Let customers join your mailing list
Use this guide to add a marketing consent checkbox to your "Notify me" signup form, so customers can opt in to your marketing emails and texts at the same time they sign up for a back in stock alert. By the end, you'll be growing your mailing list from the same form customers already use to request restock alerts.
Before you begin
| You'll need | Why |
|---|---|
| A paid plan | The Get marketing consent toggle is disabled on the free plan |
| Access to the Back in stock alerts page | This is where the Mailing list controls live |
Choose your setup
Once Get marketing consent is on, decide whether the checkbox should start checked or empty:
- Enroll customers by default, checked: the checkbox is pre-checked when the form loads, so a customer must actively uncheck it to opt out. This grows your list faster, but pre-checking consent is a legal and business decision, and you're responsible for using wording and a default that meets the marketing consent rules that apply to your region.
- Enroll customers by default, unchecked: the checkbox starts empty, so a customer must actively check it to opt in. This is the more conservative option.
What customers will see
When this section is enabled, customers see a checkbox and your consent label on the "Notify me" form, right above the submit button, shown for both email and SMS signups.
- If Enroll customers by default is on, the box appears pre-checked; the customer can uncheck it before submitting.
- If it's off, the box appears empty; the customer must check it themselves to opt in.
- Whatever state the checkbox is in when the customer submits the form is recorded as their marketing consent for that signup.
This checkbox only affects marketing consent. Every customer who signs up still gets notified when the item is back in stock, regardless of this checkbox.
Set it up
Open the Mailing list controls
- In the left menu bar of the STOQ app, click Back in stock alerts.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Open the Signup widget sub-tab and click Customize widget.
- In the editor, open the Signup form tab.
- Click Mailing list in the sidebar.
Turn on Get marketing consent
Toggle Get marketing consent on. This adds a consent checkbox to the "Notify me" signup form on your storefront, above the submit button.
Set the Consent label
Enter the text shown next to the checkbox, for example "Notify me about other news, sales, discounts & offers too!" This field supports HTML, so you can add links or basic formatting.
Choose whether customers are enrolled by default
Check Enroll customers by default to have the checkbox pre-checked, or leave it unchecked so customers must actively opt in. See Choose your setup above.
Where consent data goes
A customer's checkbox state is saved with their signup and used wherever your store syncs customer marketing consent:
- If you sync customers to Shopify, checking the box updates that customer's email and/or SMS marketing consent in Shopify.
- If you sync customers to Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Mailchimp, checking the box is reflected in whether that platform treats the customer as subscribed.
Turn on a sync integration (Back in stock alerts page → Settings tab → Integrations sub-tab) to push consent to your mailing list automatically. Without one, consent is still recorded on the signup but isn't pushed anywhere else.
Check your setup
- Open a product page for an out-of-stock product on your live storefront (or in preview) and open the "Notify me" form.
- Confirm the consent checkbox appears with your Consent label text, above the submit button.
- Confirm the checkbox's initial state (checked or unchecked) matches your Enroll customers by default setting.
- Submit the form and check that the signup appears in your customer list with the expected marketing consent state.
- If you have a sync integration turned on, confirm the customer's consent status updated in that platform.
The Consent label field renders as HTML. Only paste content you trust, since it's inserted directly into your storefront form.
Troubleshooting
The consent checkbox isn't appearing on your storefront
Confirm Get marketing consent is toggled on under Signup form -> Mailing list in the widget editor.
Get marketing consent is greyed out and you can't turn it on
This is a paid-plan feature. Upgrade your plan to enable it.
The checkbox isn't checked or unchecked the way you expect
Check that Enroll customers by default matches the behavior you want.
A customer's consent isn't showing up in Shopify, Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Mailchimp
Turn on the relevant sync integration under Back in stock alerts -> Settings -> Integrations. Without one turned on, consent is recorded in STOQ but isn't pushed anywhere else.
FAQ
Does unchecking this box stop a customer from getting their back in stock alert?
No. The back in stock alert is always sent to everyone who signs up, regardless of this checkbox. The checkbox only controls whether you also have their consent to send marketing emails or texts.
Where does the consent someone gives actually end up?
It's saved with their signup in STOQ. If you've turned on syncing to Shopify, Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Mailchimp, their consent status is reflected there too.
Can I use HTML in the Consent label, like a link to my privacy policy?
Yes, the Consent label field supports HTML, so you can add a link or basic formatting.
Does this checkbox show up for both email and SMS signups?
Yes, when enabled it appears on the shared "Notify me" form regardless of whether the customer is signing up by email or SMS.
Can I translate the consent label for other languages?
Yes. Click the language icon next to the Mailing list heading at the top of this panel (its tooltip reads "Edit translations for other languages") to open the translator and add translations of the consent label for your store's other languages.
Related guides
Design the Notify me signup form
Configure the rest of the signup form, including email and SMS fields.
Collect the customer name at signup
Add a name field so alerts and integrations can address customers by name.
Require double opt-in for alerts
Understand how opt-in confirmation works alongside marketing consent.
Set up back in stock alerts
The full setup walkthrough for back in stock alerts.
