6 Best Practices for Out of Stock Email Notifications [2024]

Stockouts are almost unavoidable for all online businesses. Sometimes, the customers may go crazy after one product, or the market demand may cause the product to fly off the inventory shelves. Generally, for online businesses, out-of-stock product means a loss of potential customers and revenue for that product. But not necessarily using the out-of-stock email notifications.

Many eCommerce businesses use back-in-stock alerts for the stockout products to retain customers and revenue. You can get the most out of the out-of-stock notifications in your online store if you know the right practices.

In this blog post, I will uncover some of the best practices for out-of-stock email notifications that you can implement in your store.

Table of Contents:

• 6 Best Practices for Out-of-Stock Email Notifications
  1. Notify Shoppers As Soon As the Product is Restocked
  2. Write Compelling Subject Lines
  3. Provide Alternative Products
  4. Instruct Customers if the Product is Discontinued
  5. Give an Incentive to Shop with You Again
  6. Keep it Simple
• Final Thoughts

6 Best Practices for Out-of-Stock Email Notifications

1. Notify Shoppers As Soon As the Product is Restocked

After the products are restocked, it is crucial to notify the customers that had opted to receive the back-in-stock notifications.

After sending the first email, you can send them regular reminder emails to entice them to make a purchase. If you are a Magento store owner, the Magento 2 Out of Stock Notification extension facilitates visitors to subscribe for the back-in-stock alerts and saves from losing a sale.

2. Write Compelling Subject Lines

Moreover, the customers have great enthusiasm in knowing when the product is available in stock again. Try inculcating an eye-catching subject line that can easily capture the customers’ attention and creates a sense of excitement amongst them. It needs to be clearly visible and short enough. You can include the subject line as “back-in-stock” followed by the product’s name.

As a result, the shoppers will have a clear idea about the stock availability. Then, try adding CTAs like “Limited Stock Availability,” “Hurry Up,” and so on to create a sense of urgency.

3. Suggest Alternative Products

One of the best practices for sending out-of-stock notification emails to customers is showing product suggestions. Sometimes, it may be possible that you have a better alternative to the product that the customer was trying to purchase. Rather than just making the customer wait for the product, they may prefer an alternative.

This can help you rescue the sales that you may have just lost.

For example, you are selling t-shirts of various brands in your online store. A customer wants to purchase a specific t-shirt from a certain brand that is out of stock in your store. In this case, the customer is more likely to purchase t-shirts of a similar type from the same brand.

Add links and images of similar products and ask if they are interested in those similar items as their substitute. This way, you can save the customer experience and retain the sales in your online store.

4. Inform Customers If the Product is Discontinued

It is essential to inform the customers if the product they’re interested in is never going to get back in stock or else show back in stock notification and make them know when the product is back in stock. Neglecting it can leave the customer hanging, just like waiting for a ship at an airport!

Just politely inform the customers that the product is discontinued and offer sincere apologies. This can save your brand from the loss of reputation.

5. Incentivize For Purchase

People are more likely to get attracted by the incentives. They prefer shopping from brands that offer them special discounts, coupons, or free shipping. Once the products are back-in-stock, you can offer lucrative deals and discounts to the customers who have subscribed to receive the notifications. This can motivate them to purchase the product they were looking for.

6. Keep it Simple

While sending back-in-stock alert emails, keep them simple and to the point. You do not require to add lengthy descriptions and introductions. The main focus should be on notifying the customers that the products are available back and offer a direct path to purchase. Add CTAs that capture the shoppers’ attention and encourage them to purchase.

Final Thoughts

Product stockouts are almost unpredictable. Customers may feel disappointed, but how you handle out-of-stock notifications matters. The back-in-stock email offers shoppers a satisfaction they did not miss out on and thrives to satisfy their needs. Thus, these best practices for out-of-stock email notifications are essential to drive customers back to your store and motivate them to make a purchase.