It’s a nightmare — customers are flocking to your store, ready to purchase, only to find that their desired product is out of stock. The cart abandonment rate soared, and the sales you were counting on slipped away. But what if you could turn this frustration into future sales? What if you had a solution that not only kept customers engaged but boosted conversions when items were restocked?
The solution? The WooCommerce Waitlist plugins. This game-changing tool can save your digital store by offering a seamless way to handle stock-outs and keep customers coming back for more.
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Best WooCommerce Waitlist Plugins to Try
Here are the top tried and tested WooCommerce waitlist plugins that you can use to improve the customer retention ratio at your store.
Merchant
When stock-outs threaten to stall your sales, Merchant swoops in as your WooCommerce waitlist hero. This powerful plugin ensures that your customers are never left hanging, transforming frustrating “out of stock” messages into future sales opportunities.
With thousands of satisfied users and rave reviews, Merchant is a must-have for WooCommerce stores that want to turn waitlists into a strategic advantage.
Why to Use It
- Don’t let out-of-stock items lead to lost sales. With Merchant, customers can subscribe to a waitlist, ensuring you never miss out on a potential sale.
- Once your products are back in stock, Merchant sends an automated email to your customers, encouraging them to complete their purchase.
- With an intuitive and seamless waitlist process, you keep your customers engaged and ready to buy once the item is available.
- Customize the waitlist button’s text and colors to fit your site’s branding, offering a personalized experience.
- Offer customers on the waitlist special discounts or promotions when the product is restocked, incentivizing conversions and boosting sales.
Why To Avoid It
Merchant is ideal for businesses looking to capture potential sales from customers who are willing to wait. However, if your business model relies heavily on immediate purchases or if you prefer not to manage waitlists, this plugin may not suit your needs.
Features That Will Improve User Experience
- Lets customers join the waitlist for specific product variations, ensuring a personalized shopping experience.
- Fully customize the waitlist button’s design to match your site’s look and feel.
- Customers can easily remove their email addresses from the list after subscribing, giving them full control over their preferences.
Pricing
Merchant offers flexible plans to suit businesses of all sizes:
- Personal Plan – 1 Website -$59/year
- Professional Plan – 10 Websites- $119/year
- Agency Plan – 100 Websites-$239/year
YITH WooCommerce Waitlist
Swooping in to save your digital commerce from losing prospective customers due to stock-outs, YITH WooCommerce Waitlist plugin is the knight in shining armor. This incredible WooCommerce waitlist plugin has been embraced by thousands of WordPress users, with over 7,000 active installations and a 4-star rating. The plugin is compatible with WordPress versions 4.4 and up.
The YITH WooCommerce Waitlist plugin is an essential tool that lets your customers subscribe to a waitlist for out-of-stock items. When the product is back in stock, the WooCommerce waitlist plugin sends an automated email notification to the subscribers, making it easier for them to complete their purchases. It’s a magic wand that transforms a disappointing ‘out of stock’ experience into a promising future purchase.
Why to Use It
1. Prevents loss of potential customers due to stock-outs.
2. Allows customers to subscribe to a waitlist for out-of-stock items.
3. Send automated email notifications when the product is back in stock.
4. Provides a great user experience by offering customers a discount or a special promotion.
5. Helps in the successful handling of promotional campaigns for a product or service before it is available.
Why to Avoid It
However, you might want to avoid this WooCommerce waitlist plugin if you are not comfortable with the idea of managing a waitlist or if you want an immediate purchase experience for your customers.
Features That Can Improve User Experience
1. The plugin supports variable products, allowing users to subscribe to a specific waitlist for each product variation.
2. It offers customization options for the text and colors of the subscription button.
3. Users receive a button that allows them to have their email addresses removed from the list after subscribing.
Pricing
YITH WooCommerce Waitlist plugin comes with both free and premium subscriptions. The free version includes basic features like a waitlist subscription box, support for variable products, and customization options.
The premium version, available for $89.99 annually, offers advanced features.
Wishlist and Waitlist for WooCommerce
Imagine having a personal concierge for your online store, guiding your customers as they navigate their way through your product offerings. The Wishlist and Waitlist for WooCommerce plugin does just that. With over 5000 active installations, a 4-star rating on WordPress, and compatibility with WooCommerce versions 3.0 and above, this WooCommerce waitlist plugin is a game-changer for both agencies and developers alike.
