WooCommerce Back in Stock setup guide

Start with Free

1. Download the Free ZIP from the Back in Stock product page. In WordPress, open Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, install and activate it with WooCommerce active. Premium is a separate add-on and requires Free.
2. Publish a WordPress privacy policy and select it in HookSpark → Back in Stock → Settings. New public requests stay off until a policy is selected.
3. Review the request text and the Email tab. Keep email confirmation enabled, send a test to an address you control, and verify the message arrived.
4. Open a sold-out product or an unavailable variation. Submit a test request, confirm it from the email link, then restore stock using WooCommerce.
5. Check the Requests list and sending diagnostics. An alert links to the product; it never reserves stock.

Free includes product and variation requests, confirmation and cancellation links, automatic stock alerts, a searchable list, filtered CSV export and privacy tools. A HookSpark account is not needed to run Free. Until the plugin is listed on WordPress.org, download each new Free ZIP from HookSpark and update it through Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin; keep a backup and choose Replace current with uploaded if WordPress asks. Automatic WordPress.org updates are not available yet.

What customers see

The inline form appears on eligible unavailable products. For a variable product, the request follows the selected unavailable variation. Customers can cancel from an email link or review their requests in My Account. Consent to an alert does not enroll them in a newsletter.

For a custom layout, use [hs_back_in_stock] in a product context or [hs_back_in_stock id="123"] for a specific product. The Back in Stock block and Elementor Free Shortcode widget use the same request flow. Check your theme and page cache in staging.

Control a restock with Premium

Activate Premium alongside Free. Preview eligible requests and current stock, then choose an invitation budget and wave size. You can schedule a start time, set quiet hours in your store timezone, pause sending, and send one optional reminder while stock remains available. A single-use coupon is optional. Premium also adds demand and associated-purchase reports, authorized CSV import and a signed webhook.

For example, if two notebooks return and three confirmed requests are waiting, a two-invitation wave can leave the third request waiting. Other shoppers can still buy the notebooks; invitations do not reserve inventory. Stock is checked again before each send.

Try the customer and admin demos

1. Open the customer demo and start a personal workspace. Use a fictional @example.invalid email.
2. Choose the sold-out backpack or the sold-out Small shirt variation and request an alert.
3. Open the captured-email inbox, follow the confirmation link and confirm on the next screen.
4. Open the admin demo in the same workspace. Review Requests, Email and Settings; Premium restock and Results sections are available there.
5. Use the inbox restock controls to add two units and run due alerts. Review the captured message and the campaign status.

The personal demo lasts 60 minutes, uses synthetic products, captures mail inside the workspace and makes no real payment or external email delivery.

Troubleshooting and privacy

No form appears

Check that the product or selected variation is unavailable, alerts are enabled, and a published privacy policy is selected. Backorders have separate settings.

Request remains unconfirmed

Open the confirmation link in the captured demo inbox, or check real-store email delivery. Confirmation and marketing permission are separate.

No restock email appears

Check current stock, request status, the sending diagnostics and WooCommerce scheduled actions. Low-traffic stores may need a server cron. Mailer acceptance does not prove inbox delivery.

Cached page shows an old form

Clear the page cache and exclude the plugin REST endpoints and verification/management links from caching.

Store owners can export or erase personal requests through WordPress privacy tools. Disabling the plugin keeps data; uninstall cleanup is optional and destructive. See the full tested scope and release status before installing on a live store.