How to find high-demand products using the back in stock demand report
The Demand section inside Reports > Back in stock > Products shows every product that customers have asked to be notified about. Use it to see which items have the largest waitlists, spot trending products, and decide what to restock first. This article walks through how to open the Demand view, read the table, and use its filters to find your most requested products quickly.
Open the Demand view
The Demand view is the default view when you open the Products report for back-in-stock alerts.
- From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
- Click Back in stock in the left navigation menu.
- Click Reports.
- You land on the Products tab — this is where the view switcher appears.
- Click the Demand card if it is not already selected.
The Demand card is described as "Who is waiting and what needs restocking." It is selected by default for back-in-stock reports.
Understand the Demand table columns
The Demand table lists every product (or variant) that has at least one back-in-stock signup. Each row shows key metrics at a glance.
Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
Product name | The product title and thumbnail. Deleted products show a "Deleted" badge. |
Waitlist | Number of customers still waiting to be notified (pending signups). Displayed in a caution tone so high numbers stand out. |
Notified | Number of customers who have already been sent a back-in-stock alert. |
Total | Total number of restock requests (waitlist + notified). |
Last requested on | Date and time of the most recent signup for that product. |
Actions | Quick link to open the product in Shopify admin. |
Switch between product and variant grouping
You can view the Demand table grouped by product or broken down by individual variant.
- Click the Group by icon (grid icon) at the top-right of the table.
- Choose Product to see one row per product with combined totals.
- Choose Variant to see one row per variant with individual waitlist counts, SKU, and inventory level.
The variant view adds extra columns:
- SKU — the variant's stock-keeping unit.
- Inventory — current inventory level pulled from Shopify (updated when the page loads).
- Price and Compare at price — optional columns you can toggle on.
- Alerts enabled — whether back-in-stock alerts are active for that variant.
Use preset tabs to find what matters
The Demand table provides four preset tabs that change the sort order and date range automatically.
All time
Shows every product sorted by waitlist size (largest first). This is the default tab and gives you a complete picture of all-time demand.
Trending
Filters to the last 30 days and sorts by waitlist size (largest first). Use this tab to spot products that are gaining demand right now.
Recently requested
Shows all products sorted by the most recent signup date (newest first). Use this to see which products just received a new signup.
Least requested
Shows all products sorted by the oldest signup date (oldest first). Use this to find products where demand has gone quiet — you may want to remove them from your waitlist or investigate why signups stopped.
Filter and sort the Demand table
Beyond the preset tabs, you can apply filters to narrow down exactly what you see.
Search by product name or SKU
Type a product name or SKU into the search bar at the top of the table. Results update as you type (with a short debounce delay).
Filter by date range
- Click the Date range filter.
- Choose a preset range: All time, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last 60 days, Last 90 days, Last 6 months, Last 12 months, or Custom.
- For a custom range, select start and end dates on the calendar and click Filter.
The date filter limits the data to signups received within the selected period.
Filter by market
If your store uses Shopify Markets, filter the report by one or more markets.
- Click the Market filter.
- Check or uncheck individual markets.
- Select All markets to reset.
Filter by vendor
- Click the Vendor filter.
- Search for a vendor name.
- Check one or more vendors to filter the table.
Filter by tag
Type a product tag into the Tag filter field. Only products with that tag appear in the results.
Sort the table
- Click the sort icon in the filter bar.
- Choose a sort field and direction:
- Pending (ascending or descending) — sort by waitlist size.
- Total requests (ascending or descending) — sort by total signups.
- Last requested (ascending or descending) — sort by most recent signup date.
Change rows per page
- Click the Per page filter.
- Choose 25 rows per page or 50 rows per page.
Export the Demand report to CSV
You can export the current filtered view as a CSV file for use in spreadsheets or other tools.
- Apply any filters you want (date range, market, vendor, search, etc.).
- Click Export CSV at the bottom-right of the table.
- Confirm the export when prompted.
- The CSV is sent to your report email address (configured in Settings).
Read the Demand data to make restocking decisions
The Demand section is most useful when you combine its filters with a clear restocking strategy.
