When running a Shopify store, missed sales opportunities from out-of-stock items are one of the major challenges. An effective countermeasure is the "restock notification" feature. Using restock notifications lets you avoid losing customers who were interested in an out-of-stock product, helping boost sales.
In this article, we introduce 6 recommended apps for adding a restock notification feature to your Shopify store. We also cover points to consider when choosing a restock notification app, along with frequently asked questions. If you're looking to boost sales on your Shopify store, please use this as a reference.
What is a restock notification (Back In Stock)?
A restock notification is a system that sends users a notification when an out-of-stock product is restocked. Adding a restock notification feature saves users the trouble of checking stock themselves, and lets stores reduce missed sales opportunities from being out of stock.
Shopify doesn't come with a restock notification feature by default. Because of this, you need to install a Shopify app to use restock notification functionality.
6 recommended Shopify apps for restock notifications
- StoreCRM
- Restock Notification Supporter
- Pricey Restock Notification
- Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder
- Back in Stock: Restock Alerts (formerly Customer Alerts)
- Back in Stock & Restock Alerts
StoreCRM
StoreCRM is a CRM/MA app created by GroovyMedia Co., Ltd. Based on customer data and purchase history, it can send emails at the optimal time, such as cart-abandonment emails or birthday emails. It comes with many pre-built email scenarios for boosting CVR and LTV, including a restock notification scenario. Setting up restock notifications is easy: just add a restock notification button (app block) to your product page, choose "Restock Notification" among the scenarios, and customize the "email send timing" and "email body."
The blog post below introduces StoreCRM's features, pricing plans, and setup process. Please use it as a reference
StoreCRM pricing plans
If you exceed the number of connected users or monthly notifications for your plan, charges apply based on your connected user count/emails sent.
| Plan name | Test mode | Standard plan | Pro plan | Plus plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $30/month | $100/month | $200/month |
| Key features |
・Try all features ・Test emails only (can't send to a live store) |
・Basic marketing features (LINE integration, welcome emails, checkout abandonment, etc.) ・Email support ・Up to 500 active users ※ 501-5,500 incurs extra charges; 5,501+ auto-upgrades to Pro plan |
・All Standard plan features ・Email support ・Birthday notification feature ・Favorites and restock notification feature ・Subscription integration feature ・Up to 6,000 active users ※ 6,001-15,000 incurs extra charges; 15,001+ auto-upgrades to Plus plan |
・All Pro plan features ・Email support ・Flow editor feature ・Up to 16,000 active users ※ 16,001+ available for extra charges |
Restock Notification Supporter
Source: Restock Notification Supporter｜Shopify App Store
Restock Notification Supporter is an affordable, easy-to-use restock notification app with the essential features. Since it supports Japanese by default, it's recommended for businesses that want to quickly and easily implement restock notifications in Japanese.
Restock Notification Supporter plans
| Plan | FREE |
START UP |
SMALL BUSINESS |
MEDIUM STORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Free | $9.5 | $15 | $35 |
|
Monthly notifications (email) |
5 | 50 | 150 | 1000 |
Pricey Restock Notification
"Pricey Restock Notification" is a Japan-made restock notification app for Shopify. When an out-of-stock product is restocked, it instantly notifies customers via SMS or email with a 90% open rate. It powerfully helps prevent missed sales opportunities and boost sales. You can customize the button's shape, color, and wording for free.
The blog post below introduces Pricey Restock Notification's features, pricing plans, and setup process. Please use it as a reference
Pricey Restock Notification pricing plans
| Plan name | Starter | Light | Pro | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $9/month | $19/month | $35/month | $50/month |
| Notification limit |
Email 1,500 SMS 50 |
Email 3,000 SMS 100 |
Email 4,000 SMS 200 |
Email 5,000 SMS 300 |
Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder
Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder is a Shopify app that lets you add both a restock notification feature and a pre-order feature. It's available for free, and can automatically accept restock notification sign-ups or run pre-order sales the moment a product goes out of stock. The admin screen supports Japanese, but some of the default Japanese text is a bit off, so you'll need to fix up the wording in various places.
