--- title: "Set a minimum restock quantity" description: "Require a restock to reach a set unit count before STOQ sends alerts." url: https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-minimum-quantity/ product: "Back in Stock" section: "Alerts / Delivery" last_updated: 2026-09-28 --- # Set a minimum restock quantity > Require a restock to reach a set unit count before STOQ sends alerts. STOQ can wait until a restock brings a variant's inventory up to a minimum number of units before it sends any "back in stock" alert. This keeps a one-unit correction or a single return from Shopify from notifying your entire waitlist for a product you don't actually consider "back in stock" yet. ## Before you begin This setting only affects the automatic **restock** notification, the first alert customers get after a product restocks. It doesn't apply to later reminder notifications, which use their own "days to wait" settings. ## What customers see Customers see nothing different because of this setting, it only controls whether and when STOQ sends the alert, not the alert's content. If a restock doesn't meet your minimum, waitlisted customers simply don't receive an alert yet and remain on the list. ## Set it up On a phone, this menu is collapsed. In the **Shopify mobile app**, tap the **STOQ** logo at the top of the screen to open it, then choose the section named below. There is no hamburger icon. See [Finding the STOQ menu](https://help.stoqapp.com/general/getting-started-with-stoq/#finding-the-stoq-menu). The minimum restock quantity lives in **Back in stock alerts > Settings tab > Notifications**, inside the settings for the automatic notification (the **Send automatic notification** toggle). 1. **Open the Notifications sub-tab** 1. In the left menu bar of the STOQ app, click **Back in stock alerts**. 2. Click the **Settings** tab. 3. Open the **Notifications** sub-tab. [Image: The Notifications sub-tab under the Settings tab](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/notifs.png) 2. **Select the automatic notification** In the notification sequence, select the first stage, the automatic notification that fires when a product restocks (as opposed to a numbered reminder stage). [Image: The Send automatic notification stage showing Off with a Turn on button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto.png) 3. **Set the minimum quantity** With **Send automatic notification** turned on, find the **Minimum restock quantity** field and enter the number of units. [Image: The Minimum restock quantity field with a value entered](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/minres.png) 4. **Save** Save your changes from the **Notifications** sub-tab. [Image: The Shopify Save button in the top bar with unsaved Notifications changes](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/saveres.png) ### How the minimum quantity is applied - The field accepts whole numbers of 1 or greater; STOQ defaults it to 1 unit. - STOQ checks available inventory against this number in two places: - **When inventory changes**: every time a variant's stock is updated in Shopify, STOQ checks whether the new available quantity at that location meets or exceeds your minimum before queuing an alert. Whether that location counts at all depends on your [location settings](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-channels/). - **Right before sending**: STOQ checks the quantity again immediately before the alert actually goes out, using the live inventory at send time. If inventory dropped back below your minimum in the meantime (for example, another customer bought the last few units first), the alert is skipped for that restock event and the signups stay on the waitlist for the next qualifying restock. - If you use **Notify when published or restocked**, the same minimum quantity check applies there too: STOQ checks the variant's quantity against your minimum before queuing an alert, whether the trigger was a publish event or a restock. ## Check your setup 1. Set **Minimum restock quantity** to a number higher than your current test variant's stock. 2. Restock the variant to just under that number and confirm no alert is queued. 3. Restock it to meet or exceed the number and confirm the alert sends. See [Test back in stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/test-back-in-stock-alerts/) for a full walkthrough of test signups and triggering a send. ## Troubleshooting ### You restocked past your minimum but no alert went out STOQ re-checks the quantity right before sending, not just when the restock happened. If inventory dropped back below your minimum between the restock and the send, for example other orders came in first, the alert is skipped for that event and re-evaluated the next time inventory changes. ### Alerts aren't sending for a location you expect to count Confirm that location actually contributes to the variant's available inventory. See [Sales channels for back in stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-channels/). ### Alerts aren't sending at all Confirm the product and variant are active and published, and that **Send automatic notification** is turned on with a **Minimum restock quantity** set. See [Product eligibility for back in stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/notify-me-product-eligibility/). ## Limitations - This is a single, store-wide setting under the **Notifications** sub-tab. You can't set a different minimum quantity per product or variant. - Manually sending or resending notifications from the notifications report, using **Notify** or bulk **Notify**/resend, skips the minimum quantity check entirely, since those are deliberate actions regardless of current stock level. ## FAQ ### What happens if I set this to 1? Any restock that brings a variant's available quantity to 1 or more will qualify, this is effectively "no minimum," and it's also STOQ's default. ### Does this affect reminder notifications too? No. Reminder notifications (the numbered stages after the initial alert) are controlled by their own "days to wait" settings, not by the minimum restock quantity. ### If I raise the minimum, does it remove customers already on the waitlist? No. Existing signups stay on the waitlist. They just don't receive an alert until a restock meets or exceeds your new minimum. ### Does manually notifying a customer respect this minimum? No. Manual and bulk **Notify**/resend actions from the notifications report send regardless of current inventory level: the minimum quantity check only applies to automatic sends triggered by inventory or product updates. ### Does this setting apply if I use 'Notify when published or restocked'? Yes. In that mode, STOQ still checks the variant's available quantity against your minimum before queuing an alert, whether the trigger was the product being published or a later restock. ### Is this only available on paid plans? The minimum quantity field itself isn't gated by plan, it's available whenever the automatic notification is turned on. Other delivery options near it on the same page, like location-based or market-based alert filtering, may require a paid plan. ## Related guides - [Set up back in stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/set-up-back-in-stock-alerts/): Turn on alerts and configure the essentials. - [Test back in stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/test-back-in-stock-alerts/): Walk through a full signup-to-notification test. - [Back in stock channels](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-channels/): How locations and sales channels affect which restocks count. - [Product eligibility for back in stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/notify-me-product-eligibility/): What makes a product and variant eligible to trigger alerts.