Shopify product availability applications are specifically developed to assist owners of e-commerce stores in managing and displaying their inventory responsibly. These applications, including PAS Product Availability Slots and Stofind: Inventory Information, feature countdown timers, real-time inventory updates, and notifications of return to stock dates. They make it easy to connect an online Shopify store and inventory while considering customer demand, ultimately driving more sales.
Benefits and Impact on Sales
These applications create urgency through countdown timers, creating a sense of urgency to purchase before the offer “runs out,” which is associated with improved conversion rates. For example, a clothing retailer added timers for limited time offers and increased sales conversion rates by 30%.
They also can better the experience for customers by sharing accurate information on product availability, which helps reduce cart abandonment from items being out of stock. Consistent availability of products can also help loyal customers return, as store owners have reported higher repeat visits and return engagement rates when using event based timers for product launches.
Interestingly, there is the impact of poor product availability on higher stakes than retailers anticipate, specifically with lost sales or markdowns on stock. A study done in 2018 stated that markdowns, coasters and not-for groceries cost US non-grocery retailers $300 billion (12% of sales) due to inventory shortages.
How Apps Can Skyrocket Your Sales
In the rapidly changing e-commerce landscape with changing customer expectations, having an eye on product availability is not merely a logistical tactical necessity but a strategic advantage. For the Shopify store owner, using product availability apps can change the way products are displayed, sold, and ultimately, increase your sales volume.
This report examines how product availability apps can be used, the benefits of their use, and their real impact on sales through case studies, statistics, and best practices in order to give you a complete picture of the potential for sales success.
The Importance of Product Availability in E-commerce
The foundation of a successful online store is product availability. Customers come to your website and expect that the product they want is going to be available. If they don’t find it available, there’s a good chance they’re going to abandon their cart, and then go to a competitor.
According to research from Fluent Commerce, poor product availability can lead to overbuying, overselling product, orders being canceled, and markdowns, which complements a 2018 study performed by Coresight and Celect estimating markdowns alone cost US non grocery retailers $300 billion in revenues amounting to an estimated 12% of all US non grocery retail sales. That’s an enormous cost of bad product availability.
On the other hand, continuous availability of your product can lead to increased sales. According to a report by Dotactiv, a lack of / low product availability can be damaging to sales because fewer customers will choose to support you because of their prior experiences or what they’ve heard from friends.
When you have continuous product availability, your customers always have the ability to find what they want, when they want it, leading to an increase in sales and greater customer loyalty when you can rely on availability. Leafier indicates that 43% of small businesses in their study do not track inventory effectively and that 21% have reported having “no inventory” at all.
This is a common situation that inventory interfaces and delivery apps can help businesses avoid (Product Availability: Benefits, Issues & Solutions).
Understanding Shopify Product Availability Apps
Shopify product availability apps are purpose-built tools that allow merchants to better manage and display their products for sale inventory. For instance, PAS Product Availability Slots and Storing: Inventory Information provide various features to improve the shopping experience.
PAS Product Availability Slots allows merchants to provide product availability, schedule product availability, and display timers to create a sense of urgency to push immediate purchases. Stofind simply displays stock levels by location, allowing customers to shop if a product exists in-person or online.
A number of these applications integrate into Shopify stores perfectly for real-time updates to inventory levels, notifications for products back in stock, and visibility to hide prices and add-to-cart buttons for out-of-stock items.
The features of these apps not only improve operational efficiencies, but using a product availability app will also improve customer satisfaction through transparency and minimizing customer frustration.
Benefits of Using Product Availability Apps
The main advantage of Shopify product availability apps relates to creating urgency and stimulating impulse purchasing behavior. Since urgency is often created using countdown timers, this taps into a psychological principle of scarcity; once consumers understand there is a limited time to buy a certain product, they are inclined to act quickly before a reserved quantity sells out. A Medium case study illustrates, a clothing retailer in the example saw a 30% lift in sales during a limited time that featured a sales countdown timer on its Shopify store. This is the demonstrable effect of the features offered by this type of app.
