Stock questions that show what a sold out page costs you
Ask shoppers what they did when an item sold out, how long they would wait and how their back order went. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What out of stock survey questions tell you
Out of stock survey questions ask shoppers whether they found what they came for, what they did when it was gone and how long they would wait for it to come back. Your stock reports show what sold out. These answers show whether the shopper waited, picked something else or bought it elsewhere.
Ask the sold out questions on the product page, as the shopper meets the gap. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, a custom event from your code can show the survey only when an item is sold out. Ask the back order questions by email or link once the order has arrived, and keep each survey to three or four questions.
Each written answer gets a category, a theme, a type such as complaint or idea, and a sentiment, and each response an urgency, so a back order that never arrived reaches support quickly. Selecting an answer in Results filters the whole page, for example to shoppers who left without buying.
- Questions
- 13
- Best asked
- When an item sells out, then after a back order
- Industry
- E-commerce
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 13 stock and back orders questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
When the item was gone
Ask whether the shopper found the item and what they did when they didn't, to put a cost on each gap.
- 01Yes / No
Was the item you came for in stock?
A yes or no on whether the item the shopper came for was there. Use logic to show the sold out questions only after a No, and keep the survey short for everyone else.
- 02Multiple choice
What did you do when the item was sold out?
What the shopper did next, from waiting to leaving. The share who bought elsewhere or left is the cost of the gap, and the share who picked another size or color shows what your range saved.
- 07Emoji
How did it feel to see the item sold out?
A row of faces for the moment the item turned out to be sold out. Results shows each face's share, and the comparison with the period before shows whether better alerts eased the blow.
- 12Number
How many times this year have we had nothing in your size?
How often this year the shopper found nothing in their size. Results shows the median and the middle half. Shoppers at the high end are the ones a size alert would keep.
- 09Text
Which product should we always keep on the shelf?
An open question for the product shoppers expect to find every time. Filter by theme to count the requests, and pass the list to whoever plans stock.
What to show when stock runs out
These questions shape the sold out page itself, from the stock count to the alert button.
- 03Multiple choice
What should we show when something is sold out?
Shoppers pick everything a sold out page should show, from the return date to similar items. Bars show each share, a guide to what to build on the page first.
- 05Yes / No
Did the stock count on the page turn out to be right?
A yes or no on whether the stock count on the page held true. A share of No means shoppers ordered items that turned out to be gone, a problem for whoever runs the stock feed.
- 06Stars
How clear was the stock information?
A star rating for the stock information on the page. Results shows the average and the share who gave four or more. Low ratings point at labels shoppers can't read at a glance.
- 08Customer effort
How easy was it to set up a back in stock alert?
A customer effort score for setting up a back in stock alert. Ask it right after the shopper signs up, with an element click trigger on the alert button (from Starter, or on 1 survey on Free).
Back orders
Ask how long shoppers would wait and how the wait went, before you offer back orders on more items.
- 04Dropdown
How long would you wait for a back order?
How long the shopper would wait for a back order, in bands. Results shows the share for each, which tells you whether a back order button is worth offering on slow restocks.
- 13Date
When do you need this item by?
The date the shopper needs the item by, on a calendar. Results shows the picked dates, so you can see whether a restock date would arrive too late for most of them.
- 11Ruler
How many days did your back order take?
Days from ordering to arrival for a back order, on a ruler. Results shows the median and the middle half, a fair figure to put on the page as the expected wait.
- 10Text
What happened with your back order?
An open question for how the back order went, asked once it arrives or is canceled. Each answer arrives with a theme and a sentiment, and each response an urgency, so a back order that went wrong reaches support first.
Tips for asking about stock and back orders
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask when the item is gone
From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, a custom event from your code can show the survey only when a shopper lands on a sold out item.
- 02
Ask about back orders on arrival
Send the back order questions once the parcel lands, by email or link, so the shopper can judge the whole wait.
- 03
Share the requests with your buyers
Pass the answers about what to keep on the shelf to whoever plans stock each month, filtered by theme.
- 04
Check the stock count
Read the answers about whether the stock count held true each month. A rising share of No points at the stock feed.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about stock and back orders
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
When the shopper meets a sold out item, on the product page. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, a custom event from your code can show the survey only on those pages.
Three or four: whether the item was in stock, what the shopper did next, what the page should show and how long they would wait.
Once the back order arrives. Send the survey by email to a contact list, or put the link in your own shipping email.
Yes. Use the exit intent trigger with page targeting, so the survey appears as the shopper moves to leave.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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