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How STOQ tracks and attributes sales from back in stock alerts

STOQ tracks every sale that can be linked back to a back in stock alert sent by the app. This is how your Sales recovered metric is calculated. Understanding the STOQ attribution model helps you interpret your reports accurately and trust the revenue numbers you see in the dashboard.

This article explains how STOQ attributes orders, what UTM parameters it uses, the different confidence levels, and when a sale qualifies as "sales recovered."

How STOQ Attributes Orders to Back in Stock Alerts

When a customer places an order on your Shopify store, STOQ checks whether that order can be traced back to a back in stock notification (email or SMS) that was previously sent. STOQ uses multiple attribution methods, checked in a specific order of priority, to determine if the sale was driven by a STOQ alert.

The attribution check happens automatically via Shopify's order webhook — you do not need to configure anything for this to work.

Attribution Methods (in Priority Order)

STOQ evaluates each new order using the following methods, stopping at the first match:

Landing site UTM match (High confidence) — The customer clicked a link in the STOQ notification email or SMS. The order's landing site URL contains STOQ's UTM parameters (utm_source=restockrocket). This is the strongest signal because it proves the customer arrived at your store directly from the alert.

Customer journey UTM match (High confidence) — Shopify's Customer Journey API recorded a visit to your store with STOQ's UTM parameters (utm_source=restockrocket) as part of the order's customer journey. This captures cases where the customer may have visited multiple pages before purchasing.

Sent notification match (Medium or Low confidence) — The customer who placed the order was previously sent a back in stock notification for one of the variants in the order. STOQ matches the customer's email or phone to a notification record. Confidence depends on timing:

Medium confidence — The notification was sent within the last 2 days before the order.
Low confidence — The notification was sent more than 2 days before the order. These orders are tracked internally but are not included in your Sales recovered metrics.

Note: Only orders with high or medium confidence are counted toward your Sales recovered total in Reports and the homepage dashboard. Low confidence orders are excluded to avoid inflating your numbers.

UTM Parameters STOQ Uses

STOQ appends UTM parameters to every link in back in stock notification emails and SMS messages. These parameters allow STOQ (and your own analytics tools) to identify traffic and orders that originated from STOQ alerts.

UTM Parameter Breakdown

Parameter	Value	Description
`utm_source`	`restockrocket`	Identifies STOQ as the traffic source. This is the primary parameter STOQ checks when attributing orders.
`utm_medium`	`email` or `sms`	Indicates whether the customer clicked a link from an email alert or an SMS alert.
`utm_campaign`	`notification`	Identifies the campaign type as a back in stock notification.
`utm_term`	`{message_id}`	A unique ID for the specific email or SMS message sent to the customer. Used internally by STOQ to link the order back to the exact notification.

Example URLs

A back in stock email notification link might look like:

https://yourstore.com/products/blue-sneakers?variant=12345&utm_source=restockrocket&utm_campaign=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_term=abc123

An SMS notification link might look like:

https://yourstore.com/cart/12345:1?utm_source=restockrocket&utm_campaign=notification&utm_medium=sms&utm_term=def456

Tip: Because STOQ uses standard UTM parameters, these visits also appear in Google Analytics and other analytics tools under the source restockrocket. You can use this to cross-reference STOQ's attribution data with your own analytics.

When Is a Sale Counted as "Sales Recovered"

A sale appears in your Sales recovered metric when all of the following are true:

The order was placed by a customer who either clicked a STOQ notification link (email or SMS) or was previously sent a STOQ notification for one of the ordered variants.
The attribution confidence is high or medium (not low).
The order has not been cancelled.

What Counts

A customer clicks the link in a back in stock email and purchases the product → Counted (high confidence, landing site or customer journey match).
A customer clicks the link in a back in stock SMS and purchases the product → Counted (high confidence, landing site or customer journey match).
A customer receives a back in stock email, does not click the link, but purchases the same variant within 2 days → Counted (medium confidence, sent notification match).
A customer clicks the email link but buys a different product in addition to (or instead of) the notified product → Counted (high confidence — the order is attributed based on the click, regardless of what was purchased).

