Take a look at our in-depth guide to harnessing the power of Back-in-Stock push notifications for your Shopify store.

In the dynamic world of eCommerce, the sight of your products flying off the virtual shelves is an excellent high to experience.

People love your products so much that they go out of stock.

What. A. Thrill.

Often, these products are best-sellers for a reason and will continue to attract attention and convert better than the rest of your catalog.

Being unable to deliver and disappointing potential customers when popular products remain unavailable for extended periods, can lead to lost sales and customer dissatisfaction.

However, it is not all money down the drain - you can harness this FOMO and desire for your product by alerting your interested audience through back-in-stock notifications.

These high-conversion eCommerce app push notifications can recover lost sales and maintain customer interest.

But so many brands do it incorrectly and as a result, we knew we had to craft a simple, step-by-step guide so you are able to successfully use this in your marketing strategy for your Shopify store.

Let’s dive in!

What is an App Push Notification?

Almost every app that we use triggers push notifications at some point or the other.

Push notifications are pop-up messages that land on your customer’s phone screen, in the notification panel, arriving with a characteristic tone or vibration.

In seconds, you are at the forefront of your customer’s mind, solidifying your brand with each notification they read and engaged with.

With SMS and email deliverability and read rates dwindling rapidly with each passing day, sending push notifications are a great way to increase conversions and ROI.

Understanding Back-in-Stock Push Notifications

Back-in-stock push notifications are alerts that customers voluntarily and excitedly sign up for to know when a particular product is available to purchase again.

When a customer visits a product page and finds that the product is out of stock, giving them the option to subscribe to these notifications is an excellent way to displace customer disappointment.

Don’t make it easy for them to just find another competitor for the same product.

Back in stock alerts in eCommerce are also a great way to establish trust between your brand and your customer - ‘I value you enough to notify you immediately when I can serve you’ is excellent for building loyal customers.

Once the product is restocked, you can send out a carefully crafted push notification informing them about the product's availability and guide them towards making a purchase!

There are some customers who may forget they even wanted your product - this is a great way to remind them.

The Importance of Product Restock Alerts

Back-in-stock push notifications are a powerful tool for eCommerce businesses. When used correctly, they can lead to higher conversions and ROI on your marketing campaigns.

But is that all? Let’s take a look:

1. Gets Back Lost ROI on Marketing Spends

When a customer encounters an out-of-stock label on your product page, you miss out on a potential sale.

You ALSO lose any marketing budget spent on acquiring the customer in the first place!

Alerting interested customers and encouraging them to complete their purchase is an easy win.

In such times where the hyper-competitive and saturated space of eCommerce brands is already making it hard to acquire and retain customers, sending restock notifications is essential for your brand to thrive!

2. Maintains Customer Interest

Why do some shows release only one episode a week?

They want to harness the growing desire over time- which is often much more powerful than a binge-and-forget session!

Back-in-stock notifications help in building on the initial interest of customers.

By subscribing to product restock alerts, customers start to anticipate and hope that the product will be restocked soon, and they can still buy it soon - hopefully before it’s out of stock again!

3. Displays Social Proof

What restaurant or club would you prefer to go to - one with long lines waiting outside or a place that doesn’t even need a reservation policy?

Social proof is a highly persuasive, convincing, and ‘human’ technique of showcasing your product’s desire in the market and it’s credibility.

Putting an out-of-stock label on your website instantly highlights the popularity of the product and can position your brand as something they ‘have-to’ purchase from.

4. Creates Excitement

The anticipation of waiting for a particular product to be restocked creates excitement. Remember the point we mentioned above of shows that release only once a week?

By emphasizing and connecting this positive emotion of excitement and thrill with your brand, you can add another layer of emotion to their shopping experience and build memorable and lasting connections with potential customers.

5. Reveals Valuable Customer Insights

Back-in-stock alerts allow you to measure customer demand without having to hold onto dead stock for extended periods.

It also provides detailed insight into which products are worth restocking based on real-time customer interest.

But just because the person is interested in the product does not mean they will engage with your push notification.

You have to make them interesting; you have to remind them why the product is worth reconsidering again.

How to Write Back-in-stock App Push Notifications?

Your copywriter, your analytics head, and your social media manager are all going to be helpful while writing your campaign copy and messaging.

