Learn how to personalize automated back in stock alerts on your Shopify store. Stock-outs are a common problem for eCommerce stores. And it can cost retailers dearly. It is estimated, $1 trillion worth of sales are lost every year due to stocked-out items.When items are out of stock, online stores can easily lose interested buyers if they don’t capture their contact details to send them restock notifications.And by the way, the entire restock alerts process can be automated. Shopify stores that implement automated restock alerts using apps such as Back in Stock see more sales than those that don’t.However, sending generic restock alerts doesn't cut it anymore.Over time, marketers have figured that personalization makes a big difference. Not only do personalized restock alerts do their job, but also engage them to a point that gets them to make the purchase.75% of customers want to buy from brands that know them and will personalize their buying journey. And that’s what we’ll talk about here - ways in which you can personalize automated restock alerts on your Shopify store.

What do you mean by personalize automated back in stock alerts?

To personalize your back in stock notifications means sharing restock messages with individualized offers, product recommendations and other information based on the shoppers’ previous action, demographics, and personal data shared by them.

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Wait, can you really personalize automated restock alerts on your Shopify store? We found some tried and tested ways.

8 ways to personalize restock alerts on your Shopify store

1. Allow multi-channel subscriptions

SMS, email, web push notification or Facebook Messenger? You might wonder, how does the channel of communication matter? But it does.Everyone likes to have choices. The right mode of communication will make your shoppers feel empowered to make the choices that are right for their needs.Also, as a brand, you have to make your customers’ life easier.Moreover, today’s consumers are digitally savvy, more connected, and expect a highly personalized and relevant experience from brands. If you don’t give them all this, they’ll move to your competitors in no time.When shoppers want to subscribe to back in stock notification, accommodating even small preferences can help your brand. Because, it’s one way of letting shoppers know that you care about them and want to give them the most convenient experience.Here’s an example:A shopper is really interested in buying a specific item but unfortunately, it is out of stock. The shopper wants to subscribe to back in stock product alerts through Messenger because it will be the fastest, but doesn’t get the option. He gives up and jumps to your competitor’s site. Hence, give shoppers as many options as possible - SMS, Facebook Messenger, email, web push notification, etc.

Install the Back in Stock - Restock Alerts app on your Shopify store today.

2. Apply name-based personalization

Adding your subscribers’ first name helps you tick the first level of personalization. When you address subscribers with their names, they feel as if you know them and that that message was meant especially for them. There’s a stronger connection in it.Some reasons why adding first name works so well:

• It makes subscribers feel as if a person is talking to them
• It adds personality and makes the message more approachable
• It allows you to get creative with your copy. For example, “Get your hands on your favorite watch now, Sophie.”

Let’s look at an example.“Hi, the sports watch you were waiting for is now available. Get it on www.shop.com”Vs.“Hi Jane, your most awaited sports watch is back in stock in our store. Get it on www.shop.com”Which of these sound nicer? The second one, of course.And there’s more. Send your automated back in stock alerts from an actual person, for example, the manager or the marketer’s name. It adds to the authenticity.Install the Back in Stock - Restock Alerts app on your Shopify store today.

3. Add your brand personality to the restock alerts

More than 60% of customers say they like certain brands because they connect with the brands’ personality.Similarly, people will connect more with your brand messaging when you add personality to it.Okay, brands can have a personable image, but how do you bring about personality in your messaging?Well, it’ll have to be a mix of your brand colors, the right kind of imagery to represent your brand and the right tone of voice. For example, recall Nike’s tone of voice - confident, lively, full of spirit, and motivational.It is essential to add personality to your messages so that your customers recognize you through all your content.Some best practices:

• Don’t sound like a robot; let your messages be conversational and light. Avoid drab or serious
• Add your brand’s tone of voice to it. Take for example, you’re a brand that sells funky, colorful socks and your target audience is the younger generation
• Use emoticons, slang, and abbreviations to capture their attention

Here’s an example:Hey Jane,You might want to get this pair of red socks, now that it’s back in stock! Cuz YOLO.Grab it before it’s gone again. CTA >> Yes, can’t wait!

4. Localize your restock alerts

What do we mean by localizing alerts? For eCommerce, localization means making the content and information available in the context of the location that the shoppers are based in.For example, if your store sells globally, and a shopper from Germany has subscribed to the restock alert, they should be able to read your message in German and see the prices in euro.So, how does localization help?

• It makes people feel more comfortable
• It helps build trust
• It makes it easy for shoppers to understand the message

So the next time you send a back in stock email alert, localize it as much as possible.The below diagram shows how you can create back in stock campaigns by segmenting subscribers based on their location.