- High waitlist + in stock = check alerts. If a product has a large waitlist but is already in stock, your alerts may not have been sent yet. Open the product to review its notification status.
- High waitlist + out of stock = restock priority. Products with the largest pending waitlists should be at the top of your reorder list.
- Trending tab + last 30 days = urgent demand. Products gaining signups in the last month are time-sensitive. Restocking quickly maximises conversions.
- Least requested tab = clean-up candidates. Products with no recent signups may no longer be relevant. Consider disabling alerts or removing them from your catalogue.
Known limitations
- Data refreshes on page load — the table fetches the latest data each time you change a filter, tab, or page. It does not auto-refresh in real time.
- Inventory levels are approximate — inventory is fetched via Shopify's API when the page loads and may not reflect very recent stock changes.
- Deleted products appear with a badge — products deleted from Shopify still show in the report with a "Deleted" badge. Use the Hide deleted products & variants from Reports setting to remove them.
- CSV export goes to your email — the file is not downloaded directly in the browser. It is sent to the email address configured in Settings.
- Variant-level columns (SKU, inventory, price) only appear in variant grouping — switch to variant view to see these columns.
- Market and vendor filters depend on your store data — if you have no markets or vendors configured, those filter options do not appear.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
No products appear in the table | No customers have signed up for back-in-stock alerts yet | Set up your "Notify me" button and wait for signups |
Product shows "Product unavailable" | Product was deleted from Shopify before STOQ recorded its data | The signup data is preserved but the product name cannot be displayed |
Waitlist count is 0 but product still appears | All customers were already notified | Check the Notified column — those customers received alerts |
Inventory column shows nothing | Store data has not loaded yet or variant grouping is not selected | Switch to variant grouping and wait for inventory to load |
Export CSV button is greyed out | Free STOQ plan | Upgrade to a paid plan to use CSV export |
Market filter is missing | Store does not use Shopify Markets or has only one market | Enable Shopify Markets or add additional markets |
Date filter does not change results | Very few signups exist and they all fall within every date range | Try the Custom date range to narrow down further |
Deleted products clutter the report | Products were removed from Shopify but signups remain | Enable Hide deleted products & variants from Reports in Settings |
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between Demand, Engagement, and Revenue views?
A: Demand shows who is waiting and what needs restocking — it focuses on waitlist signups and pending notifications. Engagement tracks button impressions, clicks, and signup rates (requires the analytics pixel). Revenue shows orders and revenue recovered from back-in-stock alerts. Here's the detailed guide on the metrics. This article covers only the Demand view.
Q: Can I see demand data for a specific variant instead of the whole product?
A: Yes. Click the Group by icon at the top-right of the table and select Variant. The table switches to one row per variant, with additional columns for SKU, inventory level, and per-variant waitlist counts.
Q: How do I find products that are trending right now?
A: Click the Trending tab at the top of the Demand table. This automatically filters to the last 30 days and sorts by the largest waitlist first, showing you which products are gaining the most signups recently.
Q: Can I export the Demand report?
A: Yes. Click Export CSV at the bottom of the table. The file is sent to your report email address. CSV export requires a paid STOQ plan.
Q: Why do some products show a "Deleted" badge?
A: Those products were removed from your Shopify store after customers signed up for back-in-stock alerts. The signup data is preserved in STOQ. To hide deleted products from the report, enable Hide deleted products & variants from Reports in Settings.
Q: Does the Demand view update in real time?
A: No. The table refreshes each time you change a filter, switch tabs, navigate pages, or reload the page. It does not auto-refresh while you are looking at it.
Q: Can I filter by multiple markets at once?
A: Yes. Open the Market filter and check multiple markets. The table shows combined results for the selected markets. Select All markets to reset the filter.
Q: What does the "Last requested on" column mean?
A: It shows the date and time when the most recent customer signed up for a back-in-stock alert for that product (or variant). Use this to identify products with fresh demand versus products where signups stopped a long time ago.
Updated on: 21/04/2026
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