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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe typical process flow of a notification looks a little something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- A customer lands on a product page where the product is out of stock. <\/li>
- They sign up to receive a notification when the product is restocked, either by email, phone, or both. <\/li>
- You restock the product.<\/li>
- You notify subscribers that the product is restocked and provide them with a quick route to purchase. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
What Are The Benefits of Using Back In Stock Notifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The most obvious benefit of adding these notifications to your eCommerce website is allowing customers to show their interest in an out of stock product and join a virtual waiting list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, that\u2019s just the beginning of a long line of benefits, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Recovering lost sales<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When a customer lands on an out of stock listing, you immediately lose a potential sale because they can\u2019t buy the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This campaign gives you a chance to recover that lost sale by alerting customers when it\u2019s back in stock and providing them with a quick way back into the purchase funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Sustaining customer interest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One of the first actions a customer can take when discovering an out of stock product is heading back to Google to see if your competitors have stock – abandoning your website in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in Stock Notifications help sustain customer interest by creating an expectation that the product will be restocked and allowing them to take a positive action towards obtaining it. This removes the need to exit your website immediately and could lead to further product discovery and purchases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Generating social proof<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
These campaigns not only highlight that a product is so popular it\u2019s sold out, but they also act as social proof suggesting that others want the product so much that you\u2019ve had to create a waiting list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many customers, a waiting list creates feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out) and exclusivity that prompt them to sign up. Think of fancy restaurants with long reservation lists and exclusive night clubs that are invite-only – it\u2019s the same concept, only you\u2019re creating hype around a product rather than a 10-course dinner or celebrity-clad dancefloor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Creating excitement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Studies show<\/a> the brain releases more dopamine in anticipation of a reward than when receiving a reward. This means that subscribing to a notification and waiting for the product to be restocked is arguably more exciting than going and buying that same product from your competitor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Enhancing the customer experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Out of stock products aren\u2019t great for the customer experience, but that doesn\u2019t mean all is lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Providing customers with a convenient way to buy an out of stock product shows that you care about making the best of a bad situation, and that they can rely on you to restock the item and push them first to the queue when you do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Providing customer insights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Finally, these notifications are a neat way to measure customer demand. You can figure out which products are worthwhile restocking and which have had their day simply from the number of people who express their interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best Practices for Recovering Customers with Back In Stock Notifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a lot going for these notifications, but never forget that an out of stock item is still risky and will inevitably lose sales and customers. Therefore, you must do everything you can to enhance your alerts, so they retain and recover the most customers possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Make sign-up clear and easy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
First, it must be blindingly obvious that customers can subscribe to alerts because you need them to see this before exiting the page or your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From our experience, the best ways to make subscriptions clear and easy are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Adding the sign-up box directly under the out of stock notice. <\/li>
- Ensuring the box takes up an appropriate amount of space to be noticed on the page. <\/li>
- Using a clear and bright CTA button. <\/li>
- Adding exit-intent pop-ups to your website<\/a> to disrupt any exit. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
2. Use multiple communication channels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You no doubt use multi-channel sales, marketing, and cart abandonment strategies for your eCommerce business – your notifications should be no different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Provide customers with the option to receive stock notifications via email and\/or SMS. This gives them control over how you contact them while increasing the chances of your notifications been seen, read, and acted upon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web_staging_fern.staging.cartstack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/SMS_Mockup-01.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Notify customers as soon as possible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s important to notify customers as quickly as possible when you restock a product because the last thing you want is for customers to land on another out of stock product page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as items are back on the shelves, use your notification tool to notify customers who signed up. You may even decide to give them an exclusive purchasing period before you advertise the restock on social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Use a clear subject line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You want your notifications to stand out in the email and SMS inbox because your customers are waiting to receive it. Therefore, you need a clear and relevant subject line that reminds, alerts, and entices them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think along the lines of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n