to your customers. For example, Restock Rocket lets you add your own text to the notification templates and with dynamic variables, you can send your customers the information they need when making a purchase decision off the back in stock alert. If you have developers in house, you can also set up a custom HTML email template so that the back in stock email looks exactly like all other emails sent from your store.
<HTML template editor>
Send more alerts with Campaigns
In many cases, sending one back in stock alert to your customer may not be enough. To recover sales more effectively, you may want to consider using a set of features called Campaigns, if it’s available on the back in stock app, to send more alerts to your customers on a schedule. Most email marketing software solutions have this feature and it works in a similar way here too - after your customers receive their first alert, the back in stock app can wait a few days and send more alerts to them with different content if they haven’t purchased the product yet. And what’s that mean for you? More time spent on your business doing the things that matter while sales come in like clock-work. We highly recommend looking for an app that has Campaigns built in; Restock Rocket and Back In Stock: Restock Alerts are two apps that have them!
<Restock Rocket screenshot of Campaigns>
Optimizing Your Back in Stock Alerts
So, you've got your back in stock alerts set up and customized to reflect your unique brand personality. But is there more you can do? Absolutely! Let's talk about how you can optimize it to further enhance engagement and drive more sales.
Analyze Your Alert Data
Most back in stock alerts apps provide useful analytics, such as how many customers sign up for alerts and what products are seeing the most number of signups. Use this data to identify trends, spot opportunities to increase inventory purchases or address any issues with product demand. For instance, Restock Rocket has a Products in Demand report that you can use to identify the products that have the least demand. For these products, you can consider reducing the inventory you purchase.
<Product in Demand reports screenshot>
Experiment with Timing
The timing of your back in stock alerts can also influence their effectiveness. If you notice that your customers are more active at certain times of the day or days of the week, try sending your alerts during these times to increase the likelihood of them being seen and acted upon. Restock your products during those specific time periods, and set up your subsequent back in stock notifications to go at that time too.
<Restock Rocket Timing screenshot>
Set up back in stock alerts on pre-order products
Have products that you set up pre-orders for? Well it might be the case that your customers don’t want to place a pre-order but they’d like to purchase it when it comes back in stock. A back in stock alerts app is perfect for that! Most of them have a setting so you can show the “Notify me when available” button and registration form for pre-order products. On an app like Restock Rocket, you can even change the text to something like “Join the waitlist”. And when you restock the product, these customers get notified instantly - leading to new sales!
<Setting to enable for pre-order products>
Conclusion
And there you have it! We've journeyed together through the ins and outs of setting up and customizing back in stock alerts on your Shopify store. By now, you should be a bit of a pro at this! Remember, the power of back in stock alerts lies in their ability to keep your customers engaged, even when their desired products aren't immediately available. It's an incredibly effective way to boost your sales, improve customer satisfaction, and better manage your inventory.
We hope this guide has given you the tools and confidence to get started with back in stock alerts. Every step you take to improve your customer's experience is a step towards growing your business. So go ahead, set up those alerts, and let your customers know you value their interest in your products. Here's to fewer missed sales opportunities and more happy, satisfied customers!
FAQs
We've covered a lot of ground, but you might still have some questions about setting up and customizing back in stock alerts. Don't worry, we've got you covered. Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
Can I send back in stock alerts to customers outside of the US?
Absolutely! Most back in stock Shopify apps support sending notifications to customers outside of the US. However, there may be charges depending on the app and region. For example, Restock Rocket does not charge any fees for sending emails to customers outside the US. SMS notifications start at $0.02 per SMS sent for US/CA and you can see SMS charges for other countries here.
Do I need to use a specific Shopify theme to set up back in stock alerts?
No, most back in stock apps are compatible with all Shopify themes. So feel free to pick a theme that best represents your brand. However, make sure to look for an app that uses Online Store 2.0 technology, like Restock Rocket, to set up the Notify me when available button and registration form on your store. Online Store 2.0 technology ensures that the app installs and uninstalls cleanly, and that is essential to keeping your theme files in good condition.
Can I integrate back in stock alerts with my email marketing software?
Yes, most back in stock alerts apps are compatible with many popular email marketing solutions. For example, Restock Rocket can sync your back in stock registrations with Klaviyo and Shopify with specific attributes so you can target them later for other marketing campaigns.
Do back in stock alerts need to comply with GDPR and other privacy laws?
Yes, all back in stock Shopify apps need to comply with GDPR, other privacy laws and any other rules set by Shopify as defined in the Partner Program Agreement. Restock Rocket is compliant with all three, as are some of the other top apps available on the Shopify App Store.
That wraps up our ultimate guide to setting up Shopify back in stock alerts. We hope you found it helpful and that you're now ready to set up and customize your own back in stock alerts. Happy selling!