From sharing what’s trending in pop culture, what messaging has worked better for what audience and relying on a rich history of writing tips, you can craft persuasive and exciting copy for restock alerts that can prime you for success from the start.

1. Simple and Scannable is Key

Be clear and concise in your copy and messaging. You have their attention for milliseconds and that can quickly change into annoyance.

Also, push notifications have a character limit, so you need to be direct and to the point. Clearly state that the item is back in stock.

For example, "[Product name] is back in stock! Tap now to purchase!”

2. Create Urgency

Use phrases in your copy for product restock alerts that create a sense of urgency and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).

Losing out on an opportunity to buy a hot-selling product can be very persuasive as humans are opposed to loss.

For example, try phrases like "Hurry, limited stock available!" or "Get it before it's gone again!"

3. Use Engaging Language

In copywriting, there is a concept called ‘a hook’.

Hooks directly engage your potential customers, are short and snappy and immediately connect to their mind frame or pain points and offer solutions.

Use phrases like "They're back!" or "Back by popular demand!"

4. Include a Call to Action (CTA)

Even if you’ve written an exciting notification, you need to remind them of what their next step is. Don’t make them guess.

Encourage users to take immediate action by using phrases like "Shop Now" or "Order Now"!

5. Personalize the Message

You HAVE to personalize the notification- this is considered basic etiquette in marketing communication.

Besides their name, you can personalize your product restock alerts based on the user's previous browsing or shopping behavior.

For example, "The [product name] you were eyeing is back in stock!"

6. Offer Incentives

What’s the reward for your audience’s patience for waiting?

If possible, offer a special discount or deal for the back-in-stock item.

For example, "Back in stock now! Enjoy 10% off on [product name]. "

7. Show Product Image

If your push notification platform supports it, include an image of the product.

Visuals can grab attention, remind them more powerfully of your product and increase click-through rates.

8. Timing is Key

Send the notification at a time when the user is most likely to be active on their device.

Avoid sending notifications at odd hours - this is essential.

Remember, the goal of back-in-stock push notifications is not just to inform, but also to encourage immediate action.

Make your notifications engaging, persuasive, and timely to increase conversions.

9. Suggest Alternatives

It’s possible that the customer has found the product they were looking for in some other store.

However, you can still use your back-in-stock message to improve your conversions, even if it’s not for the same product.

Or if the product is unavailable in a particular shade, remind them of the other available variants.

10. Up-sell and Cross-Sell

When a potential customer subscribes to your back-in-stock notification, they show a heightened interest in your brand.

You can leverage this interest to suggest related products that they might find interesting and increase your AOV(Average Order Value) and ROI on acquisition costs.

PS. You can also use emojis in app push notifications to make them more engaging!

Back-in-stock Push Notifications: Best Practices for Higher Conversions

Just like how you follow some golden rules when sending out emails, we do recommend keeping in mind these best practices for restock alerts:

1. Don’t Overdo It

While it's important to keep your customers updated, sending too many notifications can be annoying, causing a high-intent audience to disable notifications or even uninstall your app. Ouch!

Remember to be selective about the products for which you send restock alerts and time them right.

2. Leverage Automation

Use automation tools to send notifications at the right time, such as when the user is most likely to be active on their device.

This increases the chances of your notification being seen and acted upon, versus it getting lost in a sea of notifications that gets swiped out of their phone and their mind.

PS. If your Shopify store’s mobile app is built using Shopney, you get to automate your push notifications from within the dashboard!

3. Test and Optimize

It's crucial to test and optimize back-in-stock push notifications based on past performance.

Experiment with different message tones, discount codes or other incentives, timing, and segments to see what works best for your audience!

Getting started with Shopify eCommerce mobile app Back-in-Stock Push Notifications

Back-in-stock push notifications are a powerful tool - they offer a direct line of communication with high-intent buyers who left your store because an item was not available.

By sending engaging, personalized notifications at the right time, you can significantly boost your sales and improve customer loyalty.

They are also an excellent opportunity to enhance customer experience and build deep relationships.

Setting them up can be confusing and overwhelming - especially if you’re just getting started with AppCommerce.

Here’s where we can help.

If you need to set up effective back-in-stock alerts for your Shopify store’s mobile app, reach out to our team of experts here at Shopney!