The plugin allows customers to create personalized wishlists and waitlists for products, akin to a virtual shopping assistant. It adds a level of engagement that not only improves user experience but also promotes customer retention.
The cherry on top? It automatically notifies your customers when their coveted items are back in stock, turning potential missed opportunities into successful sales.
Why to Use It
1. Enhances user experience by allowing customers to create personalized wishlists and waitlists.
2. Increases customer retention by adding an engaging element to your online store.
3. Boosts sales by automatically notifying customers when out-of-stock items are available.
4. Gives you insights into customer preferences, helping you optimize your product offerings.
5. Easy to use and customize, making it a breeze for developers to integrate into their WooCommerce stores.
Why to Avoid It
1. It may not be necessary for stores with a limited product range.
2. The plugin may conflict with some themes or other plugins, requiring troubleshooting.
Features That Will Improve User Experience
1. Customizable buttons for wishlist and waitlist, giving developers control over aesthetics.
2. Separate pages for wishlist and waitlist, providing a structured and organized user experience.
3. Widgets for in-stock waitlist products, on-sale wishlist products, and related products, offering opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.
Pricing
The Wishlist and Waitlist for WooCommerce plugin offers both free and premium versions. The premium version, priced at $29.50 for a single site, comes with additional features such as unlimited wishlists, advanced settings, and priority support.
Product Stock Waitlist Manager for WooCommerce
Take your WooCommerce store to the next level with the Product Stock Waitlist Manager for WooCommerce. This plugin is a game-changer for e-commerce businesses, offering automatic out-of-stock subscriptions and in-stock alerts that keep your customers informed and engaged.
With over a thousand active installations and a solid 5-star rating, this WooCommerce waitlist plugin is compatible with WordPress versions 5.0 and up, along with PHP version 8.3, making it a safe and reliable choice for your website.
The Product Stock Waitlist Manager for WooCommerce is more than just a tool, it’s a solution to a common e-commerce problem. When items go out of stock, potential customers typically move on, resulting in lost sales.
But this WooCommerce waitlist plugin keeps them in the loop with real-time updates and instant stock alerts, turning casual browsers into loyal customers.
Why to Use It
1. Automatically notify subscribers when products are back in stock
2. Track product demand and convert subscribers into loyal customers
3. Support for various product types including Simple, Variable, Grouped, and more
4. WPML Compatible for global reach
5. Customize forms, headings, button text, colors, and more to match your brand
Why to Avoid It
1. If you don’t have a WooCommerce store, this WooCommerce waitlist plugin won’t be of use to you
2. The plugin may not be as beneficial for businesses with rarely out-of-stock items
Features That Will Improve User Experience
1. Admin email alerts for customer product sign-ups
2. Avoid duplicate email entries for better notification lists
3. Plugin works smoothly for both guests and members
Pricing
The plugin offers both free and paid subscriptions. The free version includes basic features such as automatic notifications and support for various product types. On the other hand, the Pro version comes with advanced features like Mailchimp Sync, Double Opt-In, and Spam Email Prevention.
- Basic: Free
- Growth: $69/year
- Agency: $99/year
- Starter: $49/year
Waitlist Woocommerce ( Back in stock notifier )
Waitlist Woocommerce plugin, known as the Back in Stock Notifier, is an indispensable tool for any online retail store. This nifty WooCommerce waitlist plugin helps you track the demand for out-of-stock items and keeps your customers informed about their availability. With over 10,000 active installations and a 4.5-star rating on WordPress, the plugin is compatible with WordPress versions 4.4 and above.
The Back in Stock Notifier is like your personal virtual assistant. It notifies customers via email when an out-of-stock item is back for purchase, tracks user lists and quantity, and offers two template designs. Moreover, it allows you to enable or disable guest users and customize waitlist form fields. The cherry on top? It comes with a shortcode to generate the waitlist button/form anywhere.
Why to Use It
1. Keeps customers informed about the availability of out-of-stock items.
2. Tracks user lists and quantities.
3. Allows customization of waitlist form fields.
4. Enables email notifications for both the customer and the admin when a product is back in stock.
5. Supports guest users.
Why to Avoid It
1. This WooCommerce waitlist plugin may not be compatible with certain themes or other plugins.
2. The free version has limited features and options.
Features That Will Improve User Experience
1. Auto send “back in stock email” feature – This automatically sends an email when the stock status is updated to “in stock”.
