You can delete the page with an accompanying 404 or 410 page, or the preferred method for SEO: you can set up a 301 redirect to point users from the Out-of-Stock product page to a comparable product or category page on the site. You have a couple of options to handle permanently Out-of-Stock product pages properly. Whatever the case may be, you need to communicate to users (and search engines) that a permanently Out-of-Stock product is no longer available on your website. Or perhaps a product has been discontinued by the manufacturer. Maybe you stopped carrying a particular product, or your supplier has stopped selling it. Permanently Out-of-Stock products are a fact of life for any eCommerce business. *NOTE: your functionality options may be limited (or expanded!) by your eCommerce platform, be it Shopify, Amazon, BigCommerce, or a custom solution. Depending on the nature of the product, each scenario is handled using a different set of best practices. There are two primary types of Out-of-Stock products: permanently Out-of-Stock (i.e., a retired product line) and temporarily Out-of-Stock products (i.e., supplier shortage). Whether you have a product that is temporarily Out-of-Stock due to high demand or supply chain bottlenecks, or a product that is permanently Out-of-Stock from a discontinued line/one-time promotion - following best practices can make a significant impact on the shopping experience you deliver to customers, as well as your site’s SEO performance. Even more revealing: a whopping 21% to 43% will go to a different store to buy the item (the data ranges being contingent on the product category.) Factor in frustrated users, damaged brand reputation, and wavering customer loyalty, and cost of neglecting Out-of-Stock products can multiply in more ways than one.Īccording to the Harvard Business Review research, 7% to 25% of prospective customers who encounter an Out-of-Stock product will continue shopping but won’t purchase an alternative item for their desired product at the store. Online retailers suffer huge sales losses every year due to inventory stockouts. Inventory Stockouts Have Major Consequences Conversely, when no action is taken, the consequences can be immeasurably costly. Regardless of what causes products to go Out-of-Stock, there’s a lot that can be done to mitigate the damage. A shortage of working capital that limits the volume of orders that can be placed.A safety stock inventory level that becomes too low to cover the risk profile of an item.Product suppliers who refuse to deliver inventory due to a credit hold from non-payment.Problems surrounding product quality resulting in a high level of returns to the supplier.Under-ordering as a result of poor decision-making or an inadequate ordering system.Late delivery by a supplier despite great inventory management.Underestimating a product's demand, and therefore, under-ordering.Inaccurate or miscalculated lead times resulting in product deliveries arriving later than planned.In simple terms, inventory stockouts are defined as products that have either sold out or are simply not available for purchase.Īn alternative definition that highlights the central pain point behind the problem: Out-of-Stock occurs every time a product is not available when a prospective customer is ready to buy it.īefore we get into how to best rectify Out-of-Stock products, let’s examine the most common causes behind inventory stockouts: What are Out-of-Stock Products and How Do They Occur? While Out-of-Stock items, or inventory stockouts, are a common conundrum for all eCommerce websites, it’s how they’re addressed that makes all the difference, particularly in maintaining a site’s SEO health and overall usability. They pose a real burden for interested users but are especially damaging to online retailers when entirely neglected and would-be customers are left hanging. Out-of-Stock products are inevitable in all eCommerce businesses. Talk about a frustrating experience for everyone! We’ve all experienced the unfortunate incident: you see a product you like, but when you check the price and availability, you notice that it’s Out-of-Stock on the website.
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