A sold-out product offers a next step
Seasonal guideline. Applies in the run-up to Black Friday, Cyber Week and Christmas, in addition to the year-round guidelines. Holiday readiness →
What is being checked
Whether a sold-out product page tells the shopper what they can do now: get notified when it is back (with an honest date, if known), pre-order it, or choose a similar product that is available.
Why it matters
During a sale, popular products sell out fast. Visitors still arrive on these pages through ads, emails, search results and shared links. A page that only says "sold out" ends the visit there.
A next step keeps the shopper in the shop. A notification also tells the shop how much demand there is, which helps to decide what to reorder. Honesty matters: a "back soon" that never happens loses the customer for good.
Failure signals
- The page only says "sold out" with nothing else to do.
- There is no option to be notified when the product is back.
- A restock date is promised that the shop cannot keep.
- No similar, available products are shown.
- Pre-orders are possible, but the expected delivery date is not stated.
- The product still appears in ads or the gift guide although it will not come back this season.
How to verify
- Open a sold-out product page.
- Confirm it offers at least one next step: a back-in-stock notification, a pre-order with a delivery date, or available alternatives.
- Sign up for the notification. Confirm the shop confirms the sign-up.
- If a restock date is shown, confirm with the shop that it is based on a real delivery.
- Confirm the alternatives shown are in stock.
Recommended fix
Add a back-in-stock notification to every sold-out product. Only show a date when there is a confirmed delivery. Show three available products from the same category below. Remove products that will not return this season from ads and from the gift guide. See also PDP-SR-STOCK-01.