When a buyer visits a site to buy a specific product but doesn’t end up completing the purchase as the item is out of stock, they may head over to the competitors’ site to get what they need. Out of stock trick items are a reality for all eCommerce businesses, but it is necessary to limit conceding the sale to another vendor.
Here, BackOrder will give you three ways to deal with out-of-stock products to encourage your buyer to return. Our of stock trick trick will boost your chances of closing a sale and increase their lifetime value with your brand since they will be encouraged to keep coming back.
Trick #1: State if a Product Is Unavailable Temporarily or Permanently
Out-of-stock products may be unavailable temporarily or permanently, so your should clarify which category the product in question falls under to tell your customers to know whether to expect it to return.
Some webs also allow buyers to save out-of-stock items in wishlists or notify them when they are available again. Rather than removing the page and making a dead-end, these strategies will enable you to drive engagement with your users.
Keeping the product on the page will help keep your page’s Google SEO benefits, allowing buyers to save it, encouraging them to return, and boosting future sales.
Trick #2: Deliver BackOrder and Increased Shipping Time
You can also consider delivering BackOrder for products that are currently unavailable but will be available in the future. This strategy will give your buyers something to look forward to and secure the sale even though a product is out of stock.
Delivering a pre-order option or a longer shipping time is another good way of securing the sale immediately. Provided you’re up-front about the product availability, your customers are likely willing to wait a bit longer than usual.
Trick #3: Offer Alternative Recommendations
It is a good idea to use the product page to deliver alternatives to your customers based on their behaviors and preferences. Since you already know what they are interested in, showing relevant items is an excellent way to drive purchases.
You can recommend related products that will be shown when a product is unavailable. These groups can help you avoid losing out on a sale and keep potential buyers interested in your brand.
Many think of redirecting buyers from their product page back to the home page. But that’s not a good idea. It will increase the bounce rate because of unnecessary steps. Instead, keep your buyers moving forward by recommending them more products.
Another good option is to use chatbots to answer questions from customers about stock availability and introduce alternatives based on their needs. Once your customers find other products that meet their needs easily and quickly, they are more likely to make a purchase.
Conclusion
Out-of-stock products don’t have to lead to disappointed customers or a lost sale. Avoid deleting or modifying those pages without considering the loss of their SEO value, as this might negatively affect your place in the search rankings.
Hopefully, our tricks will help you repurpose your out-of-stock product pages to drive engagement and conversion. Try our BackOrder application and Product Recommendation app on your eCommerce site and see how they work for your brand!