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Now let’s look at some examples.(For US customers)Hey Jane,The polka dress you were waiting for is back in stock. And we’ve made it better for you with a $50 discount. Hurry! Available to West Coast customers only.(For Europe customers)Hey Lena,The polka dress you were waiting for is back in stock. And we’ve made it better for you with a discount of EUR 40. Hurry!

5. Share personalized product recommendations

There is a high chance that by the time you send a restock alert, the subscriber has already made the purchase from a similar store.But you’re still sending them a restock alert. What can you do to make it add value to them?Well, send them product recommendations along with the restock alert.A study backed by Salesforce shows that revenue generated through product recommendation makes up for 24% orders and amounts to 26% revenue. So if you’re sharing recommendations as part of your automated back in stock alerts, that’s good.Here are some tried and tested examples that work:

• Recommendations based on past purchases: Make use of your customers’ past purchase data. Then, personalize recommendations based on their interests and tastes. For example, if a customer has made more sports wear purchases in the past, you know their interest and can combine related recommendations in the restock alert you send them.
• Category recommendation: Instead of only recommending products that shoppers subscribed for, recommend entire categories. For example, if a customer subscribed to be alerted for a smartphone, recommend phone accessories.
• Send recommendations when you’re not sure about the restock date: It’s possible that you have no clue about when your product will be restocked. All you know is it will definitely be restocked at some point. In such a case, you could use personalized recommendations so that your customers don’t stop engaging with you. And you can do this with the help of automated back in stock Shopify apps.

Install the Back in Stock - Restock Alerts app on your Shopify store today.

6. Send location-based notifications

Location is one more factor that you can use to personalize your restock alerts. And you might need location-based notifications in many instances.Say your customers are all based in different geographical locations. If you’re selling to a wide geographical area, the chances are that you have inventory stocked in different locations.Conversely, if you’re utilizing the dropshipping model, then too, you’ll have to consider the locations in which your subscribers are based and where a product is available.Now let’s look at an example.Say your store is catering to multiple locations. For a particular stocked out product, let’s assume customers from locations A and B have subscribed to the restock alerts.Your stock at location A has been replenished but not in location B. In this case, you’ll have to segment your customers based on their location and send restock alerts only to customers in location A.If you send alerts to shoppers in location B, they might find the product is still out of stock. This is a classic example of a bad experience. One that you should and can avoid easily.Install the Back in Stock - Restock Alerts app on your Shopify store today.

7. Allow subscriptions for product variants

It’s possible that many items from your collections have stocked-out and your customers want to be notified for all of them. If you want to make the most of your back in stock strategy, you should allow shoppers to subscribe for restock alerts on all product variants as well as collections.For example, if your store sells clothes, allow shoppers to subscribe to stocked-out items based on their preferred color, size, style, etc., as well as different collections. This means you should have the back in stock feature activated on your product and collection pages.

For example:Hey Johnson,The Stride training shoes you were waiting for are available in size 8 now. Order them before your size runs out again. Log in: www.strideshoes.comInstall the Back in Stock - Restock Alerts app on your Shopify store today.

8. Set up product restock reminders

Your subscribers are busy. So don’t assume that they’ll read all the messages that you send them. Chances are that they’ve missed your messages - email, SMS, Messenger alert, etc.Moreover, an average person receives as many as 100 emails, 50 SMSes, and 200 messages every day! It’s likely that your restock notification gets missed out.And so, you have to put in a lot more effort.The best practice is to send reminders and follow up messages after you send the first alert. However, don’t overdo it. Space out your messages so that you don’t spam your customers inboxes.Where’s the personalization? You might wonder. Well, you have to keep a track on which subscribers opened your messages, which ones responded and clicked, and which ones didn’t. Then, send your follow up messages based on that.But wait…You don’t have to do this exercise manually. Apps such as Back in Stock will help you do this. That too, automates the entire process.Follow this example:First alert:Send as soon as the item is restocked.Second alert:Send after a couple of days if the subscriber doesn’t open your first message.Third alert:Send after a few weeks if the subscriber doesn’t respond. You could even personalize it by offering a discount.

Ready to personalize automated back in stock alerts?

Now you know how much of a difference personalization can make to your back in stock strategy. Personalization can help you get better results, engage shoppers and help you convert them into buyers.And we can help you make your back in stock strategy easy with Appikon’s Back in Stock.

Install the Back in Stock - Restock Alerts app on your Shopify store today.