When a product sells out, the demand does not go away. Shoppers still land on the page from ads, emails and search. The question is whether you give them a next step.
Replace the grey button
A disabled “Sold out” button tells shoppers what they cannot do. Swap it for something they can do:
- Notify me when it is back, by email or text.
- Pre-order it now, if you know when stock arrives.
- See a similar product that is in stock.
Keep the product photos, the description and the reviews on the page. Shoppers still want to know what they are waiting for.
Ask for as little as possible
A waitlist form needs one field: an email address or a phone number. Make it clear what they get (“We’ll email you once, when it’s back”) and nothing more. Shoppers sign up more readily when they know they will not get a newsletter they did not ask for.
If only one size or color is sold out, put the waitlist on that variant only. A shopper who wants the medium should not get an email when the small comes back.
Tell shoppers when, if you know
“Back in early March” is more useful than “Coming soon”. If you have a date, show it. If the date moves, tell the people on the list. A short, honest update keeps them waiting; silence sends them to another store.
Use the list to plan the restock
A waitlist is also a count of how many people want the product. Before you reorder, look at:
- How many shoppers signed up, per variant.
- How fast the list grew after the product sold out.
- Which products have the longest lists.
That tells you what to reorder first and in what sizes.
Turn waiting into orders
When stock arrives, email the list before you announce the restock to everyone. Shoppers who waited get the first chance to buy, and you sell part of the batch before it goes public.
If batches are small, consider pre-orders: shoppers pay now, or pay a deposit, and you ship when stock arrives. Be clear about the ship date and let shoppers cancel if it changes.
Tidebird Holdspot turns a sold-out page into a waitlist, and a waitlist into pre-orders. Coming soon.
Sold-out page checklist
- The grey button is gone, and there is a clear next step.
- The form asks for one thing and says what shoppers will get.
- Waitlists are per variant.
- Shoppers hear from you when the date changes.
- The list gets first access when stock arrives.
