How to Collect Quantity Required in Back in Stock Signup Form

STOQ allows customers to specify how many units of a product they want to purchase when signing up for back-in-stock notifications. This valuable feature helps you gauge demand for specific products and variants, enabling you to make informed inventory decisions. When customers indicate their desired quantity during signup, you can view this data in reports and use it to plan your restocking strategy. This feature is available exclusively to merchants on paid STOQ plans.

Access Quantity Field Settings

To enable and configure quantity collection, follow these steps to access the quantity field settings.

Navigation Steps

1. Open the STOQ app from your Shopify admin
2. Click Back in stock alerts from the left navigation menu
3. Under the Signup Widget section, click Customize widget
4. You'll see a preview of your button and form on the right side
5. Click the Form tab at the top of the customization panel
6. Click Form content from the menu options
7. Scroll down to find the Quantity section

You'll now see the settings for collecting quantity information in your signup form.

Enable Quantity Collection

The first step is to enable the quantity field in your signup form.

Activating the Feature

1. Find the Quantity section in the Form content settings
2. Check the box labeled Let customers specify quantity
3. The quantity field will appear in your signup form preview
4. Additional customization options will become available once enabled

 Checkbox label: Let customers specify quantity

Requirements:

• This feature requires a paid STOQ plan (Standard or above)
• If you're on a free plan, you'll see an upgrade prompt

What happens when enabled:

• A quantity input field appears in your signup form
• Customers can enter a number indicating how many units they want
• The quantity is saved with their notification signup
• You can view quantities in reports to gauge demand

Customize Quantity Field Label

The field label appears above the quantity input field and tells customers what information to enter.

Setting the Label

Default label: "Quantity required"

Field label: Quantity field label

When to customize:

• To be more specific (e.g., "How many do you need?", "Desired quantity")
• To match your store's language and tone
• To translate to another language
• To provide clearer instructions (e.g., "Number of units")

Examples:

• "Quantity needed"
• "How many units?"
• "Desired quantity"
• "Number of items"
• "Units required"

How to change:

1. Find the Quantity field label text field (appears after enabling the checkbox)
2. Enter your preferred label text
3. Check the preview on the right to see how it looks
4. The label appears above the quantity input field

How the Quantity Field Works

Understanding how customers interact with the quantity field helps you set appropriate expectations and use the data effectively.

Customer Experience

On the signup form:

1. Customer clicks the 'Notify me when available' button
2. The signup form opens with email/SMS fields and the quantity field
3. Customer enters their desired quantity (e.g., "2", "5", "10")
4. Customer submits the form
5. The quantity is saved with their notification signup

Input behavior:

• Customers can enter any positive number
• The field accepts whole numbers only (no decimals)
• Minimum value is typically 1
• No maximum limit is enforced by default
• The field is optional - customers can leave it blank

Default behavior:

• If a customer doesn't enter a quantity, the field is left blank
• The notification signup still succeeds without a quantity
• Reports will show blank or "N/A" for customers who didn't specify quantity

What Quantity Represents

The quantity field indicates customer intent, not a guaranteed purchase:

What it means:

• Customer's desired purchase quantity when the product restocks
• An indication of demand level for inventory planning
• A signal of how many units to have available

What it doesn't mean:

• Not a binding commitment to purchase
• Not a pre-order or reservation
• Not a guarantee the customer will buy that exact quantity

How to use the data:

• Aggregate quantities to estimate total demand
• Identify high-demand products that need larger restocks
• Plan inventory levels based on customer interest
• Prioritize restocking products with high quantity requests

View Quantity Data in Reports

After customers start providing quantity information, you can view and analyze this data in STOQ reports.

Accessing Quantity Reports

1. Navigate to Reports from the left menu in the STOQ app
2. Click the Current waitlist tab
3. The report displays all customers waiting for back-in-stock notifications
4. Look for the Quantity column in the report table

What you'll see:

• Customer name (if collected)
• Email address
• Phone number (if provided)
• Product name
• Variant details
• Quantity requested - Shows the number entered by the customer
• Signup date

Understanding the Quantity Column

Quantity column values:

• Number (e.g., "2", "5", "10"): Customer specified this quantity
• Blank or "N/A": Customer didn't enter a quantity
• "1": Customer entered 1 or left it at default (if your theme sets a default)

Sorting and filtering:

• Click the Quantity column header to sort by quantity (high to low or low to high)
• Use filters to find customers requesting specific quantity ranges
• Identify products with highest total demand

Analyzing Demand

Use quantity data to make informed inventory decisions:

Total demand calculation:

1. Export the report to CSV
2. Sum all quantities for a specific product or variant
3. Add a buffer (e.g., 20-30%) for customers who didn't specify quantity
4. Use this total to plan your restock quantity

Example:

• 50 customers signed up for Product A
• 30 customers specified quantities: 2, 1, 5, 3, 2, 1, 4, 2, 3, 1, etc.
• Total specified: 75 units
• 20 customers didn't specify (assume 1 each): 20 units
• Estimated demand: 95 units
• Recommended restock: 120-125 units (with 25-30% buffer)

Export Quantity Data

You can export quantity data from reports for analysis in spreadsheet applications or to share with your team.

Exporting to CSV

1. Navigate to Reports → Current waitlist
2. Click the Export CSV button at the top of the report
3. The CSV file will download to your computer
4. Open the file in Excel, Google Sheets, or your preferred spreadsheet application

CSV columns include:

• Customer name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Product name
• Variant details (size, color, etc.)
• Quantity requested
• Signup date
• Notification status

Using Exported Data

Analysis ideas:

• Calculate total demand per product
• Identify products with highest average quantity requests
• Segment customers by quantity (bulk buyers vs. single-unit buyers)
• Track quantity trends over time
• Share demand forecasts with suppliers or warehouse team

Spreadsheet formulas:

• =SUM(F2:F100) - Total quantity for all rows
• =AVERAGE(F2:F100) - Average quantity per customer
• =COUNTIF(F2:F100,">5") - Count customers requesting more than 5 units
• =SUMIF(C2:C100,"Product A",F2:F100) - Total quantity for specific product

Multi-Language Support

If you serve customers in multiple languages, you can translate the quantity field label using STOQ's built-in translation system.

Translating Quantity Field Label

1. From the Form content page, click the Languages link in the top-right corner
2. You'll be taken to the translation management page
3. Select the language you want to translate
4. Find the quantity field label translation
5. Enter the translated label text
6. Save your changes

Example translations:

Best Practices

Follow these best practices to maximize the value of quantity collection while maintaining high signup conversion rates.

Keep the Field Optional

• Never make the quantity field mandatory
• Allow customers to complete signup without entering a quantity
• This maximizes conversion rates while still collecting data from interested customers
• Most customers will provide quantity if they have a specific need

Use Clear, Simple Labels

• Keep the label short and descriptive (2-4 words)
• Use familiar language that customers understand
• Avoid technical jargon or ambiguous terms
• Test on mobile devices to ensure readability

Set Realistic Expectations

• Don't promise that entering a quantity guarantees availability
• Explain that quantity helps you plan restocking
• Make it clear that providing quantity is optional
• Avoid creating false expectations about reserved inventory

Analyze Data Regularly

• Export quantity reports weekly or monthly
• Calculate total demand for each product
• Identify trends in customer quantity requests
• Adjust restocking quantities based on actual demand data

Combine with Other Data

• Use quantity data alongside signup counts
• Consider historical sales data when planning restocks
• Factor in seasonal trends and promotions
• Account for customers who don't specify quantity (assume 1 unit each)

Communicate with Customers

• When products restock, remind customers of their requested quantity
• Mention quantity in back-in-stock email subject lines (e.g., "The 5 units you wanted are back!")
• Offer bulk discounts for customers requesting large quantities
• Follow up with customers who requested high quantities to ensure satisfaction

Use Cases

Understanding common use cases helps you leverage quantity collection effectively for your business.

Bulk Products

Scenario: You sell products commonly purchased in bulk (e.g., wholesale items, party supplies, craft materials)

How quantity helps:

• Identify customers planning large purchases
• Ensure adequate inventory for bulk orders
• Offer volume discounts to high-quantity requesters
• Prioritize restocking products with bulk demand

Example: A customer requests 50 units of party decorations, indicating a large event. You can ensure sufficient stock and potentially reach out with bulk pricing.

Limited Edition Items

Scenario: You sell limited edition or seasonal products with constrained supply

How quantity helps:

• Gauge total demand before production
• Decide how many units to manufacture
• Allocate inventory fairly among customers
• Prevent over-production or under-production

Example: 200 customers request a limited edition item with an average quantity of 2 units. You know to produce at least 400 units to meet demand.