The blog post below explains Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder in detail. Please use it as a reference.
Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder pricing plans
Back in Stock: Restock Alerts (formerly Customer Alerts)
Source: Back in Stock: Restock Alerts｜Shopify App Store
Highlights of Back in Stock: Restock Alerts (formerly Customer Alerts)
・Its open API lets it integrate with other systems
・Easy to add with no code editing required
It can integrate with other systems and is quite feature-rich. By integrating with external apps, you can even send notifications via LINE.
Back in Stock: Restock Alerts (formerly Customer Alerts) pricing plans
| Plan | FREE |
START UP |
SMALL BUSINESS |
MEDIUM STORE |
LARGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Free | $29 | $49 | $69 | $99 |
|
Monthly notifications (email) |
10 | 100 | 500 | 5000 | 50000 |
Back in Stock & Restock Alerts
Source: Back in Stock & Restock Alerts｜Shopify App Store
Highlights of Back in Stock & Restock Alerts
・Supports a variety of languages
・Can send emails branded with your shop's logo
・Facebook integration available
With a large number of reviews, it's a standard Shopify app overseas. Facebook integration is also available.
Back in Stock & Restock Alerts plans
| Plan | FREE | BASIC | STARTER | PRO | LARGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Free | $5 | $9 | $19 | $99 |
|
Monthly notifications (email) |
20 | 500 | 2500 | 5000 | 50000 |
Email marketing apps that support restock notifications
Klaviyo
This is one of the more popular email marketing apps among Shopify apps. It comes with all the features you need for email marketing, and it's known for integrating with a wide range of Shopify apps. With Klaviyo, you can also set up automated emails, like "automatically send an email with XX content to customers at the timing of ○○."
You can also show a restock-notification signup form when a product is out of stock, and automatically send an email to those who signed up once the product is restocked.
Pricing: Free~
* Free for up to 250 emails. Free for up to 50 SMS. Beyond that, charges apply. Please check the official page for details
The blog post below explains in detail the benefits of using Klaviyo and how to set it up initially. Please use it as a reference.
The blog post below introduces how to set up restock notifications using Klaviyo. Please use it as a reference.
Omnisend
Omnisend is the second most well-known email marketing app after Klaviyo. It's relatively cheaper to get started with than Klaviyo, and although the settings screen is in English, it's designed to be intuitive. It can do nearly everything Klaviyo can, including mass emails, automated emails, and restock notifications.
The blog post below introduces how to set up restock notifications using Omnisend. Please use it as a reference.
[Bonus] RuffRuff 予約販売
If you're implementing restock notifications using Klaviyo or Omnisend as described above, we recommend also using RuffRuff 予約販売 alongside it.
Combining Klaviyo or Omnisend with RuffRuff 予約販売 gives you the following benefits.
- Add restock notification functionality beyond just product pages
- Display and customize a restock notification button
- Show different restock notifications per product
- Easily set up and customize restock notifications
"RuffRuff 予約販売" helps reduce the missed sales opportunities that come from being out of stock, ahead of a new product launch, or waiting on restocks.
It lets you set up pre-orders on your own Shopify store remarkably easily, letting you register an unlimited number of pre-order products and accept an unlimited number of pre-orders. It can also prevent pre-order items and regular items from being ordered together, and can notify customers when a restock date isn't yet set.
It also has many unique features not found in other pre-order apps, such as "deferred payment," which lets you collect payment before the product ships.
How to choose a restock notification app
Here are 3 things to keep in mind when choosing a restock notification app.
- Does it support Japanese?
- Is the cost worth it?
- Does it have the features you need?
Let's go through each one in detail.
Does it support Japanese?
Shopify has many apps made overseas.
