A person receives 20 to 75 emails on average everyday. Add to this, messages on other communication channels such as WhatsApp, SMS, social media, etc.With so many messages coming your way, it’s possible that you don’t check or read all the messages. As seen in the illustration below, the average open and click-through rate of email isn’t that impressive.

Source: Campaign MonitorSo what should you do differently to get your email opened and read?We have some hacks. But before that, let’s understand what is back in stock email notification?

What is a back in stock notification?

Ever browsed an online store, found a product you fell in love with but saw that it’s out of stock? Yes, this happens to all of us. And what do we do next?Either we feel disappointed and leave the site, or, if there’s a ‘notify me’ option, we leave our contact details to be notified. Shopify stores use the back in stock strategy to ensure that they don’t lose any potential sales to stocked-out products. Instead, they prompt shoppers to subscribe to restock notifications by asking them to share their email address, phone number or other contact details.Here’s an example:

Source But again, consumers are busy. They might miss out on your back in stock notification email, or they might not be interested in that product anymore, and hence, do not even open your email.But there are some hacks you can easily use to get them to click open your emails.

How to get your Shopify out of stock notification read?

Send follow up emails

The follow-up email is one of the most important emails. It is sent when a shopper has engaged with you or taken any action on your site. In the case of back in stock emails, if the subscriber doesn’t open your first notification email, you must follow up with a second email.However, space out the follow up email; don’t send emails back to back. Unless of course, if there’s a time-sensitive matter. For example, if you’ve restocked only 2 pieces for an item and one is sold out, you might want to send a follow up restock alert email soon. Just so that your subscriber doesn’t miss out on the item.Remember to follow these best practices when sending a back in stock notification email:

• Automate your follow up emails
• Segment your restock alert subscribers and send relevant follow up emails only
• Write subject lines that will get them to open the email this time
• Keep the follow up email short and to the point
• Have a CTA in the email that takes them to the restocked product page

Make your email subject line instantly catchy

The first barrier to the sale of your restocked product - the email subject. 33% of email recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on the subject line. So, when you send a restock alert email, make sure the subject line reminds the recipient why they are receiving the email. Here are some best practices for writing email subject lines that you must follow.

• Keep email subject line copy short
• Use the most effective words
• Be concise and clear
• Use numbers
• Avoid emojis
• A/B test different subject lines
• Most people see emails on their phone. Hence, keep the line short

Target restock alert subscribers on social media

Shoppers may have subscribed for email alerts but that doesn’t mean you cannot retarget them on other channels such as social media. Wondering how to do it? Here’s how:

• Segment your restock email subscribers in one list
• Create a special campaign to retarget them on social media
• Use messaging such as, ‘Check your email for product updates and discounts’
• Direct them to their email through social media channels

Send back in stock emails at the optimal time

There are many factors that affect the open and click-through rate of your restock alert email. For example, if you send an email at an odd hour such as in the middle of the night, it might never get read.Similarly, if you send an email on a holiday, say on Christmas day, it’s not going to get opened.While the below points are not a rule of thumb, there are some best practices to follow when you send a back in stock email.

• Studies suggest that the best time to send emails is 10am, 1pm, and 6pm. These times see the highest open rate and click-through rate, as seen in the below graph.

Source

• Another important factor is the day you send the email. Email open rate and click-through rate depends on the days as well, as seen below:

Source

• Another way to decide the best time to send restock emails is to keep the buyer persona in your mind. If your subscribers are professionals who might have nine to five jobs, send them emails during after work hours and on weekends. Similarly, if your subscribers are youngsters who usually tend to stay up until late night, you could send them emails in the evening and at night time.

Reach out to email subscribers via other channels

Sometimes shoppers need a little more follow-up. That’s when you have to put all your communication channels to use. Think SMS, Facebook Messenger, web push, among others.And so, when you ask shoppers to subscribe for restock alerts, give them the option to choose the channels through which they want to be notified. Allow them to choose multiple other channels along with email. Send them the back in stock message via SMS, Facebook Messenger, etc. You can perform all these actions with the help of the Appikon Back in Stock app. The app’s smart automation features send out timely alerts on all channels that help re-engage with shoppers. Here’s how the Back in Stock app can make your restock strategy easy for you:

• The app can send notifications to subscribers on different channels
• It easily integrates with your existing apps and tools
• The app sends you detailed analytics reports, so you can personalize campaigns on the go

Retarget email subscribers on your website

It’s possible that your restock email subscriber missed the email you sent. Instead, they keep coming back to your website to check on the product. Or, they forgot about that particular product and came to your website to look for another item. Grab their attention when they visit your website. Display messages such as ‘last viewed item’ or ‘item back in stock’ to remind them of the item that they had wanted to buy.

Offer an incentive to email subscribers

One way to motivate your back in stock email subscribers to open and click the email alert is to offer them an incentive. Make the incentive exclusive to email subscribers only. This way, they feel special and are encouraged to open the email to avail the offer. For example, you could offer a discount or reward points to email subscribers who purchase the restocked item.Here are some back in stock email examples.Example 1

Example 2

Final thoughts

There is so much you can do to make your back in stock emails really work for you. All you need to do is set up powerful restock alert emails that are automated. You can do so with the help of Appikon Back in Stock app. The app also provides analytics that lets you monitor the performance of your emails. That way you can optimize your back in stock email approach further, on the go.