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How to enable a product waitlist on WooCommerce

In the eCommerce world (and beyond), one sales tool that’s gaining more and more popularity is the waitlist (also called the waiting list). This technique lets sellers offer their customers the chance to sign up for a waitlist well before the product is even available for purchase. There are several advantages to using this approach, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.

Particularly in online sales, these benefits are highly valued. In fact, many sellers choose to create waiting lists for products they could easily sell right away. This helps them to boost their sales in the future.

In addition to sales, this idea is utilized in various areas including the entertainment industry and product launches. It’s common to announce movies and products ahead of time, and you can also make use of similar features on YouTube by scheduling premieres for your videos and leveraging the excitement it creates among your audience.

In the course of this article, we will discover in detail how this tool works, and also find out how you can introduce it to your WooCommerce online store just by using a very simple plugin.

Let’s start by explaining in detail how the waiting list works.

Waiting list uses

What is a waiting list and what it is used for

In product launch strategies, a waiting list is a helpful pre-sales tool that is frequently used. When browsing a sales page, customers are presented with a waitlist form to gather their contact information, typically their email, to be notified when the product is available.

There are numerous applications of this tool, as we’ll explore shortly. Overall, it’s a highly beneficial resource that can help you retain customers who visit your store but are unable to find the product they were searching for.

In general, the effectiveness of the waiting list is based on two principles theorized by Robert Cialdini, namely Scarcity and Commitment and Consistency.

When a product becomes out of stock and customers are informed that only a limited number will be available upon restocking, it creates a sense of urgency (Scarcity). This motivates them to make a purchase quickly when the product becomes available again.

Additionally, signing up for a waiting list demonstrates interest in a particular product. This action triggers the principle of Consistency and Commitment, which means that the customer will feel compelled to make a purchase to keep their word and follow through with their interest in the product.

What to do with a waiting list

What you can do with the waiting list

As we discussed earlier, waiting lists play a crucial role in launch strategies. To ensure future sales of a product that is announced well in advance and promoted to potential customers, it’s best to create a list linked with a sequence of emails.

While this application is undoubtedly impressive, it is not the only one.

In fact, many shops prefer to introduce this functionality in their catalog to manage out-of-stock products.

As a seller, you’ll be glad to know that platforms like WooCommerce keep your customers informed about product availability. Whenever you enter a number, the platform updates customers accordingly. When the product quantity falls to zero, the store automatically prevents any further purchases to avoid any empty orders.

Preventing customers from buying the product outright could lead to them going to rival stores to find substitutes. Instead, consider implementing a waitlist system that only kicks in when the product is out of stock. This way, you won’t lose out on a sale, just postpone it.

There are also numerous other ways in which a list can be used, depending on your sales strategy.

Waitlist Advantages

Before we look at how to enable a WooCommerce waitlist in your shop, it is important to note the three major advantages of using it.

In our previous point, we talked about out-of-stock products, but now let’s discuss the three main reasons why customer waitlists are so prevalent on the internet.

These are:

  • Information about your customer base – It’s always a great idea to gather insights from your customers before investing in new products. By doing so, you’ll be able to gauge their interest and preferences ahead of time. With the right tools, you can easily identify which products are gaining traction and which ones aren’t as popular. This kind of information is typically only available after a sale has been made, making it especially valuable to have early on.
  • Marketing and email – Email marketing is often overlooked in today’s world of instant communication. However, it’s important to realize the potential it holds as a powerful tool for marketers. Through notification emails, you can send follow-up messages and increase conversion rates for specific products.
  • Word of mouth – As we consider the benefits, it’s commonly accepted that the first two advantages are easily measurable. However, having a waiting list can help you expand your customer base further. By keeping potential buyers waiting, you can generate excitement and anticipation for your product, which can even be contagious and spread among people in their circle.

Even listing three advantages, we have only scratched the surface of the potential of a waiting list plugin, but it is enough to consider it necessary. Let’s see how you can include it in your WooCommerce shop.

Enable the waiting list

How to enable the waiting list on WooCommerce

If you’re using WooCommerce, you’ll be pleased to know that there are many features that can be added to your store through plugins. One such plugin we recommend is the WooCommerce Waitlist plugin. With just a few clicks, you can easily set up waiting lists for your customers.

Let’s see exactly how to use it.

Installation and configuration of the waitlist plugin

First of all, it’s worth mentioning that YITH WooCommerce Waitlist comes in both free and premium versions. The free option enables you to add the waitlist feature to all out of stock products. On the other hand, if you go for the premium version, you’ll have the freedom to personalize its appearance and functionality to a greater extent.