What Does Not Count

A customer receives a back in stock email but purchases the product more than 2 days later without clicking the link → Not counted (low confidence).
A customer purchases a product that was never part of any back in stock notification → Not counted (no attribution match).
An attributed order is later cancelled → Removed from sales recovered.

Order Matching Filter in Reports

In Reports > Orders, STOQ provides a filter to control which attributed orders are displayed:

Filter Option	Description
All attributed orders	Shows all orders from customers who received a back in stock alert, regardless of what they purchased. This is the default view.
Exact variant match only	Only shows orders where the customer bought the exact product variant they were notified about. Use this for a stricter view of attribution.

Tip: Use the Exact variant match only filter if you want to see a conservative view of which orders were most directly driven by STOQ alerts. The All attributed orders view gives you the full picture of revenue from customers who interacted with your alerts.

Confidence Levels Explained

STOQ assigns a confidence level to each attributed order to indicate how strongly the sale is linked to a STOQ notification.

Confidence Level	Included in Sales Recovered	How It Is Determined
High	Yes	The customer clicked a STOQ notification link (landing site UTM match or customer journey UTM match). This is the strongest attribution signal.
Medium	Yes	The customer was sent a notification for one of the ordered variants within the last 2 days, but did not click the link. The purchase timing suggests the notification influenced the sale.
Low	No	The customer was sent a notification for one of the ordered variants, but more than 2 days passed before the purchase. The link between the notification and the sale is weak.

Preorder Attribution

Preorder orders are attributed separately from back in stock orders. When a customer places a preorder through a STOQ selling plan, the order is automatically attributed as a preorder type with high confidence based on the selling plan attached to the order. Preorder attribution does not use UTM parameters — it relies on Shopify's selling plan data directly.

Preorder sales appear in your Preorders reports, not in the back in stock Sales recovered metric.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Sales recovered seems lower than expected	STOQ only counts high and medium confidence orders. Orders where the customer did not click the notification link and purchased more than 2 days later are excluded. Use Reports > Orders to review all attributed orders.
An order is not showing in Sales recovered	The customer may not have clicked the STOQ link, or their email/phone may not match the notification record. STOQ cannot attribute orders if the customer uses a different email at checkout than the one they signed up with.
UTM parameters are not appearing in Google Analytics	Verify that the back in stock alert links are not being modified or stripped by your email provider. STOQ adds UTM parameters to both the checkout link and the product page link in every notification.
Sales recovered dropped after order cancellations	Cancelled orders are excluded from sales recovered. If a customer cancels an attributed order, the revenue is removed from the total.
Different numbers between All attributed orders and Exact variant match	This is expected. "All attributed orders" includes orders where the customer bought any product after clicking a STOQ link. "Exact variant match" only counts orders containing the specific variant the customer was notified about.

FAQs

Q: Does STOQ use cookies or pixels to track customers?

A: No. STOQ does not install any cookies, pixels, or client-side tracking scripts. Attribution relies on UTM parameters in notification links and Shopify's built-in Customer Journey API. This makes STOQ's tracking privacy-friendly and fully compatible with cookie consent requirements.

Q: Can I see which specific notification led to an order?

A: Yes. In Reports > Orders, each attributed order shows the notification type (Email or SMS) and the date the notification was sent. This lets you trace each sale back to the exact alert.

Q: What happens if a customer clicks the link but buys a different product?

A: The order is still attributed to STOQ with high confidence because the customer arrived at your store through a STOQ notification link. The entire order value is counted in Sales recovered, even if the purchased products differ from the notified variant.

Q: Why is utm_source set to "restockrocket" instead of "stoq"?

A: STOQ was formerly known as Restock Rocket. The UTM source value restockrocket has been kept for backward compatibility to ensure consistent tracking across historical and new data. This does not affect functionality.

Q: Are preorder sales included in the Sales recovered metric?

A: No. Preorder orders are tracked separately and appear in the Preorders section of Reports. The Sales recovered metric on the homepage and in back in stock reports only includes orders attributed to back in stock notifications.

Q: Can I customize the UTM parameters STOQ uses?

A: No. The UTM parameters are set automatically by STOQ and cannot be modified. This ensures consistent attribution tracking. If you need custom tracking, you can use the existing UTM values to create segments or filters in your analytics tools.

Updated on: 29/04/2026

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