ECOMMERCE

Out of stock and backorder messaging

Use when a product is unavailable and the page needs to keep the customer instead of losing them.

out-of-stock-messaging.md

Download .md

Write out of stock messaging for {{PRODUCT_NAME}} on {{SITE_NAME}}.

Situation:
- Reason unavailable: {{REASON}}
- Expected back: {{RESTOCK_DATE_OR_UNKNOWN}}
- Alternatives in range: {{ALTERNATIVE_PRODUCTS}}
- What we can offer: {{OPTIONS_AVAILABLE}} (for example back in stock alert, backorder, pre-order, nothing)

Produce four variants, each labeled:
A. Restock date known
B. Restock date unknown
C. Discontinued, alternatives exist
D. Discontinued, no direct replacement

For each variant give:
- On-page banner, under 20 words.
- Supporting line, under 35 words, saying what happens next.
- Button label, under 4 words.
- Email or SMS notification text sent when it returns, under 50 words.

Rules:
- Never state a date unless it is in the input. Use "we do not have a date yet" rather than a guess.
- Do not apologize more than once per variant.
- Do not push an alternative before acknowledging the product they came for.
- Plain language. No em dashes. No "unfortunately at this time".

Fill in before running

Replace each placeholder with your own detail. The more specific you are, the less the model invents.

{{PRODUCT_NAME}}
{{SITE_NAME}}
{{REASON}}
{{RESTOCK_DATE_OR_UNKNOWN}}
{{ALTERNATIVE_PRODUCTS}}
{{OPTIONS_AVAILABLE}}

Getting a better result

Variant B is the one you will use most. Give it the honest line rather than an invented estimate.
Name the alternative products in the copy - a generic "browse similar" link converts far worse.
Reuse the notification text as the push message so the wording matches when it lands.

Questions about this prompt

When should I run this rather than hide the page?

Before you need it, not on the day. Hiding the page or leaving a bare sold out badge loses the visit entirely. Generating all four variants once means the discontinued cases are already written when a line gets pulled, which is exactly when nobody has time to write anything careful.

What do I need to know about the stock situation first?

The reason it is unavailable, the restock date or an honest unknown, named alternative products, and what you can genuinely offer: back in stock alert, backorder, pre-order or nothing. Naming the alternatives matters, because the tips are right that a generic browse similar link converts far worse than two named products.

What comes back, and which variant will I use most?

Four labelled variants, each with a banner under twenty words, a supporting line, a button label and the notification text sent when stock returns. Variant B, restock date unknown, is the one you will use most, and its supporting line is the piece to get right because it has to hold someone without a date.

What is the edit that costs me a support ticket?

Editing a soft estimate back into variant B. A guessed date becomes a broken promise and a support ticket, which costs more than saying you do not have one yet. Check as well that no variant opens by pushing an alternative before it acknowledges the product the shopper actually came for.