On Back in Stock Starter, also known as a restock alert or back-in-stock notification, immediately takes users on a journey when a particular product is back in stock, provided they engaged in the selected event within a specified timeframe. This starter activates when the product's stock updates across all platforms, website, mobile app, and offline environments, and then segments users who have visited that product.
This article explains the following:
The default event for On Back in Stock starter is set to Product Page View. If unchanged, the starter will automatically include users who visited a product in the journey as soon as it returns to stock. Opting for a different event requires users to engage in that specific event with the product to enter the journey. For instance, selecting the Item Added to Wishlist event will include users when their wishlist product is back in stock.
While the primary condition for this starter is the product's stock update, you can narrow down the user segment entering the journey with Optional Event Filters. Choose from default or custom events to create advanced conditions for journey entry.
For example, you can use On Back in Stock starter if you want to:
Exclude users who already purchased the product that is back in stock.
Target users when one of their items in the cart is back in stock, and level up your cart abandonment use case by combining it with stock alert.
Notify users when their favorite items are back in stock.
To match the main starter condition with user events, the Product ID (pid) event parameter is used. Events without a Product ID parameter can’t be used with back in stock condition.
As events without a Product ID (pid) event parameter can’t be used with the back in stock condition, you can view and select default events that have a pid event parameter.
You can view and select all custom events under Optional Event Filter; however, you will see warning messages as below when you try to save the starter element. In this case, you may add a pid event parameter to the event or select an event with a pid event parameter.
You can use Product Filters to exclude product categories or specific products based on their original price. See below for some examples:
You may consider excluding the products that are on sale from your back-in-stock journeys.
You may consider a 20% price drop, but exclude products with an original price under $10 to avoid overwhelming users with too many messages. You may also consider excluding the 5$ products that will bring little revenue.
Product filters are optional. You can enable the filters based on your use case.
Stock amount can not be used within the On Back in Stock starter. Starter condition considers only the “in stock” data for the products, namely whether they are in stock, or out of stock.
Additional Segmentation
You can add more segments to your starter condition to target your audience more precisely. For example, you can take users into the journey when they visit a product but do not purchase, have a high Likelihood to Purchase value, and the product is back in stock.
Users can enter the journey if they meet the main starter condition and meet the additional segment filter criteria. You can select predefined segments, standard segments, predictive segments, RFM segments, and saved segments to filter your users to take into the journey.
Tips & Tricks
Users may come from Upsert User Data API or any other source without their language information. That’s why we suggest selecting the "All Languages" option in the launch settings.
You can use the product filters to narrow the products that will trigger the journey for a better-targeted audience.
You can use additional segment filters to create better segmentation for your users.
You can use custom events for users who add an item to their wishlist/favorites or subscribe to a product to be notified when it is back in stock. You can use the event parameters to filter the products or categories for these events.
On Back in Stock starter works in real time. We do not recommend using wait elements after this starter for time-sensitive use cases.
Hold the entry product constant
You can keep the product's catalog attributes that came back in stock constant (e.g., its product name) and check them in a Check Conditions element, so you notify only shoppers who have not already purchased that product.
Use Cases
Back in Stock: Target users who visit a specific product but do not purchase when the product is back in stock.
Price Drop on Cart Abandonment: Target users who add an item to their cart when th’s back in stock.
Wishlist: Target users who add an item to their wishlist or favorites when that item is back in stock.
Product Subscription: Target users who have subscribed to a product to get notified about the discount when the item is back in stock.
Requirements
On Back in Stock starter has two types of requirements:
Product catalog data
User data collection
Product Catalog Data Collection
On Back in Stock utilizes the same data collection methods as the Smart Recommender product, which has three types of product catalog database integration methods. You can use each method individually or combine them, depending on your platforms and use cases.
Product Catalog Integration through Clickstream Data
Your product catalog information is processed whenever any of your customers visits your website and the product detail pages. Refer to crowd-based product feed collection.
Product Catalog Integration through XML
With this integration type, you can provide your own XML product catalog as a source for your product feed. You can implement the integration through the InOne panel and send all product attributes in the XML file to the product catalog database through the InOne panel. Read more on Product Catalog Integration through XML.
Product Catalog Integration through API
With this method, you can send your product catalog information through insertions and updates through the Catalog API. Read more on Product Catalog Integration through API.
Once the product catalog system triggers the journey, the journey queries users whose language attribute matches the locale of the catalog that contains the Back in Stock item. Then, it queries users who have performed the selected event in the selected duration to ensure the product is in stock. It also queries other filters added to the starter.
User Data Collection
You should complete the Insider Tag integration and the Insider Mobile SDK.
Insider One team should enable Events for your account.
You should send the respective events from your website, mobile app, and/or offline environment via the Upsert User Data API.