During high-demand seasons, BigCommerce merchants frequently face situations where customers inquire about out-of-stock items. If these requests go unmet, it can lead to lost customers and negatively impact profits. This article explores the 5 best strategies to implement BigCommerce back in stock notification, helping merchants retain customers and boost revenue.
What is BigCommerce back in stock notification?
BigCommerce back in stock notification is a valuable feature designed to automatically inform customers when an out-of-stock product is available again. This notification system typically works through email or SMS, alerting customers who have shown interest in purchasing a product that was previously unavailable.
Here’s how it works:
- Customer Opt-In: When a product is out of stock, an option is presented to the customer to receive a notification when the item is back in stock. They provide their email address or phone number to sign up for the alert.
- Restock Trigger: Once the merchant replenishes their stock, the BigCommerce system automatically triggers the notification to be sent out to the customer.
- Customer Notification: The customer receives a personalized email or SMS, informing them that the desired product is now available for purchase. This message usually includes a direct link to the product page, encouraging immediate action.
- Increased Conversion Rates: By offering back-in-stock notifications, merchants can recapture sales that might have been lost due to product unavailability. This system keeps the customer engaged, increasing the likelihood of conversion once the product is back.
- Boosted Customer Loyalty: This feature not only reduces the chances of lost sales but also enhances customer satisfaction. Customers appreciate being kept in the loop, which builds trust and loyalty toward the brand.
Overall, BigCommerce back in stock notification is a proactive way for merchants to keep potential buyers engaged, avoid losing sales, and improve the overall shopping experience.
5 Best Strategies to implement BigCommerce back in stock notifications
In Stock Reminder
In Stock Reminder’s core logic is to let customers register for an email list that will receive notifications when the item is back in stock. The app also allows for customizing the subscription button and pop-up window to maximize conversion. Furthermore, users can export data to CSV format for further analysis.
Above all, the tool is easy to set up and comes with great customer service. However, current customers feedback that that app works better if your products don’t contain a lot of variants with different SKU.
Price:
- Basic plan for $14.95/month
- Advanced plan for $24.95/month
- Unlimited plan for $34.95/month
InStockNotify
This is one of the most highly valued apps in the BigCommerce marketplace when it comes to in-stock notifications. Once an item is assigned to the app, a sign-up field will be added as soon as it goes out of stock. Then InStockNotify will trigger automatic email campaigns to alert customers of product fulfillment. You are free to customize the email template to match the look of your store.
The cheap price is another plus point to attract customers.
Price: $18/month
Back in Stock Product Alerts
Back In Stock Product Alerts is developed by Swym to support merchants in driving more sales from out-of-stock and pre-ordered items. The app allows shoppers to subscribe for sold-out items at a variant level. Then it will automatically send alert emails and follow-up notifications to accelerate conversion. One special feature is that customers don’t have to log in to fill up their information.
You can retrieve information to stimulate personalized campaigns targeted at alert users. Furthermore, the app can be integrated with your ESP (Klaviyo, Omnisend, Mailchimp, etc.), CRM (Hubspot, Zaius, Salesforce, etc.), social media, and automation platforms.
Price: $49.99/month
Klaviyo flow
Klaviyo is among the most popular email marketing platforms for e-commerce merchants. It is widely used for newsletters, promotion campaigns with email automation, avoiding shopping cart abandonment with automation, and many more. If you don’t want to use another third-party app, you can consider installing a back-in-stock flow in Klaviyo.
Basically, when this shopper browses an out-of-stock product, a “Notify Me When Available” button will appear instead of the “Sold Out” button. If they click on this button, a form will show up allowing them to fill in their information. At this point, a “Subscribed to Back In Stock” event will be added to their Klaviyo profile and they will be informed once the item is restocked.
This can be done by going to your BigCommerce admin, Storefront > Script Manager, and choose Create a script. Klaviyo developers recommend setting up the script as following:
- Name of the script: Klaviyo back in stock
- Location on page: Footer
- Select pages where the script will be added: Store Pages
- Script type: Script
Next, update the script with your Klaviyo Public API key, and paste the updated script into the script box. Save the script and you’re all set.
Note that this requires certain programming skills to install and fix. You might want to hire a technology expert instead of doing it yourself.
BackOrder
Unlike BigCommerce back in stock notifications apps, backorder allows visitors to place an order immediately instead of waiting for the inventory to arrive. This helps avoid the situation when customers are no longer interested in the item after waiting for a long time. The core logic of the app is to let them order and receive the product later.
Once an item is assigned to backorder, there will be a note stating the currently available stock and the available backorder number under the product description. Note that the buy button is still usable with this app. You can also identify the expected delivery date so that the customer knows when to look for the shipment.
The app also allows for attaching the backorder list in the invoice to make sure that consumers are fully aware of their order status.
Furthermore, you can find tracking of the total number of back-ordered amount and items over time to examine your business performance.
How BigCommerce BackOrder Can Help Your Store in BigCommerce Back in Stock Notification?
BigCommerce BackOrder is another powerful tool that works hand-in-hand with the BigCommerce back in stock notification feature to enhance your store’s ability to manage inventory and meet customer demands efficiently. While back-in-stock notifications inform customers once a product is available, backorders allow customers to place orders for out-of-stock items, ensuring they don’t miss out on purchasing their desired products.
Here’s how BigCommerce BackOrder can complement back-in-stock notifications:
- Prevent Lost Sales: Backorders enable customers to place orders for out-of-stock items right away, which can be combined with back-in-stock notifications for those who prefer to wait for an official restock. This way, you capture sales immediately, even before inventory is replenished.
- Enhance Customer Experience: By offering both backorders and back-in-stock notifications, you provide customers with flexibility. Some customers may prefer securing the product right away via backorder, while others may wait for the product to be fully restocked.
- Maintain Customer Engagement: When customers place a backorder, they remain engaged with your store and receive updates about their order status. Meanwhile, the back-in-stock notification serves as a fallback for those who didn’t place a backorder but still want to be notified when the product is available.
- Inventory Management: BigCommerce BackOrder helps you manage your inventory more effectively by providing insights into the demand for certain products even before they are restocked. This data can assist in forecasting and making better stocking decisions.
- Boost Customer Loyalty: By offering multiple options for customers to secure their desired products, you create a more customer-centric shopping experience. The combination of backorders and back-in-stock notifications ensures that customers feel valued and prioritized, leading to increased customer loyalty and retention.
Integrating BigCommerce BackOrder from GritGlobal with back-in-stock notifications ensures that your store is fully equipped to handle stock shortages, reduce missed sales opportunities, and maintain a seamless customer experience.
Final Note
There are many ways to enable back-in-stock notifications in your store, be it in-stock notification apps, email workflow, or BackOrder. We’re running on free forever with BackOrder. The app can also connect with BigCommerce Automation to centralize your management. Take a look at your choice and decide on the most suitable option for BigCommerce back in stock notification.
