Back in stock alert
Email shoppers the moment a saved item is back in stock, and let them ask for a restock alert right on sold-out products.
Overview
Shoppers save items that are sold out, then forget to check back. The Back in stock alert emails them automatically when a saved item is available again, so the sale isn't lost.
- Back in stock email: sent when an item a shopper saved comes back in stock.
- Notify me button (optional): shoppers ask for a restock alert right on a sold-out product page.
- Wallet pass (optional, with Joy Loyalty): the alert also goes to the shopper's Apple Wallet or Google Wallet pass.
Back in stock is off by default. This page takes you through the whole setup, from choosing a sending method to testing the alert.
Before you start
- Make sure the Joy Wishlist app embed is on. On the Joy Wishlist home page, App embed should show Active.
- To let guests use the Notify me button, turn on Allow guest add to wishlist in Wishlist settings.
How to set up
Open Notifications
From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Joy Wishlist > Settings, then open the Notifications tab.
Choose a sending method
Pick who sends your alert emails. This choice applies to every alert.
- Joy Wishlist built-in email: Joy Wishlist designs and sends the emails. You don't need another app. Best for stores that don't use a marketing app, or want alerts running right away.
- Marketing app: a marketing app you already use, such as Klaviyo or Omnisend (coming soon), sends the emails. Best for stores that already send their emails from a marketing app and want wishlist alerts in the same place.
Choosing Marketing app? You still complete every step on the Notifications page. Joy Wishlist decides when each alert fires and passes it to your marketing app to send. So set up and turn on Back in stock, and set the send schedule, the same as with built-in email. One thing changes on the page: the last step, Sender details, becomes Connect your marketing app. You then build the email flow in that app.
Wallet pass (optional): in the same section, turn on Also send to Wallet pass to push your alerts to shoppers' lock screens through their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet pass. Wallet pass only turns email off and sends alerts through Wallet pass alone. Both need Joy Loyalty on the Advanced plan or higher. For the setup, see Wallet pass alerts.
Set up and turn on Back in stock
Under Notification types, click Back in stock.
- Trigger when: a wishlisted item is back in stock. There's nothing to set.
- Apply to: choose which products send this alert. See Apply to options.
- Notify me button (optional): turn it on to show a Notify me button on sold-out products in your scope, then click Customize. See Notify me button.
- Turn it on: switch the toggle at the top right from Disabled to Enabled, then click Save in the top bar. No alerts go out until you do.
Customize the email
On the Back in stock page, click Edit in email builder. Change the subject, logo, banner, text and design, check the preview, and send yourself a test. See Email builder.
With Marketing app, you build the email flow in that app instead.
Set the send schedule
Back on the Notifications page, choose when emails go out. This applies to every alert.
- Send at a set time (default): at most one email a day per shopper, around the time you pick (default 10:00), in their local time. Best for everyday restocks, when a tidy daily email matters more than speed.
- Immediately: goes out as soon as an item is back, after a short grouping window (default 10 minutes) that combines items restocked together into one email. Best for limited or fast-selling stock, when shoppers need to know before it sells out again.
If we can't detect a shopper's time zone, emails follow your shop's time zone.
Set your sender details
Choose who the email comes from.
- Default: sends from
[email protected]under your store name. No setup needed. Best for starting right away, or if you don't have an email address on your own domain. - Custom: sends from your own email address, once you verify it and turn it on. Best for stores with their own email domain. Shoppers see your address in the inbox, which builds trust and improves deliverability.
You can also add a logo and a Reply-to address. For the full steps, see Sender details.
With Marketing app, this step is Connect your marketing app instead. Click Connect an app in Integrations and connect your app.
Test it yourself
Run one full test before you rely on it. You play the shopper, then the merchant, and watch the email arrive. It takes about 15 minutes.
Pick a test product
Choose a product option that is in your Apply to scope and tracks inventory. In Shopify, go to Products > Inventory and set that option to 0. Skip this if it's already sold out.
Sign up as a shopper
On your store, open the product and choose the sold-out option. The Notify me button appears where the wishlist button was. Click it, enter an email you can check, and confirm. You see "Saved! Check your inbox for updates." and the button changes to your Notified button text.
The button only appears when Notify me button is turned on in Back in stock.
Restock the item
Back in Products > Inventory, set the option above 0 and click Save. Joy Wishlist picks up the restock by itself.
Wait for the email
With Immediately, the email goes out when the grouping window ends (10 minutes by default). With Send at a set time, it goes out at the next send time.
Check Sending summary
On the Notifications page, open Sending summary. Back in stock shows Sending under Email.
For a faster test, switch the send schedule to Immediately and shorten the grouping window. Switch it back when you're done.
If the email doesn't arrive, see Troubleshooting.
Reference
The steps above cover the full setup. This part goes deeper into the Back in stock settings and what shoppers see.
Apply to options
| Option | Sends the alert for |
|---|---|
| All products (default) | Every wishlisted item. The alert fires whenever any saved product comes back in stock. |
| Specific products | Only the products you pick. |
| Specific collections | Products in the collections you pick. |
| Specific tags | Products with the tags you add. |
| Specific metafield | Products or variants where a true/false metafield (for example custom.restock_visible) has the value you pick. |
Notify me button
The Customize window has 3 steps, with a live preview on the right:
- Notify me: the button on sold-out products. Set the button label, icon, style (Solid, Outline, Plain or Free form), colors and corner radius.
- Email capture: the pop-up that asks for an email. Pick a display mode (Focus or Quick), then edit the heading, description, email placeholder and consent text for Guest shoppers (not signed in, no email shared yet) and Consented customer shoppers. You can also style the pop-up and its submit button, or click Copy from Notify me button.
- Notified button: what the button says after the shopper signs up (for example "You'll be notified when restocked"). It uses the same style and colors as the Notify me button.
What shoppers see
- Notify me button: on sold-out products in your scope, if you turned it on. Guests enter their email in the pop-up. After signing up, the button changes to your Notified button text.
- The email: a Back in stock badge on the product, its price, and a button back to your store. If several saved items come back together, they're grouped into one email.
- Unsubscribe: every email has an Unsubscribe here link.
Good to know
- Off by default: no emails go out until you turn Back in stock on and save.
- One email, not many: items that come back at the same time are grouped into one email per shopper.
- Bulk inventory updates: with Immediately, a longer window means fewer emails but less urgency. A shorter window is faster but can mean more emails. If an update runs longer than the window, a shopper may get more than one email.
- Recipient estimate: the Back in stock page shows roughly how many shoppers could get this alert (≈ N wishlisters). Open, click and revenue tracking isn't available yet.
FAQ
Q: I keep stock in more than one location, like a backup warehouse. Do I need to set anything up?
A: No. Joy Wishlist follows your Shopify location settings. Stock at a location with Use inventory at this location to fulfill online orders turned off doesn't count, so shoppers see Sold out with the Notify me button while your selling locations are empty. The alert goes out when stock reaches a location that sells online, for example when your shop receives a transfer from the warehouse.
To check:
- In Shopify, go to Settings > Locations and open each location. Use inventory at this location to fulfill online orders shows whether its stock counts.
- Open the product on your online store. If an option shows Sold out, shoppers see Notify me on it.
- To see the alert arrive, follow Test it yourself and restock at a location that sells online.