2. Notify on Phone add-on – This sends a text message to users whenever a product arrives back in stock.
3. Export/Import Waitlist add-on – This allows easy export and import of waitlist users and their data into a CSV or Excel file.
Pricing
The plugin offers both free and paid subscriptions. The free version includes basic features, while the paid subscriptions offer advanced features and add-ons.
- Upto 5 Sites: $30
- Unlimited Sites: $45
Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce
Imagine never losing a customer again because of an out-of-stock product. The Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce – Waitlist Pro plugin makes this vision a reality. With over 1000 active installations and an overall rating of 4.5/5 on WordPress, this WooCommerce waitlist plugin is compatible with WordPress versions 4.0 and up, making it an indispensable tool for many e-commerce businesses.
This WooCommerce waitlist plugin turns potential customers into actual sales by automatically notifying them when an out-of-stock product is back in stock. It’s a powerful tool that not only displays an email subscription form on the front end, but also ensures seamless background email notifications. The plugin’s smart design prevents server crashes or timeouts that can occur with mass emailing, making it a reliable solution for businesses of all sizes.
Why to Use It
1. Efficiently manage product waitlists
2. Seamless background process for email notifications
3. Prevents server crashes and timeouts during mass emailing
4. Compatible with various product types (Simple, Variable, Grouped, etc.)
5. Convert potential customers into actual sales
Why to Avoid It
1. It may not be necessary if you rarely have out-of-stock products
2. The plugin requires a certain level of technical understanding to operate
Features That Will Improve User Experience
1. Google reCAPTCHA for Subscribe Field
2. Error message customization options
3. Option to show waitlist subscribe form for backorders
Pricing
The Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce – Waitlist Pro plugin offers a free version with basic features. There are also paid subscriptions available that offer additional features. These add-ons are priced at $10.00 each and include capabilities such as WPML compatibility, email unsubscription options, double opt-in support, and more.
Final Word
Incorporating a waitlist feature into your WooCommerce store is not just a smart strategy—it’s essential for retaining customer interest and driving future sales. By utilizing the right waitlist plugin, you can keep your customers informed and engaged, turning potential losses into opportunities.
Whether you choose a simple solution or a more advanced integration, these plugins empower you to manage demand efficiently while enhancing the overall shopping experience.
Don’t let out-of-stock items deter your customers; instead, leverage these tools to ensure they stay connected and ready to purchase when their favorite products become available again.
FAQ
What is a WooCommerce waitlist plugin?
A WooCommerce waitlist plugin allows customers to sign up for notifications when out-of-stock products become available again, helping businesses manage demand effectively.
How do I install a WooCommerce waitlist plugin?
Download the WooCommerce waitlist plugin from the WordPress repository or purchase it from a provider, then upload it via the WordPress admin panel under Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
.
Can customers manage their own waitlists?
Yes, many WooCommerce waitlist plugins allow customers to view and manage their subscriptions through their account page.
What features should I look for in a waitlist plugin?
Key features include email notifications, customizable forms, integration with other marketing tools, and the ability to handle variable products. Use staging sites for pre-installation testing for any WooCommerce waitlist plugin.
Are there any free WooCommerce waitlist plugins available?
Yes, several free options exist, such as YITH WooCommerce Waitlist, which offers basic functionalities for managing waitlists.
Can I customize the notification emails sent to customers?
Yes, many plugins allow you to customize the content and design of notification emails to align with your brand.
Is it possible to integrate the waitlist feature with my email marketing campaigns?
Yes, some plugins offer integration with email marketing services like Mandrill or Mailchimp for advanced campaign management.
How do I track which products have the most demand?
Plugins typically provide analytics features that allow you to see how many users are on each product’s waitlist, helping you prioritize restocking.
What happens if a customer joins a waitlist for a variable product?
Customers can subscribe to specific variations of a product, ensuring they receive notifications only for their desired item when it becomes available.
Can I add a waitlist button to my shop page?
Yes, most plugins allow you to display waitlist buttons on various pages, including product archives and category pages.
Do I need coding skills to set up a WooCommerce waitlist plugin?
No, most plugins are designed to be user-friendly and can be set up without any coding knowledge.