WooCommerce has no "notify me when back in stock" button. To add one, use a plugin that puts an email form on sold-out products, records each request with the shopper's consent, and emails them once when stock returns. StoreRuler does this for free: turn on back-in-stock requests under StoreRuler → Marketing, and out-of-stock products and variations show the form.
Why back-in-stock requests are worth collecting
A shopper who finds a sold-out product usually leaves. A back-in-stock request turns that visit into two useful things: a shopper you can bring back, and a number you can act on. If twenty people wait for a jacket in size M, reordering it is a decision, not a guess.
The same list also tells you what not to reorder. A product nobody asks about while it is sold out may not need to come back.
What WooCommerce does on its own
- It tracks stock per product or variation and marks an item "Out of stock" when its quantity reaches the out-of-stock threshold.
- Under WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Inventory, it can email the store about low-stock and out-of-stock items, and hide out-of-stock items from the catalogue.
- It can allow backorders, so a product can still be bought while its stock is zero.
What it does not have is a way for shoppers to leave their address and hear back when the product returns. For that you need a plugin.
Consent and privacy: get this right
A back-in-stock email is a message the shopper asked for, and it should stay exactly that.
- Ask clearly. A tick box that says what will happen, such as "one email when this product is back", is better than a pre-ticked box or small print.
- Send once. One email per request. Do not add the address to a newsletter unless the shopper agreed to that separately.
- Do not keep requests forever. Delete the ones that were sent or cancelled, and very old ones still waiting.
- Mention it in your privacy notice. Say that you store the address for this purpose and for how long.
- Guard the form. Anyone can type someone else's address into a public form. Limits per visitor and per inbox stop the form from being used to flood a mailbox.
Rules differ from country to country. This is practical advice, not legal advice; check what applies to your store.
Common mistakes
- Hiding sold-out products. If WooCommerce hides out-of-stock items from the catalogue, shoppers rarely reach the product page, so they rarely see the form.
- Asking for the whole product. A request must be for the exact size or colour that is missing, not for a product that is half in stock.
- Emailing everyone for three units. If 40 people wait and 3 units came back, decide whether to email at once or later by hand.
- Emails that never arrive. If your store's emails land in spam, these will too. Check your email delivery before you switch requests on.
- Never testing. Ask for a product yourself, restock it and check that the email arrives.
Setup checklist
- Decide whether sold-out products stay visible in your catalogue.
- Turn on the request form and look at it on an out-of-stock product and on an out-of-stock variation.
- Read the back-in-stock email and adjust its subject and heading to your tone.
- Test it end to end with your own address.
- Add a line about it to your privacy notice.
- Look at the waiting list each time you plan a purchase.
How StoreRuler handles back-in-stock requests
Back-in-stock requests are off until you turn them on, on the Waiting customers screen under StoreRuler → Marketing. Once they are on, every published out-of-stock product or variation shows a short box under its stock text: "Email me when this is back in stock", an email field, a consent box and a Notify me button. The request is saved only when the box is ticked. A product on backorder can still be bought, so it shows no form.
When the product's stock status turns back to in stock, StoreRuler sends each waiting shopper one WooCommerce email in the background. You can change its subject and heading, or switch it off, under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails, where it is called "Back in stock". The email links to the product and tells the shopper they will not be emailed about it again. If you would rather decide yourself, turn off automatic sending and use Email them now on a product that is back.
The form is guarded the way the checklist above asks:
- one waiting request per product and inbox, also when the same inbox is typed another way;
- at most 10 requests an hour from one visitor's network and 5 new requests a day for one inbox, plus a hidden field that catches bots;
- the visitor's IP address is used only in hashed form for the hourly limit and is not stored;
- sent or cancelled requests are deleted 90 days after the request, and requests still waiting after one year;
- requests are part of WordPress's personal data export and erasure.
Right after asking, the shopper sees a button to cancel the request. If you turn requests off, the form disappears and waiting requests are kept, but nobody is emailed while it is off.
Using the waiting list to reorder
The Waiting customers screen lists the products people wait for, most requested first, with the number of shoppers waiting, the date the first one asked and whether the product is in stock now. It also shows how many back-in-stock emails went out in the last 30 days, and the shop searches that found nothing, which point at products you do not sell yet.
Next to it, the product list's Out of stock filter shows every sold-out product, so you can compare what is missing with what people wait for.
The screenshot is the product list on a paid plan, which adds cost and in-store price columns; the Out of stock filter is in the free version too.
Which plan includes it
Back-in-stock requests, the Waiting customers list and searches with no results are in the free StoreRuler plugin on WordPress.org. The setup steps are in the live carts and back-in-stock guide. Before you switch it on, check your email delivery with the store health and email guide. More product tools are on the product management page.
Frequently asked questions
Does WooCommerce have back-in-stock notifications built in?
No. WooCommerce can email the store about low-stock and out-of-stock products, but it has no form where shoppers ask to be emailed when a product returns. That needs a plugin.
Do shoppers need an account to ask?
No. They enter an email address and tick the consent box. For signed-in customers, the address is filled in already.
Does it work for variations such as one size?
Yes. Each out-of-stock variation takes its own requests, and the email goes out when that variation is back in stock.
Will StoreRuler add these shoppers to my newsletter?
No. Each request gets one email about that product, and the address is used only for that.
