Back In Stock Features, An Ecomm Game Changer
In the beauty industry, as new brands and formulas hit the market each day, there’s certainly no shortage of options. And as a result, choosing the right items for your skin can be tough. So when you do finally find products that work for you and your unique skin, you never want to run out.
So what do you do when your favorite cosmetics are so popular that they’re constantly flying off the shelves and selling out online? Some brands make it so simple, giving their customers the option to be added to a waitlist and notified when the product is available again.
This feature can be a game changer, not just for the consumers, but also for businesses - and we’ll tell you why.
But first, let us highlight some of our clients who have made the news recently for having products their customers just can’t get enough of.
First is celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic’s Makeup by Mario.
In December, NewBeauty.com said the ‘cult classic’ Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette was inarguably worthy of such renown, gaining “so much traction that it sold out completely and amassed a 13,000-person waitlist in its absence”.
This product has been praised by some of the biggest names and was even spotted in Meghan Markle’s vanity in the Harry & Megan documentary recently released on Netflix.
Next is Naturium, clean and sustainably sourced premium skincare, known to be clinically effective.
Last fall, their Glow Getter Multi-Oil Hydrating Body Wash went viral on TikTok, and WellandGood.com called the best selling product “notoriously tough to purchase before selling out”.
And at the end of 2022, their Dew Glow Moisturizer SPF 50 had a 20K person wait list. TheList.com said “with seemingly magical properties…it’s no surprise that people are clamoring to get their hands on it.”
“If something is constantly selling out then it has to be nothing short of miraculous.” (Ry.com)
Check out these products and see what all the hype is about!
Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: https://www.makeupbymario.com/collections/eyes/products/master-mattes-palette?variant=39321892454465
Naturium Glow Getter Multi-Oil Hydrating Body Wash: https://naturium.com/products/the-glow-getter-multi-oil-hydrating-body-wash
Naturium Dew Glow Moisturizer SPF 50: https://naturium.com/products/dew-glow-moisturizer-spf-50
How it works:
When an item is sold out, product lovers can submit their email to be notified when the item is available again. Instead of hoping, waiting, and refreshing the product’s page on the website for days, the customer is alerted in real-time when restocked, so they know to hop back online and make their purchase.
Benefits for the consumer:
Customers don’t have to look for an alternative product or something new, as they know the item they want will be restocked and available again. It’s a major win when it comes to skincare as most customers know what they like, and want to stick with what they know. As they say: “if it ain't broke, don’t fix it”.
It’s also a good user experience in general – shopping for a product and being able to see that it's currently out of stock and sold out, but also that it will be restocked so the customer knows it’s not gone forever.
Without that, consumers might be inclined to look for the product elsewhere – leaving the brand’s website, even going to a competitor to find what they're looking for.
A Back in Stock system can help to prevent that, by winning back this potentially lost customer.
Benefits for the brand:
There are a handful of benefits for brands to invest in back-in-stock functionality. Some include customer data collection, easy setup and automation, and customer intent insights.
When customers submit their email address, it gets added to a list to help with data and contact information gathering. Once the user has opted in and submitted their email, the brand can send them future promotions down the road, establishing a channel of communication. This may be a fool-proof way of reminding these previous customers about the next big blowout sale.
Most 3rd parties make the setup and ongoing process as easy as possible by auto-generating a message to all customers that signed up for the back-in-stock alert. It is triggered as soon as the item has been restocked.
The email addresses collected, or ‘waitlists’, help to understand how many shoppers are interested in these items. As a result, these companies can predict demand, therefore helping to manage ongoing production and inventory levels.
How to Implement:
Depending on what platform your e-commerce site is built on, there are a number of apps and plug-ins brands can integrate directly. Some multifaceted 3rd parties like email service provider, Klaviyo, offer an easy integration, while others solely focus on the back-in-stock functionality and reporting.
Want to learn more? Here at 1Rockwell, we live and breathe e-commerce sites – supporting, building, and managing, so feel free to contact us with questions and we can help!