No matter how good the features or cost are, if it doesn't support Japanese, you may end up with hidden work costs (such as translation work or having to make inquiries when something goes wrong), so be careful.
First, check whether the following support Japanese.
・The storefront (the part users see on the site)
・The app's admin screen
・The help page
・Support contacts
Is the cost worth it?
Restock notification apps come with a monthly fee. Most apps have multiple plans, and the number of notifications you can send per month and the richness of features vary by plan. Choosing a plan that fits your budget and goals is important.
Comparing restock notification app plans
| App name | Plan name | Monthly fee | Monthly notifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| StoreCRM | Standard plan | $30 | 5,500 |
| Pro plan | $100 | 66,000 | |
| Plus plan | $200 | 176,000 | |
| Concierge plan | $530 | 11,000 | |
| Restock Notification Supporter | FREE | Free | 5 |
|
START UP |
$9.5 | 50 | |
|
SMALL BUSINESS |
$15 | 150 | |
|
MEDIUM STORE |
$35 | 1000 | |
| Pricey Restock Notification | Starter plan | $9/month | 1,500 |
| Light plan | $19/month | 3,000 | |
| Pro plan | $35/month | 4,000 | |
| Premium plan | $50/month | 5,000 | |
| Notify Me! Back in Stock Alert | Lite | Free | 10 |
| Essentials | $19 | 300 | |
| Pro | $39 | 3000 | |
| Premium | $49 | 10000 | |
| Enterprise | $250 | Unlimited | |
| Back in Stock: Restock Alerts (formerly Customer Alerts) |
FREE | Free | 10 |
|
START UP |
$29 | 100 | |
|
SMALL BUSINESS |
$49 | 500 | |
|
MEDIUM STORE |
$69 | 5000 | |
| LARGE | $99 | 50000 | |
| Back in Stock & Restock Alerts | FREE | Free | 20 |
| BASIC | $5 | 500 | |
| STARTER | $9 | 2500 | |
| PRO | $19 | 5000 |
Does it have the features you need?
Notification methods and the richness of reporting features vary by app. If you want to notify customers via LINE but choose an app that doesn't support LINE, that defeats the purpose, so make sure the app has the features your business actually needs.
Frequently asked questions about restock notification apps
Can I sign an annual contract?
No, you can't. Currently, every app is monthly-billed only.
Can I change plans partway through?
Yes, you can change plans. However, if you downgrade, your notification allowance decreases, which may mean some customers don't receive their restock notification. So before changing, check your number of sign-ups against your monthly notification allowance.
Difference between pre-orders and restock notifications
Pre-orders let you sell a product before its launch or before it arrives, and ship it once it arrives.
Restock notifications (arrival notifications), on the other hand, don't sell the product — they just notify customers once the product has arrived.
Since pre-orders let you sell at a time when purchase intent is high, they can be said to reduce missed sales opportunities more than restock notifications.
When to use pre-orders vs. restock notifications
We think it's best to choose pre-orders when the product's arrival timing is clear (you can deliver by a promised date), or when you're reasonably confident you can ship within 30 days of purchase. Otherwise, we recommend choosing restock notifications.
In closing
A restock notification feature is a highly effective way to reduce missed sales opportunities from out-of-stock items and improve customer satisfaction. Shopify offers a variety of restock notification apps, each with different features and pricing plans. By choosing the app that fits your needs and budget, you can efficiently work toward boosting your sales.
Beyond just a restock notification feature, combining it with pre-order sales or email marketing apps can achieve even more effective marketing efforts. In particular, prioritizing Japanese-language support and a solid support system can ease the operational burden and help ensure smooth setup.
Using the apps and selection points introduced in this article as a reference, please try adding the restock notification feature that best fits your Shopify store. It should help you meet customer expectations and grow your sales.
Finally, the blog post below, besides restock notification apps, introduces various other recommended apps by category, such as for "attracting customers," "increasing sales," and "expanding blog functionality." Please use it as a reference.
