The Power of Back-in-Stock Email Marketing

For e-commerce brands, it’s not the year of the dragon, it’s the year of the back-in-stock message. Automated back-in-stock message sends have been on a multiyear rise. In 2023, brands sent 4x as many as the year before, generating 3x the number of orders than the year before.

Back-in-stock messages perform exceptionally well compared to their email marketing counterparts. Their 60 percent open rate is higher than any other marketing email. The 19 percent click rate far outpaces the next best automation email, product abandonment, which has a 6.2 percent click rate. And when it comes to conversion rate, it’s not even close: back-in-stock messages see a conversion rate of 5.8 percent, more than double that of welcome messages, the second-best automated email.

Why do back-in-stock messages perform so well? They combine a consumer’s shopping desire with social proof and a fear of loss. It’s the same trifecta that works so well for shopping cart abandonment messages which highlight that the items left behind may sell out fast.

The difference is that with cart abandonment messages the shopper has yet to miss out on anything. Their products are still in their cart and they remain in control. With back-in-stock messages, the consumer feels timing pressure. After all, the items sold out once, and they likely will again.

Here are a few tips for e-commerce merchants looking to effectively use back-in-stock messages to increase sales:

1. Provide early access. Many brands will send an email to their entire list announcing products are back in stock. However, to capture a real sense of urgency they should include an email collection field, such as a pop-up, on the out-of-stock product page. When the product becomes available, a real-time automated message is sent to each user who was specifically tracking that item. Knowing their time is limited they’ll be more inclined to make a purchase. This is why the metrics for back-in-stock emails are so strong.
2. Lean into a sense of urgency. Because these products were popular enough to sell out in the first place, strongly reinforce the sense of urgency in the message content. Whether using terminology such as “don’t miss out ... again,” “back in stock, but not for long,” “top sellers are back in stock,” or “customer favorites are back,” remind people the items won’t last long. This should be enough to spur action.
3. Tailor to specific products. If you have products with unique features, margins or other selling propositions, craft a tailored automated back-in-stock message for that product. Include unique product attributes and other product-specific information. This is also a great place to include product-specific social proof such as customer testimonials.
4. Include product recommendations. When sending back-in-stock emails, include product recommendations for those whose tastes may have changed or who no longer need the specific product. Your email provider should be able to insert these dynamically, but if not, include other evergreen top-rated products.
5. Don’t feel pressure to discount. Remember, a sense of urgency and fear of loss are your friends. If you strongly feel the need to discount, consider other margin-saving offers such as double bonus points or a free gift card if they spend over a certain threshold. These can help increase average order value and secure a repeat purchase.

Back-in-stock messages are on the rise and for good reason: these messages are some of the best performing in a brand’s entire email program. Use them to your advantage by first capturing shopping intent from consumers looking for those elusive, out-of-stock products and then by incorporating them into your automated and scheduled email campaign strategies. This will be a lever for keeping inventory moving, protecting margins, and increasing sales.

Greg Zakowicz is a veteran marketer and the senior e-commerce expert at Omnisend, the all-in-one e-commerce marketing automation platform.