A sold-out product page is usually a dead end: the visitor leaves and rarely comes back. A “Notify me when available” form turns that visit into a future sale, and tells you which products people really want.
How back in stock alerts work
- The shopper lands on a sold-out product or variation.
- Instead of a dead end, they leave their email.
- When you restock, everyone on the list receives an email with the product, the price and a button to buy.
Best practices
- Support variations: in fashion, one size is often sold out while others are available.
- Send automatically as soon as the stock status changes, in batches to protect your email reputation.
- Use your store’s email design so the message is recognisable.
- Respect privacy: an optional consent checkbox and data stored on your own site.
- Read the demand: a “most wanted products” ranking tells you what to reorder first.
Setting it up
Restockly adds the form automatically to sold-out products and variations, sends the emails when stock comes back using WooCommerce’s own email template, and gives you a subscribers list with CSV export and a most-wanted ranking. See the form on the sold-out mug in the live demo.
Related WooCommerce improvements
Restocked products sell faster with a little social proof, and fashion stores should also add a size guide. Get all six WooCommerce plugins in the WooCommerce Booster Pack.
Writing a back in stock email that sells
The notification email is the moment the sale happens. Keep it short and focused on one action:
- Subject line: name the product. “Good news: the Linen Shirt in M is back” beats “Product notification”.
- Product image and price so the customer recognises it immediately.
- One clear button that goes directly to the product page, ideally with the right variation preselected.
- A hint of urgency if stock is limited, as long as it is true.
Use waitlists to plan your stock
Every subscription is a signal of demand. Look at your waitlists before ordering from suppliers: a product with forty people waiting deserves a bigger reorder than one with two. For variable products, the data per size or colour is even more useful, as it tells you exactly which variations to reorder. Some stores also use waitlists to test demand for a new colour before producing it.
Respect privacy and inboxes
Collect only the email address, explain what it will be used for, and send one notification per product. Do not add subscribers to your newsletter without their explicit consent. Delete old subscriptions after a reasonable period. These simple rules keep your emails out of spam folders and your store compliant with privacy laws.
Common mistakes
- Hiding out-of-stock products completely: you lose the page traffic and the chance to collect emails.
- Sending notifications for variations that are still out of stock.
- Restocking a tiny quantity and notifying hundreds of people at once. Notify in batches if stock is very limited.
See how the form works on the Restockly demo, and find more ideas in our WooCommerce conversion tips.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work with variable products?
Yes. The form appears when the shopper selects a sold-out variation, such as a size or colour.
When are the emails sent?
Automatically when the stock status goes back to “In stock”, in batches.
Is it GDPR-friendly?
You can add a consent checkbox, data stays on your site and WordPress export and erase tools are supported.