--- title: "Set up alerts" description: "Turn on the 'Notify me' widget and send your first Back in Stock alert." url: https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/set-up-back-in-stock-alerts/ product: "Back in Stock" section: "Get started" last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- # Set up alerts > Turn on the 'Notify me' widget and send your first Back in Stock alert. This is the fastest path from a fresh install to a working Back in Stock alert: turn on the widget, make sure your theme is displaying it, confirm which products are eligible, and place one test signup. Each step links to a deeper article if you want to customize further. ## Before you begin | Requirement | Detail | |---|---| | App installed | STOQ is installed on your Shopify store | | Admin access | Go to **STOQ → Back in stock alerts** in your Shopify admin | | At least one out-of-stock product | The button only appears on products/variants that are out of stock (or match your eligibility rules) | ## What customers will see Once setup is complete, customers browsing an out-of-stock product see a "Notify me when available" button (or an embedded form, depending on your form type) in place of the disabled "Add to cart" button. Submitting the form joins them to that product's waitlist. When the product is restocked, STOQ automatically sends the alert through your configured channels, with no manual step required on your end. ## Set it up 1. **Open Back in stock alerts** In the STOQ admin, go to **Back in stock alerts**. The page opens with three tabs: **Overview**, **Products**, and **Settings**. Settings is where setup happens, split into **Signup widget**, **Notifications**, **Delivery settings**, and **Integrations** sub-tabs. [Image: The Back in stock alerts page with its Overview, Products, and Settings tabs](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/custt.png) 2. **Turn on the 'Notify me' widget** In the **Signup widget** sub-tab, find the widget status card. It shows whether the widget is **Active now** or **Disabled**, plus its current form type (**Embedded** or **Button + Popup**). Click **Enable** to turn it on. This single toggle controls whether the "Notify me" button can appear anywhere on your storefront at all: if it's off, none of the design or eligibility settings below matter. [Image: The Signup widget status card with the Enable button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/enable.png) 3. **Enable STOQ's app embed in your theme** If STOQ detects that its theme app embed isn't active, a yellow **Turn on app embed** badge appears next to the page title. The widget will not appear on your store until the app embed is on. 1. Click the **Turn on app embed** badge. 2. In the window that opens, click **Open theme editor**. 3. In **App embeds**, make sure the **STOQ** toggle is on, then click **Save** in the theme editor. > **Warning** > > The button won't render until the app embed is active, even with the widget enabled. The app embed is per-theme, so if you publish a new theme later, check for the badge again. 4. **Confirm which products show the button** Switch to the **Products** tab to see which products/variants currently have the widget active, along with their signup counts. By default, STOQ shows the button on out-of-stock products/variants; product-level rules, such as tags or per-product overrides, can narrow or widen that. Review this list so you know what customers will actually see. [Image: The Products tab showing which products have the Notify me widget active](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/products.png) 5. **Customize the button and form (optional at this stage)** Click **Customize widget** on the Signup widget card to open the widget editor, where you can change the button's text, colors, and position, and the signup form's fields and messaging. This isn't required to get your first alert working: see [Design the Notify me button](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/design-notify-me-button/) and [Design the signup form](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/design-signup-form/) when you're ready to brand it. 6. **Set up a delivery channel** In the **Notifications** sub-tab, connect at least one way to reach customers: email is on by default; SMS requires setup. Without a working channel, signups are collected but no alert is ever sent. See [Back in Stock delivery channels](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-channels/). 7. **Place a test signup** 1. Open your live storefront and navigate to an out-of-stock product page. 2. Confirm the "Notify me" button appears. 3. Click it. 4. Submit the form with your own email or phone number. 5. Confirm you receive a signup confirmation, if one is configured. For a full walkthrough of triggering a restock and confirming the alert arrives, see [Test Back in Stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/test-back-in-stock-alerts/). ## Check your setup 1. On the Signup widget card, confirm status reads **Active now**. 2. Confirm the **Turn on app embed** badge is gone from next to the page title. 3. Visit a live out-of-stock product page and confirm the button renders. 4. Submit a real test signup and confirm it appears in your Products tab signup count (or in your customer/analytics data). 5. Check the **Overview** tab after some activity: waitlist signups and notifications sent will populate there. ## Troubleshooting ### The 'Notify me' button doesn't appear on your storefront Check: 1. The widget status reads **Active now**. 2. The page title for a **Turn on app embed** badge. 3. The product you're viewing meets your eligibility rules on the **Products** tab. ### The Turn on app embed badge won't go away after you enable it in the theme editor Refresh the Back in stock alerts page, since the check can take a moment to reflect the update. If it persists, confirm you saved, not just previewed, the app embed change in the theme editor. ### Customers sign up but never receive an alert Make sure at least one delivery channel is connected and working in the **Notifications** sub-tab. Without one, signups are still collected but no alert is ever sent. See [Back in Stock delivery channels](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-channels/). ## Limitations Some advanced settings further down in **Settings**, like batched delivery, market and location based alert rules, and SMS, require a paid plan. STOQ marks these with an upgrade prompt where they appear. ## FAQ ### What's the difference between 'Embedded' and 'Button + Popup' form type? Both are ways of showing the signup form to customers. Button + Popup shows a button that opens the form in a popup when clicked; Embedded places the form directly on the page without a separate button. You choose between them in the widget customizer, see [Design the signup form](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/design-signup-form/). ### Does disabling the widget delete existing signups? No. Disabling the widget only stops new signups from being collected and stops the button from rendering on your storefront. Customers already on a waitlist keep their existing signups and will still be notified if delivery is otherwise working when the product restocks. ### Can I test the alert without waiting for a real restock? Yes, see [Test Back in Stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/test-back-in-stock-alerts/) for how to simulate a restock (for example, by adjusting inventory on a test product) so you can confirm the whole flow, from signup to notification, without needing a real customer or real restock event. ### Does turning on the widget affect my Preorders setup? No. Back in Stock alerts and Preorders are separate features in STOQ with their own settings pages. Turning on the "Notify me" widget here doesn't change any preorder configuration. ## Related guides - [Back in stock alerts overview](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/): See how all the Back in Stock sections and settings fit together. - [Design the Notify me button](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/design-notify-me-button/): Customize button text, color, and placement. - [Design the signup form](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/design-signup-form/): Customize the popup or embedded signup form. - [Notify me product eligibility](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/notify-me-product-eligibility/): Control which products and variants show the button. - [Back in Stock delivery channels](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-channels/): Connect email, SMS, and other ways to reach customers. - [Test Back in Stock alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/test-back-in-stock-alerts/): Simulate a restock and confirm the whole flow works end to end.