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When you only show “out-of-stock” on the product pages, you are missing out on an opportunity to grow your marketing subscribers and regain revenue. Here are three ways to use SMS to convert from an out-of-stock page.
A dead end. That’s where you lead potential customers with a poor out-of-stock strategy. When you only show “out-of-stock” on the product pages, you are missing out on an opportunity to grow your marketing subscribers and regain revenue.
Here are three ways to use SMS to convert from an out-of-stock page.
Why should you specifically use SMS as part of your out-of-stock strategy? SMS has a 98% open rate and gets into the literal hands of your customers. This means that nearly every SMS you send will be read, which provides an incredible opportunity for your brand.
But first, you have to get them to subscribe if they are not already.
There are two ways to ask customers to opt-in to back-in-stock texts.
The first is to use a back-in-stock button on the product page that allows customers to sign up for texts. For example, Voyage’s Back-in-Stock feature will automatically display a button with the CTA “Text me when available” on any sold-out product. So instead of visitors hitting a dead-end “Sold Out,” they are prompted to join your SMS list and get notified when it returns.
The second way to have your customer opt-in is through SMS keywords. While keywords are a viable method, the back-in-stock button route is automated and dynamically responds to the stock in your store. Meanwhile, using keywords for back-in-stock requires a lot of manual lift and maintenance.
So now that they are subscribed, here are three ways to convert them:
When the product is back-in-stock, it’s time to send out the back-in-stock notification and convert those dangling leads. You’ll want to make the buying process frictionless for your customers. An easy way to do this is with Click-to-Buy message links that will take SMS subscribers directly to your checkout with the item they would like.
After your delighted customer has secured their sought-after product, you can continue to use SMS to build relationships with them through product launches, sales and promotions, news and updates, and so much more.
💡 Read more about setting up successful Back-in-Stock notifications here.
Another way to drive conversions from an out-of-stock page is by sending an apology SMS. This text could offer some sort of small discount with an apology that the product was sold out. Or you could send similar products to the one that was sold out with copy similar to “We’re so sorry our dress was out of stock! Need a black dress ASAP? Shop our other black dresses here and use code “SORRY15” at checkout for 15% off”.
If a product sells out quickly, you know that you’ve got a great product, and you can use the exclusivity to your advantage. Sending an SMS to a more general subscriber list saying, “It’s back!! We sold out in 24 hours last time we restocked. So shop NOW:” can create excitement and spur action for customers that didn’t even view the product.
This is especially helpful to target subscribers that viewed the sold-out product page recently.
Everything Kitchens, an online store providing top-quality kitchenware and appliances at the lowest possible prices, wanted a way to enhance the customer experience at a historically dead-end of the customer journey: sold-out products.
They decided to deploy a back-in-stock SMS strategy that enabled Everything Kitchens to automatically display a back-in-stock button on product pages that allows customers to sign up for texts. Whenever a product is sold out, a button is automatically displayed with a “Text me when available” CTA. So instead of visitors hitting a dead-end, they are prompted to join the SMS list and get notified of when the product returns.
In the first four months of using Back-in-Stock notifications, Everything Kitchens sent over 3,000 back-in-stock messages that generated over $6,000 in revenue — and achieved 161x return on advertising spend (ROAS).
In the last 30 days, Everything Kitchens sent 715 back-in-stock messages with a 12% conversion rate that generated over $1,200 in revenue. In addition, over 1,000 people are awaiting back-in-stock notifications. Back-in-stock opt-ins have contributed to more than 10% of Everything Kitchens’ total SMS subscriber list.
eCommerce brands should be focusing on the entire customer journey, which means analyzing “dead-ends” like sold-out product pages. With a proper back-in-stock strategy, you are turning a disappointing customer experience into greater customer loyalty.
Ready to see what Back-in-Stock SMS notifications can do for your brand? Get a demo of the Voyage SMS platform today!
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