This can also be a good way to better plan and manage your inventory requirements.
Remove Permanently Out of Stock Items
So, it’s clear that letting products go out of stock can cause issues. But what are the best ways to address this?
All you need to do is include a note to say whether you plan on restocking the item or not. And, if possible, specify when that item should be available to buy again.
What do you do?
Many website builders make it easy to set up back in stock notifications through the use of built-in tools or add-ons.
Offer Pre-Orders
Setting up back in stock alerts can be a great way to drive interested customers back to your website once products are available to buy again. Without this step, there’s no way of knowing if a customer will revisit your website when items have been restocked.
Thankfully, there’s a simple fix to this issue, although a huge number of online stores fail to follow this tip.
If there’s no chance that you’ll ever restock a product once it has sold out, then there’s no real benefit to keeping it on your website. If you do, it could have a negative impact on your brand.
Imagine this: you have a big BBQ coming up, but you don’t have the utensils you need. So, you go online to your favorite kitchenware store to order some you’ve had your eye on… only to find that they’re out of stock.
But what if, when you found that the utensils were out of stock, you were offered several suitable alternatives right on the product page?
In this section, we break down five ways your business can handle out of stock products to help minimize any negative impact:
Be Clear if the Product Is Being Restocked
Offering relevant alternatives when a product is out of stock is a great way to turn a potential loss of custom into a sale. Do it right and you might even be able to upsell the customer to a more expensive product so you can generate more profit.
Set Up Back in Stock Notifications
Another way to increase sales, even when a product is out of stock, is to offer pre-orders. This allows customers to pay for a product early and they’ll receive it as soon as it’s restocked.
One of the biggest customer frustrations with finding an “out of stock” message is being left in the dark about whether they’ll ever be able to buy that product from you again.
However, if there is a small chance to restock an item then removing it from your website should be done with caution. Other approaches (such as setting up back in stock notifications) may reveal growth in demand for the product, making restocking worthwhile.
Most people would navigate away from the store, go to a competitor, and purchase the product elsewhere.
Just taking this simple action will reassure customers that you’re doing everything you can to get them the products they want and need. It’ll also encourage them to check your website regularly to see when the item is available.
Provide Alternative Options
This can be a smart way to boost sales as soon as an item is back in your inventory.