If you are thinking about hiding those out-of-stock items on your Shopify store, well—don’t! We all know by now the amount of frustration and disappointment an out-of-stock item can cause for your customers. And what will happen if your customers leave your store and befriend one of your competitors who offer a better shopping experience?
There can be a drop in sales, fewer repeat customers, and less customer loyalty because of this. The fact is the products that go out-of-stock on your Shopify store regularly are the ones that your customers want the most. And since every customer matters, you want to do all you can to keep all of them satisfied.
But the way to avoid customers’ disappointment is not to clear the issue— in this case, hiding the product— but to use the issue to your advantage. Instead of running away from your out-of-stock items, let’s see how you can continue selling when out-of-stock items appear on your Shopify store. So by the end of this blog, you will learn to make your customers happy without having to hide anything from them!
How hiding out-of-stock items on your Shopify store can affect your business?
When running a Shopify eCommerce store, it is important to keep customers informed on the availability of products. Hiding out-of-stock items from your Shopify store can have a negative effect on your business. Not only does it create a confusing shopping experience for your dear customers, but it can also lead to broken URLs and finally a decrease in sales.
When customers are searching for a product they can’t find, they may assume the store no longer carries it, or that the store has gone out of business for good. This for sure leaves a bad impression and can lead to potential customers choosing to shop with a competitor instead. If they consider your store closed, they probably will never come back to check on you.
In addition, when you hide out-of-stock products on your Shopify store and create broken URLs, Google penalizes your store in its search engine results, and customers are unable to find your store online due to a poor SEO ranking. You don’t want that, right?
The best practice is to continue selling when out-of-stock on your Shopify store but to make it clear that the item is currently unavailable and will be back in stock soon: So ask your dear customers to subscribe through a “Notify Me” button if they want to receive a back in stock notification.
This keeps customers informed and helps to prevent broken URLs. Make sure to update your product pages with a message such as “Currently Unavailable” or “Out of Stock” so that customers are aware that the item is no longer available.
By making things clear about out-of-stock products, you can continue to make sales and keep customers informed without risking broken URLs or poor customer experience. Now how can you continue selling when you have out of stock items on your Shopify store? Let’s explain it in detail.
How to continue selling out-of-stock items on your Shopify store?
If you’ve ever been in the situation of running a Shopify store and finding that some of your most popular items have completely sold out, you know that it can be a real headache. Fortunately, there are ways to keep selling out-of-stock items on your Shopify store and continue to generate revenue even after a product is gone. Here are 7 ways to help you keep selling out-of-stock items:
1. Add a “Notify Me” button: Adding a “Notify Me” button to your product page is a great way to keep customers engaged and informed when a product runs out of stock. When customers click on the button, they can enter their email address or phone number so that they can receive updates when the item is back in stock. This is a great way to keep customers in the loop and make sure that they don’t miss out on their favorite products. To add a Notify Me button to your out-of-stock product pages you can go to the Shopify app store and add a back-in-stock alert app to your shop.
2. Create a waiting list: If you’re expecting the restock of a popular item, you can create a waiting list so that customers can be the first to know when the item is back in stock. This will also help create a sense of urgency for customers and make them more likely to purchase the item when it’s available.
3. Offer pre-orders: Pre-orders are a great way to keep selling out-of-stock items and create hype around a product before it’s even released. You can also offer discounts or special offers for customers who pre-order to make it more appealing.
4. Offer Substitute Products: If you’re running out of a specific item, you can offer substitute products that are similar in design or function. This will allow you to keep your customers engaged and provide them with options for when a certain item is not available.
5. Offer Bundles: Bundles are a great way to keep customers engaged and provide them with multiple items for a discounted price. You can create bundles of similar items or completely different items that can be sold together.
6. Cross-sell Related Products: Cross-selling is a great way to keep customers engaged and offer them related products that they may be interested in. This is also a great way to increase average order value and generate more revenue.
7. Use Back-in-Stock Alerts: Back-in-stock alerts are a great way to re-engage customers with products that are no longer available. You can set up automated emails, SMS, and Push notifications to be sent to customers when a certain item is back in stock. This is a great way to make sure that customers don’t miss out on their favorite products.
Wrap-Up
Tips we mentioned in this blog are just a few of the ways that you can use to keep selling out-of-stock items on your Shopify store. By using these strategies, you can make sure that you’re always able to generate revenue, even when products run out of stock. So if you’re looking for ways to keep selling out-of-stock products on your Shopify store, these are some great options to try.