Made-to-Order Products

Scenario: You create custom or made-to-order products based on demand

How quantity helps:

• Collect orders before starting production
• Batch production runs efficiently
• Minimize waste and overstock
• Ensure profitability before manufacturing

Example: Customers request custom t-shirts with quantities ranging from 1-10. You can batch production once you reach a minimum order quantity.

Wholesale or B2B

Scenario: You serve both retail and wholesale customers

How quantity helps:

• Identify potential wholesale customers (high quantities)
• Segment retail vs. wholesale demand
• Offer different pricing tiers based on quantity
• Prioritize outreach to high-volume buyers

Example: A customer requests 100 units, indicating potential wholesale interest. You can follow up with wholesale pricing and terms.

Inventory Planning

Scenario: You want to optimize inventory levels and reduce stockouts

How quantity helps:

• Forecast demand more accurately
• Reduce excess inventory
• Improve cash flow by stocking appropriate quantities
• Minimize storage costs

Example: Historical quantity data shows customers typically request 2-3 units. You adjust restock quantities accordingly instead of over-ordering.

Known Limitations

While STOQ's quantity collection feature is valuable, there are some constraints to be aware of.

• Quantity collection requires a paid STOQ plan (Standard or above) - free plans cannot enable this feature
• The quantity field is always optional - you cannot make it mandatory for customers
• No minimum or maximum quantity limits can be enforced in the signup form
• Quantity data represents customer intent, not binding commitments to purchase
• The field only accepts whole numbers - decimal quantities are not supported
• No automatic inventory reservation based on requested quantities
• Quantity field customization is limited to the label text - you cannot change field type or add validation rules
• The quantity field always appears in the same position in the form - positioning cannot be customized
• No automatic notifications or alerts when total requested quantity reaches a threshold
• Quantity data is not automatically synced to inventory management systems (manual export required)

Troubleshooting

Common issues when collecting quantity information and how to resolve them.

FAQs

Q: Is quantity collection available on the free plan?

A: No, quantity collection is a premium feature available exclusively to merchants on paid STOQ plans (Standard and above). You'll need to upgrade your plan to enable this feature.

Q: Can I make the quantity field mandatory?

A: No, the quantity field is always optional. Customers can complete the signup without entering a quantity. This design ensures maximum conversion rates while still collecting valuable data from customers who choose to provide it.

Q: What happens if a customer doesn't enter a quantity?

A: The signup still succeeds and the customer will receive back-in-stock notifications. In reports, the quantity column will show blank or "N/A" for that customer. When calculating total demand, you can assume 1 unit for customers who didn't specify.

Q: Can I set minimum or maximum quantity limits?

A: No, STOQ doesn't support quantity validation or limits in the signup form. Customers can enter any positive whole number. If you receive unrealistic quantity requests, contact those customers directly to confirm their intent.

Q: Does entering a quantity reserve inventory for the customer?

A: No, entering a quantity does not reserve or hold inventory. It's simply an indication of customer interest that helps you plan restocking. Customers are not guaranteed to receive their requested quantity.

Q: Can I use quantity data to create pre-orders?

A: STOQ's quantity field is for demand forecasting, not pre-orders. If you want to accept pre-orders with payment, you'll need to use STOQ's separate pre-order feature or a dedicated pre-order app.

Q: How do I calculate total demand from quantity data?

A: Export the Current waitlist report to CSV, sum all quantities for a specific product, add estimated quantities for customers who didn't specify (assume 1 each), and add a 20-30% buffer for safety. This gives you a reasonable restock quantity.

Q: Will quantity data sync to my inventory management system?

A: No, quantity data is not automatically synced to external systems. You'll need to export the data manually from STOQ reports and import it into your inventory management system if needed.

Q: Can customers change their requested quantity after signing up?

A: No, customers cannot edit their quantity after submitting the signup form. If they want to change it, they would need to sign up again or contact you directly.

Q: How do I test the quantity collection feature before enabling it for customers?

A: Enable the feature and test it yourself by visiting a product page in an incognito window, clicking the 'Notify me' button, entering a test quantity, and submitting the form. Check that the quantity appears correctly in the Current waitlist report.

Updated on: 20/02/2026