Once you have purchased the plugin, you can download it in a compressed .zip folder. Remember not to extract the files from this folder, as you will have to upload it as is to your WordPress site.

To do this, go to the WordPress side menu and click on Plugins > Add New. This will open a page where you will find the “Upload Plugin” button at the top:

Upload plugin

At this point, clicking on the above-mentioned button will open a new page where you can load the previously purchased plugin.

Great news! The installation process is very simple and you’ll have access to all the settings in no time. Simply head over to the side menu and click on YITH > Waitlist to get started. From there, you’ll be directed to the plugin management page where you can easily customize your settings.

Reports

The plugin is incredibly user-friendly and easy to operate. When you land on the first page, you’ll be greeted with a comprehensive view of the waiting lists on your site, including detailed stats for each order.

Of course if this is the first time you are using this plugin, the report will be empty, but don’t worry: in no time you will have lots of users subscribed to your various lists.

Before you reap the benefits, however, it is good to know how to manage the plugin. To do so, click on General Options > Options and determine the behaviour of the plugin on your site:

General options

As you can see, there are several parameters you can customise, such as applying waiting lists to all products in your shop or drawing up exclusion lists.

The plugin also gives you the possibility to customise the registration form, the email sent to customers, see which products are currently on hold and much more.

We recommend watching this video if you would like to see the first steps in a different format.

Effective use of the waitlist to improve the customer experience

As we have seen, the waitlist can be a very useful tool, but be careful not to overuse its functions.

While it’s great to have a system in place to manage limited inventory, it’s not recommended to have a majority of your catalog filled with products that are waitlisted. It’s also important to avoid leaving these products in a waitlisted state for too long without any indication of when they may become available again.

When it comes to launching strategies, it’s important to keep in mind that utilizing certain features may require a bit of practice and integration with email systems like MailChimp or Mandrill. In fact, the plugin itself recommends using Mandrill, which allows you to easily add those who request it to your email campaign by entering your Mandrill API Key in the panel (Just be sure to avoid spamming your recipients!).

You may also want to explore other plugins that complement Waitlist. For instance, the WooCommerce Customize My Account Page plugin enables you to offer a section for users to manage their waitlist details conveniently on their My Account page.

FAQ – Questions and Answers

Where is WooCommerce Waitlist data stored?

When you use our plugin, all the important information is kept safe and secure within the store. Plus, we also install a clever tracking cookie that helps you measure your level of conversion. Don’t worry, we’ve made sure that our plugin is fully compliant with GDPR regulations and we always give you a heads up before saving any information.

How to manually add a user to the waiting list for WooCommerce?

Adding a user to the waiting list is very simple! To get started, head over to Products that have a waiting list. Once there, find the three dots on the right-hand side of the product you’re interested in, and you’ll have access to a variety of options to choose from:

Add user to waiting list

Click on “View Users” and on the page opened you can click on “Add User” and search for the user you wish to add (or create a new account):

Adding user

Can I customise messages sent to waitlist users?

Yes, you can do this easily by going to Forms on the product page > Customisation. You can also edit the emails sent to the customer by going to “Email Settings” and clicking on the email you want to send to your users:

Email settings

What happens when an out-of-stock product becomes available again for customers on the waiting list?

When a product that was previously out of stock becomes available again, customers on the waiting list will be promptly notified via email. You have the option to customize this message however you please, perhaps by including a special discount code to encourage the customer to make a purchase.

How can I promote the waitlist and encourage customers to subscribe?

One clever marketing tactic that some companies use is the principle of Scarcity. This means creating a sense of urgency by highlighting that a product is in high demand and there are limited quantities available. It will encourage customers to act fast and sign up to receive a stock notification.

Which plugins or tools can I use to implement a waitlist on WooCommerce?

We recommend the WooCommerce Waitlist plugin, which is very easy to use, constantly updated and integrates perfectly with many other plugins on the market.

Conclusions

Upon examining this strategy, we discovered its remarkable potential. In fact, throughout history, there have been several product launches that have generated millions of dollars solely by leveraging a waiting list..

Running out of stock in the warehouse is the nightmare of every retailer. It’s not just about the lost sales, but also the risk of losing loyal customers to competitors while waiting for the products to restock.

Inserting a waiting list can save all these sales, as well as exploiting the potential of a sales tool that will be perceived by customers as an extra service offered for their benefit.

All this will reduce the burden on customer service, which will then no longer have to answer numerous questions such as “When will this product be available again?”.

Get these benefits and many more right away by creating a waiting list on your WooCommerce shop.

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