Forum Moderators: buckworks
When you visit a website and you want to order a product do you look for back-order and instock information?
What if that information was not available to you?
So if I have a website and want to order a black shirt in size small...as a customer I want to see if it's on backorder or instock correct?
Now if I want to order a black shirt and it doesn't tell me if it's instock or on backorder and gives me no information am I still going to place that order?
I need to know if you think its relevant on a website to list backorder and instock information or if it's ok to not include that information on a retail site.
However, let shoppers know about the exceptions. If something is out of stock, say so, and if possible also let us know when the item is expected to be available again.
One piece of info to consider displaying when appropriate is "only a few left". As a shopper, that lets me know I need to make up my mind right away if I'm serious about the item.
That said, if I see some things listed as "out of stock" on the same website, then I'll assume everything that doesn't say that is available.
I don't want to wait weeks for a book or movie that I could easily buy somewhere else. If you don't physically have it, I want to know. I could just go to Borders but I'm online because I want the item cheaply, conveniently, and soon. If you can't do that, I'm out. I might still order from a site like this with no stock info, but I'd rather go with a competitor that did list it.
However, for a niche or specialty / hobby item that is not readily available other places, I'll wait...I'm online because I want to get the item, somehow. I'll pay more and wait longer. If it's out of stock, I'm fine finding that out after-the-fact, as long as:
1. I do eventually get it
2. The charge doesn't show up until you've shipped it.
One of my sites does exactly this. When an item is ordered, it goes into "pending" so it doesn't increment the stocks displayed to the public. When it's shipped, it is moved from pending to sold; if it's canceled, it goes back in stock.
It even gets better. Products page displays,
5 in stock
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2 red
1 gold
2 orange
Yet, we still get calls, "I wanted to order this thingy, #123456 in gold, need to know if it's in stock. I'm not gunna buy it if it's not in stock."
(We're looking at the same page, right? See right there under What's In Stock, where it says 5 in stock?)
"Yes Ma'am, it is indeed in stock and will ship out today/tomorrow."
So yeah. I imagine some people do, but a large portion do not.
In our checkout, you enter zip code, submit, it first checks to see if any items are out of stock. If they are, it displays "one or more of your items are out of stock. Please select from the following:"
Then options to hold entire order until it's all in, send what ya' got and the remainder when it comes in at no extra charge, or remove from order. (Of course, next to a link to out of stock items policy . . . )
You simply cannot get past this step without selecting one of the three, and KNOWING an item is out of stock.
Even after orders are placed, "I just placed an order, are the items in stock?"
So yes, personally I appreciate this point on carts, and may or may not complete the order knowing it's out. I'm sure some people use it, but doubt it's a motivator either way for most shoppers.
I would **definately** steer away from the word "backorder." Backorder is often interpreted as back ordered from your supplier, not just you, so a double wait is expected.
(We're looking at the same page, right? See right there under What's In Stock, where it says 5 in stock?)
-Due in tomorrow?
-Due in three months?
-One piece in stock but 100 arriving soon (and customer wants two pieces)
-One piece of hot item remains in stock but major outage expected afterward
We almost never display stock status. We get very few calls from prospective customers about it. We sell many products that we can get in 2 or 3 days.
Saying those are "out of stock" would kill sales.
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OTOH, I'm impressed when I shop and see something like "We Can Ship This Product Today"
They have probably been caught out by sites that don't adjust the stock figures in real time.
Agreed, I didn't mean to infer "dumb," just having fun with it - just that they don't read. We tried all sorts of approaches to this, but it seems like the more text we add, the less it gets read.
There are degrees of "Not in stock" and degrees of "In stock" and how do you deal with that?
I don't understand the second - an item is in stock and ready to ship or it's not, no gray area there. (?) For the first, agreed - we don't set a "due date" if it's out of stock.
If it's not in stock, it has "none in stock" with a link to "How long?" This how long link describes the conditions of out of stock items in a short paragraph, and that it depends on the supplier. This link is universal at all points - on the product pages, at the stock-check screen, in the edit cart screen, and in the small order summary at checkout.
My only point is we **rarely* get calls about out of stock items when it's actually out of stock. Since they are "forced" past the out of stock check screen, and they commit to ordering the item even if it's out of stock, there is only one case in which they can't know it's out of stock: language barriers.
We only seem to get calls about in stock items.
Of course, I/client may be doing something wrong but have had several other qualified developers look at these pages and it seems clear enough . . . not sure what more we can do to help.
just that they don't read
We just mark items out of stock when we know that they are, along with a best guess for when they will be available, and write apologetic emails to customers when they order something that turns out to be unavailable.
It is a long way from ideal; personally I always look for stock information when I place an online order, but I don't see any way to improve it.
but it seems like the more text we add, the less it gets read.
Thats got to be the quote of the year for me, its 100% spot on.
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I'd like to think so, but this is a good discussion, which has me thinking:
(1) How many customers have I lost in the last 13 years by not displaying this info
(2) How much time has been wasted over the years with telephone calls asking is something is in stock? Figuring just one a day, we're talking about 4000+ calls.
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As for the 'dumb' customers - yep, some of them will call in anyway...part of doing business.
They are usually the ones that want to place a $4 order and free shipping, also ;-)
but it seems like the more text we add, the less it gets read.
Absolutely. That's why we put a lot of effort into REMOVING verbiage and other clutter from our site.