In addition to creating urgency, these applications assist in generating a pleasant customer experience with accurate, up-to-date product availability information. Accordingly, they decrease the probability of cart abandonment by potential customers enraged by out-of-stock products. For example, real-time inventory levels will lessen the chances that shoppers will add products to their e-commerce cart that, by definition, they are unable to purchase, hence improving ecommerce conversion rates.
A report by Vision states that customer satisfaction and fidelity/lifetime loyalty are linked directly to product availability over time. In addition, product availability apps ease store planning and execution of product launches, seasonal sales, and limited-time offers. Merchants can schedule product availability to be optimal with customer engagement, for example, with a goal to maximize product sales during peak shopping times, while minimizing the risks of excessive merchandise or stock out.
A store cited increased engagement and more repeat visits from consumers who used product creation timers as part of a scheduled event, which kept the brand at the enhanced state of customer engagement at following visits.
| Feature | Description |
| Display countdown timer | Shows remaining availability time to create urgency, encouraging quicker purchases. |
| Show countdown timer for unavailable products | Informs customers when the product will be ready, maintaining engagement. |
| Hide price & add to cart during unavailability | Prevents purchases during off-hours, ensuring smooth sales flow within scheduled times. |
| Customize timer layout and messages | Personalizes the app to enhance user experience, potentially increasing conversion rates. |
This table, derived from the PAS Product Availability Slots app, illustrates how specific features contribute to sales growth by enhancing customer interaction and urgency.
How Product Availability Impacts Sales: Broader Context
The effect of product availability on sales distributions reaches further than any specific app. If a product is not available, it could lead to lost sales, disappointed customers, and damage to the brand. As Ailet observed, “NO STOCK = NO SALE NO SALE = NO CASH!!!” meaning availability affects revenue (Product Availability – Strategies to Optimize Inventory and Meet Demand).
Supply chain bottlenecks, unexpected customer orders, or errors in forecast supply can affect inventory quickly leading to stock outs where customers go to competitors for the product.
On the other hand, being available consistently can greatly enhance sales. According to Tactical Solutions, loyal customers will stand by you until something breaks down, such as product availability. Additionally, highly satisfied customers will bring new business via referrals. Merchants can increase shopping basket value and reduce the issues related to dead stock when merchandise is available when customers want to buy something.
Case Studies: Real-World Success with Product Availability Apps
The ability to see real-world examples provide tangible proof of the apps’ effect on sales. For instance, the apparel retailer’s “30% off” sale for a limited time utilized a countdown timer and effectively drove immediate purchases. The example gives insight as to the value urgency can have in promoting action.
Additionally, at another store a countdown on product launching that was based on significant events encouraged customers to come back to check for new products after they were launched. In this example, the app drove engagement and loyalty which led to more visits and sales overall.
These examples highlight the potential of the product availability apps to change the Play when looking at sales success particularly when applied with other focused marketing initiatives.
Best Practices for Implementing Product Availability Apps
To optimize your benefits, merchants should follow best practices:
- Be Honest with Availability Info: Always be diligent in getting the availability info accurate to build customer trust. Making mistakes or purposefully misleading customers will ruin your reputation and likely lead to negative reviews and return requests.
- Use Time Sensitive Timers Judiciously: Overusing a timer builds customer fatigue, or worse, skepticism. Only use time sensitive timers when you have legitimately time-sensitive offers or events you want to promote.
- Test Different Timer Types and Settings: Test various fixed timers, recurring timers, events timers, etc. to see what samples best with your audiences and your products.
- Combine with Other Marketing Plans: Use the product available features as part of an integrated sales strategy with email, social media and a customer loyalty program rather than as an independent strategy.
These practices, derived from insights in the Medium article, ensure that the use of product availability apps is both effective and sustainable
Conclusion
In summary, product availability applications offered by businesses like Shopify have an incredible way to increase your store’s performance by efficiently managing and displaying product allocation. By creating urgency, enhancing customer experience, and aligning inventory to demand, these apps can significantly improve your store revenue.
The 30% improvement in case studies and $300 billion lost on markdowns ultimately emphasize the power of these apps. When looking to compete on the ecommerce landscape, it is essential to apply a product availability app in your Shopify store to ensure products are available and displayed to trigger immediate action and long-term performance.
