How to add and customize a restock message to keep your customers informed

A restock message is a short note shown below the "Notify me" button on your storefront — for example, "Back in stock March 15" or "Restocking soon." It sets expectations for shoppers and reduces "when is this coming back?" support questions. Restock messages are set per product or variant in Back in stock alerts → Products

How Restock Messages Work

When you add a restock message to a product variant, STOQ displays it below the Notify Me button on your storefront. Customers see the message when they view the product page, giving them context about when the item will be available again.

• Restock messages are set per variant/ product, so you can show different messages for different sizes, colors, or options of the same product.
• Messages are synced to your storefront automatically after you save.
• If you leave the restock message field empty, no message is shown below the button.

Turn On Per-Product Customization

Restock messages are part of STOQ's per-product settings, which are off by default.

1. Open the STOQ app and go to Back in stock alerts → Products.
2. The first time you edit a per-product setting, an Enable customization dialog appears: "This lets you control button visibility, restock messages, and templates on a per-product basis."
3. Click Enable.

Add a Restock Message

1. In Back in stock alerts → Products, find the product or variant you want.
2. In the Restock message column, type your note (e.g. "Back in stock March 15").
3. Click Save changes at the top.

You can edit the message on as many rows as you like before saving.

The message now appears below the Notify Me button on your storefront for that variant.

Edit a Restock Message

1. Go to Back in stock alerts > Products.
2. Find the variant with the existing restock message.
3. Update the text in the Restock message field.
4. Click Save in the top bar.

The updated message replaces the previous one on your storefront immediately after saving.

Remove a Restock Message

1. Go to Back in stock alerts > Products.
2. Find the variant with the restock message you want to remove.
3. Clear the text in the Restock message field so it is empty.
4. Click Save in the top bar.

The message is removed from your storefront and no text appears below the Notify Me button for that variant.

Set the Same Message on Many Products

Restock messages are set per product or variant — there's no single field that fills every product at once, and they can't be set per collection. To update a group of products quickly:

1. In the product table, click Group by and select Product.
2. Go down the Restock message column and enter your note for each product.
3. Click Save changes.

Where the Restock Message Appears

A restock message shows wherever the "Notify me" button appears for an out-of-stock product, as long as a message is set for that variant:

• Product pages — shows the message for the variant the customer has selected, and updates when they switch variants.
• Standard collection, home, and search cards — show the message for the product's first variant, since a standard card has no variant selector.
• Featured Product and Quick Buy — these have a variant selector, so the message follows the selected variant and updates when the shopper switches variants.

In all cases the note appears below the "Notify me" button, and only when the button is enabled for that page type and per-product customization is on.

Customize the Restock Note Style

You can customize the appearance of the restock note that appears below the Notify Me button. This lets you match it to your brand colors and storefront design.

1. In your STOQ dashboard, go to Back in stock alerts from the left sidebar.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. In the Signup widget section, click Customize widget.
4. In the editor, select the Button tab.
5. Click the Restock note icon in the icon sidebar (it looks like a note/card icon).
6. You see the Restock note style panel with three options:

• • Border radius — Controls the roundness of the note's corners (in pixels).
  • Text — Sets the text color of the restock message.
  • Background — Sets the background color of the note.

7. Adjust the values to match your brand. The live preview on the right updates in real time.
8. Click Save changes in the top-right corner to apply.

Restock Messages vs. Templates

These are two different features on the Products tab, and they don't overlap:

• Restock message — the per-product/variant note described above. Set it directly in the Restock message column.
• Custom template — changes the button design and signup-form text (button text, form header, form description, form terms) for assigned products. A template does not contain a restock message.

So if you want to set or bulk-edit a restock message, use the Restock message column — not a template.

Troubleshooting

FAQs

Q: Is there a character limit for restock messages?

A: There is no strict character limit, but keep messages short — ideally under 60 characters. The message appears below the Notify Me button, so long messages may affect your product page layout.

Q: Can I add a restock message without changing button visibility?

A: Yes. The restock message, button visibility, and template assignment are independent settings. You can add a restock message while keeping the button visibility set to its default "When out of stock" option.

Q: Do restock messages appear on non product pages?

A: No, the restock messages are not supported on the non product pages at the moment

Q: Can I format the restock message with bold text, links, or emojis?

A: The restock message is plain text only. It does not support HTML formatting, links, or rich text. You can include emojis by typing or pasting them directly into the field. If you want to make the text bold, change the font size, or apply other visual changes, you can do so using custom CSS. Go to Back in stock alerts > Settings > Signup widget > Customize widget > Button tab > Custom CSS and target the restock note element with your styles.

Q: Does the restock message automatically disappear when the product is back in stock?

A: No. Restock messages do not update automatically based on inventory changes. You need to manually clear the message once the product is restocked. If you leave the message in place, it will continue to show on the storefront even when the product is in stock (assuming the Notify Me button is set to "Always show").

Q: What happens to restock messages if I disable per-product overrides?

A: When you disable per-product overrides, restock messages are no longer shown on the storefront. However, the messages are preserved in STOQ. If you re-enable per-product overrides later, your restock messages will appear on the storefront again without needing to re-enter them.

Q: Can I set a restock message for a whole collection? 

A: No. Restock messages are set at the product or variant level. To do many at once, group the product table by Product and fill in the Restock message column and then click "Save" on top bar.

Q: Can I use a template to add the restock message? 

A: No. Custom templates only control the button design and signup-form text. The restock message is a separate per-product field in the Restock message column.

Q: Do restock messages appear on collection, home, and search pages? 

A: Yes — wherever the "Notify me" button is enabled for that page type. On a standard product card the note shows the product's first variant's message (a card has no variant selector). On surfaces that do have a variant selector — like Featured Product and Quick Buy — the note follows the selected variant and updates when the shopper switches variants, just like the product page.

Updated on: 16/06/2026