How to add customers to the back in stock waitlist manually
STOQ lets you add a back in stock request manually on behalf of a customer. This is useful when a customer contacts you by email, chat, or phone and asks to be notified when a product is back in stock. Instead of asking them to sign up through your storefront, you can register them directly from the STOQ dashboard.
Understanding manual requests
A manual request works the same way as a signup that comes through your storefront's Notify Me button. The customer is added to the variant's waitlist and receives a back in stock notification when you restock that variant. The only difference is the source — manual requests are logged as added by the merchant, not by the customer.
You need at least one piece of contact information: an email address or a phone number. If you provide a phone number, the notification is sent via SMS. If you provide only an email, it is sent via email.
How to add a request manually
Follow these steps to register a customer for back in stock alerts from the STOQ dashboard.
Step 1 - Open the Add request page
- In the STOQ dashboard, go to Reports from the left sidebar.
- Click the Add request button in the top-right corner of the page.
Step 2 - Select a product
- On the Add request page, you see a Product section with a product picker.
- Search for or browse to the product the customer wants.
- Click the product to select it.
Step 3 - Select a variant
- After you select a product, the variant list appears next to it.
- If the product has only one variant, it is selected automatically.
- If the product has multiple variants, click the specific variant the customer wants.
Step 4 - Enter customer details
Fill in the customer information in the Customer details section:
Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
Name | No | The customer's name (paid plan feature) |
Yes (if no phone) | The customer's email address | |
Phone | Yes (if no email) | The customer's phone number with country code |
Market | No | The Shopify market for this request (only appears if market locations are enabled in your settings) |
Quantity | No | The number of units the customer wants (defaults to 1, paid plan feature) |
Customer consents to receiving marketing content | No | Check this only if the customer explicitly agreed to receive marketing emails or SMS |
Important: You must provide either an email address or a phone number. If you leave both blank, the form shows an error: "Email or phone is required."
Step 5 - Save the request
You have two save options:
- Save — Saves the request and keeps you on the Add request page so you can add another request right away. The form clears after saving.
- Save & exit — Saves the request and takes you back to the current waitlist (Reports > Notifications > Unsent tab).
A "Registration saved" toast message confirms the request was saved successfully.
Verification
To confirm the manual request was added:
- Go to Reports from the left sidebar.
- Click the Notifications tab, then select the Unsent tab.
- Search for the product or customer email. The new signup should appear in the list.
- You can also go to Reports > Demand, find the variant, and check that the Waitlist count increased by the quantity you entered.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
Error banner: "A product & variant must be selected" | You did not select a product or variant before saving | Click a product in the product picker, then click the specific variant |
Error banner: "Email or phone is required" | Both the email and phone fields are empty | Enter at least one — an email address or a phone number |
Name, Quantity, or Marketing consent fields are disabled | You are on the free plan | Upgrade to a paid plan to use these fields |
Market dropdown does not appear | Market locations are not enabled in your STOQ settings | Enable market locations in your STOQ settings if you sell to multiple Shopify markets |
"Registration saved" toast appears but customer is not in the waitlist | The request may take a moment to appear | Refresh the Reports > Notifications page. If it still does not appear, try adding the request again |
Phone field shows wrong country code | The default SMS country is set differently in your settings | Select the correct country from the phone field dropdown, or update your default SMS country in STOQ settings |
FAQs
Q: Does the customer receive a confirmation when I add a request manually?
A: No. The customer does not receive a signup confirmation when you add a request manually. They only receive a notification when the variant is back in stock.
Q: Can I add a request for a product that is currently in stock?
A: Yes. You can add a request for any product and variant, regardless of its current inventory level. The customer will be on the waitlist and will receive a notification the next time STOQ detects a restock event for that variant.
Q: What happens if I provide both an email and a phone number?
A: If you provide a phone number, the notification channel is set to SMS. The email is still stored with the customer record, but the back in stock alert is sent via SMS. If you want the notification sent by email, leave the phone field empty.
Q:Can I add multiple requests at once for different products?
A: Not in a single form. Each request is for one product variant. However, you can click Save (instead of Save & exit) to keep the form open after saving. This clears the fields so you can quickly add another request without navigating away.
Q: Is there a limit to how many manual requests I can add?
A: There is no limit on the number of manual requests you can add. Each request counts toward your plan's signup allocation the same way storefront signups do.
Q: What does the "Customer consents to receiving marketing content" checkbox do?
A: This checkbox marks the customer as having opted in to marketing communications. Enable it only if the customer explicitly agreed to receive marketing emails or SMS. This setting is stored with the customer record and may affect how your email provider handles the contact.
Q: Where does the manual request appear in reports?
A: Manual requests appear in Reports > Notifications > Unsent tab alongside storefront signups. They also contribute to the waitlist count in Reports > Demand. There is no separate filter for manual vs. storefront requests.
Q: Can I edit or delete a manual request after saving?
A: You cannot edit a saved request. To remove it, go to Reports > Notifications > Unsent, find the signup, and delete it from there.
Updated on: 23/04/2026
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