How To Send Back-in-Stock Emails With Shopify

Knowing how to send back-in-stock emails with Shopify can significantly boost customer satisfaction, increase conversions, and ultimately enhance your sales performance.

Out-of-stock products are a challenge for e-commerce businesses. Every year, North American retailers lose nearly $350 billion annually due to stockouts. Stockouts can result in missed sales and lost opportunities to engage with potential customers. So, how can you minimize the impact? By sending timely back-in-stock alerts when new inventory arrives. This guide shows you how to send back-in-stock emails with Shopify.

What Are Back-in-Stock Notifications and How Do They Work in Shopify?

Back-in-stock notifications alert customers when an out-of-stock item becomes available again. When visitors sign up for notifications, they receive an email or push notification once the item is restocked. Here’s how it works on Shopify:

1. A customer visits a product page and finds that the item is out of stock.
2. Below the product description or buy button, a link appears, saying “Notify me when this item is back in stock.”
3. The customer clicks on the link and enters their email address in a small form.
4. Once the item is back in stock, Shopify sends an automated notification email to the customer.

These notifications can be invaluable for small businesses, allowing them to keep potential buyers engaged and eager to complete their purchase. 

How Do You Send Back-in-Stock Emails With Shopify?

Now, let’s walk through how to send back-in-stock emails with Shopify. We’ll explore two primary methods: using code and leveraging an app. While the code method offers more control, using an app is far easier and quicker.

Setting Up the Back-in-Stock Notifications with Code

For those with web development skills, adding back-in-stock notifications via code is an option. This method typically involves modifying your Shopify product page’s HTML to add a form with an email input field.

However, this approach requires a backend system to capture and store email addresses, which could mean integrating a third-party email marketing service or building your own database. Additionally, once the product is back in stock, you’ll either need to manually send out the emails or create an automation system to trigger the notifications.

While you get full control over the design and functionality with this method, it’s time-consuming and may require ongoing maintenance, especially when Shopify updates or theme changes occur.

Using Shopify Apps for Back-in-Stock Notifications

The easiest and most efficient way to send back-in-stock emails is by using a Shopify app. Apps like PreOrder Now and others in the Stock Alerts category automatically handle email collection, stock tracking, and notifications. With these apps, the setup is simple—install the app, configure your preferences, and you’re done.

Shopify apps also allow you to customize email messages and design notification forms without needing to write any code. These apps do all the heavy lifting, ensuring that customers are notified automatically when products are restocked.

For store owners without technical expertise, apps offer a much simpler and hassle-free option than working with code directly. Most apps come with pre-built templates and a user-friendly interface to help get you set up in minutes.

How Do You Automate Back-in-Stock Emails on Shopify?

Normally, you would need to manually browse your email, find the addresses of visitors who requested back-in-stock alerts, create the notification message, and finally send out the email. This can get pretty tiring for a business owner, but there are helpful workarounds.

Email App Integration

One way to save time is with an app integration for email automation. Shopify Email works for marketing emails, but it doesn’t support automatic workflows, meaning you would still have to send each email manually. This can quickly become time-consuming, especially when multiple products are restocked.

Once your email automation app is set up, your system will send personalized back-in-stock emails to customers automatically, saving you time and effort. You can organize customer sign-ups into folders and filter by product, making it easier to export email addresses into your automation tool.

By automating this process, you ensure that customers are notified as soon as products are available again, increasing the likelihood of completing the sale.

If you’re looking for more advanced features, many email automation tools offer A/B testing, allowing you to experiment with subject lines, email content, and timing to maximize open rates and conversions.

Why Back-in-Stock Emails Are Important for Your Shopify Store

Back-in-stock notifications not only help retain customer interest but can also drive up conversions and increase sales. Here are some benefits:

• Customer Engagement: Customers are more likely to return to your site and purchase when they know they’ll be notified once an item is back in stock.
• Improved Customer Retention: These emails make customers feel valued and informed, helping build loyalty.
• Increased Revenue: By notifying interested buyers, you reduce the chances of losing a sale due to stockouts.

Back-in-stock notifications can help transform lost sales into actual purchases. By staying engaged with your audience and reminding them of items they’re interested in, you create more opportunities to convert window shoppers into loyal buyers.

How to Set Up Back-in-Stock Emails: Best Practices

When setting up back-in-stock emails, follow these best practices to ensure your notifications are effective and timely. By focusing on timing, personalization, and clear calls to action, you can significantly increase the chances of turning interested customers into buyers. Here are some key strategies to follow:

1. Timing is everything: Send back-in-stock emails as soon as inventory is updated, ensuring customers can make a purchase immediately.
2. Personalization improves engagement: Use your email automation tools to personalize subject lines and content, improving open and click-through rates. A personalized email can make a significant impact, especially when it speaks directly to the customer’s interest.
3. Mobile optimization enhances interaction: Ensure your back-in-stock notifications and emails are optimized for mobile devices, as many customers shop on the go. Mobile-friendly emails have a higher chance of being opened and acted upon.
4. Use clear CTAs for conversion: Make it easy for customers to complete their purchase by including prominent calls-to-action (CTAs) in your emails. A well-placed CTA, such as “Shop Now” or “Buy Before It Sells Out Again,” can guide the customer toward conversion.

Adding social proof, like customer reviews or scarcity messaging (e.g., “Only 3 left!”), can also encourage users to act faster.

See How To Send Back-in-Stock Emails With Shopify

Knowing how to send back-in-stock emails with Shopify can dramatically improve your customer retention and boost sales. Whether you choose to go the code route or use an app, make sure you implement this feature to capture lost opportunities and keep customers engaged.

By automating this process, you’re not only saving time but also ensuring that your customers receive timely and relevant information. This can help you stay competitive and provide a more personalized shopping experience for your customers.

Want to know the best way to learn how to send back-in-stock emails with Shopify? Take your favorite store app for a free test drive. Discover the ideal Shopify app solutions today.