Best Practices For Out Of Stock Email Notification
Out of stock email notification can be seen as a timely solution for online businesses every time there is an unexpected stockout. No matter how serious the event’s consequences are, this email alert can be a key to retain customers and rescue the revenue. In this article, we’ll give some common practices for out of stock email notifications that help maintain business growth, including when customers have placed an order and when they haven’t. When your customers have made an order, but the product is out of stock Apologize sincerely for the stockout Once businesses cause any inconvenience for customers, it will affect the business image. But if customers feel the sincerity of the merchant’s apology, they will be sympathetic towards the merchant. Apologies shouldn’t be long-winded. Write politely as much as possible, show your regret and responsibility for the inconvenience. By making a sincere apology, Little Dudes and Divas, a fashion brand, has gained their customers’ sympathy: “Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience.” Notify customers of when it’s back-in-stock Businesses can also utilize out of stock email notifications to inform customers promptly when a product becomes available again. Moreover, incorporating incentives for a key to retain customers and rescue the revenue. In this article, we’ll give some common practices for out of stock items can help maintain customer interest and loyalty. Whether through a modest discount or complimentary shipping, such gestures can significantly enhance customer satisfaction. Alternatively, providing a discount code or free shipping voucher for their next purchase serves as a token of appreciation and encourages continued patronage. Offer a refund For customers who have paid in advance but don’t want to wait any longer, offer them a refund. Make clear how and when people can get the refund. Thus, customers will know that the business highly appreciates credibility and always puts customers’ benefits first. Therefore, they will come back in the future. One more time, offering them a discount or free shipping for the next order will make them stay with the business. When your customers want to buy a product, but it’s out of stock Setup product page to register for back-in-stock notifications When customers surf on the product page to find the item they are interested in, it’s a letdown to realize that it’s out of stock. In this case, set up the product page so that customers can easily register to get notifications of the restocked product by providing their email address if they wish. Businesses can send email notifications to customers as that product is back-in-stock. Don’t forget, the notifications need to be sent as soon as possible. Send waitlist notification email Unlocking the power of waitlist notification is a good way online businesses should apply to keep customers happy. Let customers add the a key to retain customers and rescue the revenue. In this article, we’ll give some common practices for out of stock product to their waitlist, and then send them a waitlist notification email. Note that the item they are seeking has been added to the waitlist, and when the item is restocked, they can continue to order. Forever21, a fashion retailer, sent emails after their customers added an a key to retain customers and rescue the revenue. In this article, we’ll give some common practices for out of stock email notification product to the waitlist. The email was simple and got to the point: “We’re received your waitlist request and will buzz you as soon as it’s back in stock!”. Furthermore, they enclosed the notification with a product recommendation for their customers. Recommend similar products As mentioned in Forever21’s case, product recommendation is another effective way. Offering some related products makes more sense than just asking shoppers to wait. Enclosing a link to these products sometimes can lead customers to purchase that product if they don’t want to wait for too long. Another key is that, if shoppers don’t actually want to purchase their intended item, this similar product list can be helpful for them and might be preferred to the stockout one. Fortunately, when customers have found what they want, they won’t come to competitors. By offering related products, Forever21 made their customers came back to the site and made purchases. Recommend backorder Backorder recommendation isn’t a bad choice and even better than other ways. Offer customers to place a backorder and deliver it when the product restocks. The pros of backorder are that businesses won’t lose revenue and customers won’t leave the store to buy from other competitors, customers can save their time as they needn’t take many steps to purchase the product. In this way, however, the merchants should try to manage the back-in-stock date to ensure customers don’t have to wait too long. BackOrder has helped many eCommerce businesses with out-of-stock issues and increased their customers’ experience. Solve Your Out-of-Stock Challenges with BackOrder for BigCommerce Inventory management is one of the most challenging aspects of running an online store, especially when dealing with out-of-stock items. Every out-of-stock product represents not only a lost sale but also a potential