Back-in-stock alerts
Use this as the baseline workflow. It appears when a product or variant is unavailable and sends when inventory returns.
Get Shelf Alerts live on your storefront.
Use this guide to install the app, enable the Shopify theme extension, test your first back-in-stock alert, and then turn on the extra recovery features when you are ready.
Quick start
Do these first.
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01
Install and open Shelf Alerts.
Install the app from Shopify, then open Shelf Alerts from the Apps section in Shopify Admin.
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02
Enable the storefront widget.
Open the theme editor from Shelf Alerts and turn on the app embed, or add the Shelf Alerts app block to your product template.
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03
Pick one sold-out product for testing.
Use a real product or a temporary test product. Set one variant to zero inventory so the back-in-stock form appears.
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04
Submit a signup and restock the product.
Enter your email or phone number on the storefront, then increase inventory in Shopify Admin to trigger the notification workflow.
Theme setup
Make the widget visible.
Recommended path
In Shopify Admin, go to Online Store → Themes → Customize. Open App embeds, enable Shelf Alerts, and save the theme.
Product-template path
If your theme uses product-page app blocks, open the product template, add the Shelf Alerts block near the buy buttons, and save.
If the widget does not appear after saving, refresh the storefront page,
confirm the product matches the feature you are testing, and check that
you edited the live theme or the theme you are previewing.
First test
Run a clean back-in-stock test.
- Choose a product with inventory tracking enabled.
- Set one variant's available inventory to zero.
- Open the product page and submit the Shelf Alerts form.
- Open Shelf Alerts → Subscribers and confirm the signup is visible.
- Increase that variant's inventory above zero in Shopify Admin.
- Check Shelf Alerts → Notifications for the queued or sent notification.
- Open the email, SMS, or push notification and confirm the product link works.
Notification channels
Turn on channels intentionally.
Email
Works by default. Configure branding, sender name, custom sender email, templates, and send windows in Settings → Email.
SMS
Enable only when your sender is approved. The widget shows the required opt-in consent text and shoppers can reply STOP, START, or HELP.
Browser push
Enable after email signup if you want a second channel. iOS Safari supports push only for sites installed to the Home Screen.
Feature setup
Add features after the first alert works.
Price-drop alerts
Show a price-drop button on in-stock products and notify shoppers when the price falls below their threshold.
Wishlists
Let shoppers save products. Wishlist counts can appear on product pages and give you demand signals before a purchase.
Low-stock urgency
Show low-stock messages when inventory reaches your threshold, and optionally follow up when a restocked product is running low again.
Preorders
Create preorder offers for out-of-stock products. Choose deposit terms carefully and test checkout before making the offer broad.
Integrations
Connect Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend, Zapier, or GA4 after the core widget is capturing subscribers correctly.
Troubleshooting
Common setup issues.
The widget is not showing.
Confirm the app embed or app block is enabled and saved in the active theme. Then confirm the product is in the right state for that feature, such as sold out for back-in-stock alerts or in stock for price-drop alerts.
The back-in-stock form is missing on a sold-out product.
Check that Shopify inventory is tracked for the variant and available inventory is zero. If the product has multiple variants, select the sold-out variant on the storefront.
I received a signup, but no notification sent.
Make sure the exact subscribed variant was restocked, notification channels are enabled, and the send window is currently open. Then check the Notifications page inside Shelf Alerts.
SMS is not sending.
SMS requires an approved sender and explicit shopper opt-in. Shoppers who reply STOP must reply START before receiving SMS from the same number again.
Preorder and restock buttons both appear.
This can happen when a product is included in a preorder offer and is also unavailable. Adjust the preorder offer targeting if you only want preorder on specific products.
Support
Need a hand?
Send your store URL, the product URL, the theme name, and which feature you are setting up. We can usually diagnose widget setup much faster with those details.