Articles on: Alerts

How to preview and test back in stock emails and SMS using your own products

STOQ lets you preview back-in-stock emails and SMS using your own products instead of generic sample data. Pick any product from your catalog in the preview pane and the template instantly renders with that product's title, image, vendor, price, currency, and links — exactly as STOQ will deliver it to your customers. The Send test email flow also uses the product you picked, so the Buy now button and unsubscribe link in the test email point at a real product.


How to Preview Back-in-Stock Emails and SMS with Your Own Products


The template editor in STOQ shows your editing controls on the left and a live preview on the right. You can swap in any of your store's products to see how the notification will actually look.


Open the Template Editor


Follow these steps to reach the preview pane.


  1. In your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
  2. Click Back in stock alerts in the left-hand navigation.
  3. Select the Settings tab at the top of the page.
  4. Click the Notifications sub-tab.
  5. Under Email & SMS templates, click Customize email or Customize SMS on the template you want to test.


The editor opens in a full-screen modal with two tabs: SMS template and Email template. The live preview appears on the right side of the screen.


Pick a Product for the Email Preview


By default, the email preview renders with a sample product (Floral Shirt). You can replace it with any product from your store.


  1. In the preview pane on the right, click Preview with my product.
  2. Search for and select a product from your catalog.
  3. The preview updates instantly with your product's name and image, then fills in the real price and currency a moment later.


Once selected, the preview pulls your product's data through the same path the live notification uses — title, variant title, image, vendor, price, currency, handle, and links. What you see in the preview matches what STOQ will actually deliver.


Tip: Choose a product with a long title or multiple variants to make sure your template layout handles edge cases well.


Reset or Change the Selected Product


To swap to a different product or return to the default sample:


  1. In the preview pane, look for the product name displayed near the top.
  2. Click Reset/Change next to the product name.
  3. Pick a new product or leave it reset to return to the default Floral Shirt sample.


Send a Test Email with Your Product


When you send a test email with a product selected, the delivered email uses that product's real data and links.


  1. Select a product using Preview with my product (see above).
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the email preview pane.
  3. Click Send test email.
  4. In the modal that appears, enter the email address you want to send to (one address only).
  5. Click Send.


STOQ saves your current template changes, then delivers the test email. The Buy now button links to the real product's checkout or product page, and the unsubscribe link is also populated with real data.


Tip: Always send a test email with your selected product before going live. This lets you verify the purchase link, product image, and price all render correctly in a real email client.


Preview Back-in-Stock SMS with a Sample Product Name


The SMS preview uses the same Preview with my product picker as the email preview. You can select any product from your catalog and the phone screen mock-up updates with that product's real data.


Pick a Product for the SMS Preview


  1. Open the SMS template tab in the template editor.
  2. In the preview pane on the right, click Preview with my product.
  3. Search for and select a product from your catalog.
  4. The SMS preview updates with your product's title, variant, and links — rendered in the phone screen mock-up.

This helps you verify that longer product names do not push your message into extra SMS segments and that the purchase link points to the correct product.


Character Count and Segment Tracking


The SMS editor shows real-time metrics below the message body:


  • Total characters — the current character count of your rendered message.
  • Segments — how many SMS segments the message will use (1 segment = up to 150 characters for standard text, or 70 characters if your message contains emoji or special characters).

Tip: Select a product with a long title to make sure your message stays within your target segment count.


Liquid Variables in the Preview


The preview automatically fills in Liquid template variables with data from your selected product (for email) or your typed product name (for SMS).


Variable

What It Shows

{{ product.title }}

Your product's title

{{ product.variant_title }}

The variant name

{{ product.title_incl_variant }}

Product title with variant (e.g., "Blue Sneakers - Size 10")

{{ product.vendor }}

Product vendor

{{ product.price }}

Product price

{{ product.currency }}

Price currency code

{{ product.purchase_link }}

Checkout or product page link

{{ shop.name }}

Your shop name

{{ customer.first_name }}

John (sample)

{{ customer.last_name }}

Appleseed (sample)


Tip: If you see raw {{ }} tags in the preview, check that your variable name is spelled correctly.


Known Limitations


  • The Preview with my product picker is available for the email preview only when STOQ is your email provider. Klaviyo, Shopify Flow, and preorder templates are not affected by this feature.
  • The SMS preview does not display the product image — it renders the product title, variant, and links in the phone screen mock-up.
  • Only one email address can be used per test email. Comma-separated or multiple addresses are not supported.
  • The Send test email button is only available when STOQ is your email provider. If you use Klaviyo or Shopify Flow, preview and test your templates in those platforms instead.
  • The SMS preview is only available when STOQ is your SMS provider. If you use Klaviyo or Postscript, preview your SMS templates in those platforms.
  • Custom HTML email templates do not show a visual preview. You will see a message stating that no preview is available.
  • STOQ requires an Online Store 2.0 theme. Online Store 1.0 themes are not supported.


Troubleshooting


Symptom

Likely Cause

Fix

Preview with my product button does not appear

Email provider is not set to STOQ

Switch to STOQ as your email provider in the Notifications settings

Product image does not update in preview

The product may not have an image in Shopify

Add an image to the product in Shopify admin, then re-select it

Price or currency shows as blank after selecting a product

Product pricing data is still loading

Wait a moment — the price and currency fill in shortly after the title and image

Raw {{ }} tags appear in the preview

Variable name is misspelled or unsupported

Check the variable name matches the supported list (e.g., product.title, not product_title)

Test email still shows the old Floral Shirt data

No product was selected before sending

Click Preview with my product and pick a product before clicking Send test email

Send test email button is missing

Email provider is set to Klaviyo or Shopify Flow

Switch to STOQ as your email provider, or preview in Klaviyo/Flow instead


FAQs


Q: Does selecting a product in the preview change my live notifications?

A: No. The product picker only affects the in-app preview and test email. Your live back-in-stock notifications still use the actual product that was restocked.


Q: Does the preview match what my customers will actually receive?

A: Yes. The preview pulls your product's data through the same path the live notification uses — title, image, vendor, price, currency, handle, and links. The only difference is that customer data (name, email) uses sample values.


Q: Can I use this feature with Klaviyo or Shopify Flow templates?

A: No. The Preview with my product picker is only available when STOQ is your email provider. Klaviyo and Shopify Flow templates should be previewed in those platforms directly.


Q: Can I send a test email to multiple people?

A: No. STOQ allows one email address per test email. To share the preview with your team, send separate test emails to each address or forward the test email from your inbox.


Q: What happens if I click Reset/Change?

A: The preview reverts to the default Floral Shirt sample data. You can then pick a different product or leave it on the default.


Updated on: 03/06/2026

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