lost customer. With BigCommerce lacking native support for backorders, many merchants find themselves scrambling for workarounds that are time-consuming and inefficient. Enter BackOrder, the game-changing app designed to automate your backorder process and keep your sales flowing smoothly. BackOrder automatically switches products to backorder status as soon as inventory hits zero, ensuring you never miss a sale. This seamless transition eliminates the need for manual updates or temporary fixes like pre-orders. Not only does BackOrder handle stockouts effortlessly, but it also enhances the customer experience. Customizable notifications keep your customers informed about product availability and expected restock dates, reducing frustration and increasing satisfaction. Plus, our app integrates seamlessly with your existing IMS/ERP systems, maintaining a single source of truth for inventory management. With BackOrder, you can set thresholds to control backorder quantities, plan incoming inventory, and keep customers in the loop, all while enjoying 24/7 professional support. If you’re struggling with lost revenue due to
How to Convert Customers Who Are Interested in Out-Of-Stock Products on BigCommerce
Losing a customer is a pain, especially when it is due to sold-out products. It takes effort to bring a customer to a website. So you need a solid strategy to handle stockout situations to retain the customer interested in your products. If you are on BigCommerce, some ways to retain customers even when you went out of stock are: Encourage Back-in-Stock Notification Signup If the product is currently out of stock, then you can prompt the visitor to enter their email so that they can be notified by email when the product is back in stock. Moreover, submission of an email by a user has two advantages; first, it signifies they intend to purchase and are likely to be converted when contacted by email. Secondly, you get their email for approaching them in the future for promotions. Communication plays a huge role after a visitor is added to the mailing list. The company should send them automated emails for thanksgiving for their interest, for alerting them when the product is in stock. The company must make them feel valuable and important as the chance of their conversion into customers is very high. This is not a native feature of BigCommerce, but you can find a solution by searching the app marketplace or contact developers for custom coding. Allow Backordering on BigCommerce When a visitor places an order for a product that is out of stock, it is called backordering. Some businesses view backorder as guaranteed sales and thus allow visitors to place backorders. In the case of backorders, a customer is willing to wait sometime for the delivery of their favorite product. The company should allow backorders only if it can deliver as managing customer’s expectations is an essential aspect of managing backorders. Be sure to check out other blog posts to discover best practices for handling backorders, how to write the best backorder policy, and 5 simple steps to set up backorder. On BigCommerce, you can find a simple solution to enable backorders for out-of-stock products that is using the BackOrder app. It does more than just changing purchasability. For instance, it can ensure your customers get notified of availability on the storefront. As well as automatically handle threshold and back-in-stock date and give you a sale report. Share Related Products Another effective technique to convert a customer interested in an out-of-stock product is to share related products. This tactic can help you capture sales from visitors looking for an out of stock product as these customers might be interested in a similar product. You can catch a customer’s attention by recommending products based on how other customers tend to shop. You are more likely to capitalize on the sale by matching their habits and suggesting products accordingly. If you don’t have too many out-of-stock products, use this guide to set related products on your BigCommerce store. But seeing too many sold-out products might decrease the conversion rate, so you should either hide them or turn on backorder. Clarify Expected Restock Date Providing an expected restock date will help consumers to make better decisions. If your business has a shorter out-of-stock window, then mentioning the restock date will help you save a sale as it will appeal to visitors who are willing to wait. Add Personal Info/ Extra Bonus in Back-In-Stock Email Personalizing the back in the stock email goes a long way in improving the conversion rate. If you can collect a visitor’s email address and their name on the webpage of an out-of-stock product, it will help you send a more personalized email when the item is restocked. You can also try to convince the customer with a coupon/voucher to return to your website later to make a purchase when the product is restocked. You can also motivate the visitor to share their email for back-in-stock notification in return for the savings/discounts. Conclusion It is possible to convert customers who land on out-of-stock product pages by using various methods supported by BigCommerce. It is an opportunity to build on communication and improve their experience so that they have positive views for your brand.
