How To Enable the Magento 2 Out-of-Stock Notification

The Magento 2 out-of-stock notification is a native Magento (now known as Adobe Commerce) feature that lets you notify customers when your products are out of stock. The process is seamless, and lets you keep displaying your most popular products even when you’re suffering supply chain problems. The out-of-stock notification also allows you to track product stock so you can avoid running out in the first place!

The extension’s clear notification also makes it easy for customers to know when the product will be back in stock and available for purchase. This removes the pain point of having to return to your site to check its status, and improves customer relations (as well as conversions).

• Primary features of the out-of-stock notification extension
• How to set up an out-of-stock notification
• How to send a test notification

Primary features of the out-of-stock notification extension

Here’s an example of Magento’s out-of-stock notification:

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The benefit of Magento 2’s out-of-stock notification is that it reduces possible pain points in several aspects of the customer experience.

When an item is out of stock, the extension can show that on the front end, with an “Out of stock” banner over the item’s price.

It then gives customers the option to receive a back in-stock notification simply by submitting their email. After fully setting up the extension, this enables your store to automatically notify the customer when the item’s available.

The Magento 2 out-of-stock notification also allows customers to ask to be notified if an item’s price drops. Again, the customer simply has to submit a valid email address and the extension can automatically send the appropriate notification. Aside from adding to the customer experience, price-drop notifications can help stores clear out obsolete inventory to make room for updated merchandise.

As an administrator, the notification can also help you track your website product inventory, including when products are running low, so you can restock ahead of time.

The extension also helps you build on your pool of customer data so that you can improve your customer experience and marketing efforts. Collecting data on your customers can provide you with insight regarding their shopping habits and trends on the seasonality of your products.

You’ll also know what products have started running low, which ones need larger stocks maintained, and what products might attract leads you want to nurture in the future.

Sending an email notification when the product is back in stock

When customers find an out-of-stock product, they will see an option to receive an alert when the product is back in stock. The out-of-stock subscription option appears right on the product page so customers can easily opt in.

The stock-alert email notification provides an unobtrusive way to keep customers engaged. When customers have a way to automatically receive an update when a product is available again, you increase the chances that they will be patient rather than go to one of your competitors.

Tracking low stock and out-of-stock products

The Magento 2 stock notification can also help your administrators keep a closer eye on the amount of stock you have available. They will receive alerts that lets them know when a particular item is running low. This both shows which products are currently hot, and makes it easier for you to stay on top of replenishment.

Tracking new stock and price subscriptions

With Magento, you will also know when customers subscribe to an item’s out-of-stock or price alerts. Following the subscriptions will also provide information about the products customers want to buy. This data can be combined with actual sales in a number of ways—for example, better predicting seasonal demand.

The data surrounding stock and price subscriptions can provide insight into market demand and even the pricing customers want to see. Magento allows customers to enter their desired price so they receive a notice when that price is met. This information can show the perceived value of your product.

The alerts also remind customers to return to your site to complete their purchase, which can help increase sales.

Updating administrators on current inventory

Through subscriptions, out-of-stock notifications, and low-stock notifications, your store admins can track data related to your product inventory. Information regarding product availability and popularity will be readily available, improving the customer’s buying experience and your ability to keep items in stock.

How to set up an out-of-stock notification for admins

Let’s walk through the steps to set up the configuration for the out-of-stock notification for your business website.

1. Go to Stores > Configuration, and click Magefan Extensions. This will open the section that allows you to set up low-inventory notifications.
2. In the Admin Notifications section, search for the Low Stock Notification tab.
3. Enable the low stock notification and set the Notification Time. The Notification Time will dictate when you want to receive emails about your stock levels (for example, when your personnel is most likely to see them).
4. In the Notify for Quantity Below field, select the products for which low-stock notification will be sent. Depending on your particular product and its sales cycle, you can determine the critical level that dictates “low stock” and customize when to receive this email according to your business needs.
5. Choose whether to enable the CSV file attachment, which lets you customize how you receive the information from the notification.
6. Select Email Sender > Template and Recipients and configure each. Set the email recipient and the email template that you want to use for the message based on who is responsible in your organization for restocking products and the email format they will find most helpful.

Once you set up these notifications, you will receive important updates on the stock status.

How to send a test notification

Once you set up your notification email, send a test notification to ensure everything runs smoothly and the emails arrive in the appropriate inboxes.

Follow these steps:

1. Put your email in the Test Stock Notification Email field. Placing your email here will allow you to see how the emails appear in the inbox and if everything has been configured correctly. If you want others to look at the notification, ensure their email addresses have been entered, too.
2. Go to Reports > Notifications and click Out-of-Stock Notifications.
3. Find a desired out-of-stock product and select the product name.
4. Select “Yes” in the Any Dropdown field.
5. Click on Actions and select Test Notifications.
6. Click Submit. This should send the notification to the desired email addresses and you can see how the notification appears.

Once you send your test email, discuss how well it works with the involved parties to ensure it will provide the information needed to accomplish your goals.

How to set up notifications for customers

You can also set up notifications for your customers so they can receive product alerts when an item comes back in stock or when the price drops. The setup will give them an option to click on a link and enter their information when they see a product they like that is currently out of stock or that they would like to buy at a lower price.

Follow these steps to set up notification stock options for customers:

1. Go into your Admin panel along the sidebar, which provides access to settings and configurations for your online store.
2. In the left panel, you will see the option to expand the Catalog menu.
3. Once you have the Catalog menu open, you can open the Product Alerts menu.
4. When you are in the Product Alerts portion, you will see options to allow an alert when the product price changes or as a back-in-stock notification. Determine which alerts you want to go with your brand and enable or disable them as desired. Adjust your settings in the Product Alert Run Settings to determine how often and when to send the stock alert.

Setting up these notifications allows your guest visitors and existing subscribers to click “notify me” to receive alerts on certain products.

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Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this article. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.