Picture this: A customer eagerly clicks “Buy Now” on your hottest product, only to find it’s out of stock. Frustrating, right? That’s where WooCommerce backorders come to the rescue!
Instead of the dreaded “Out of Stock” message, backorders transform potential disappointments into future sales. Your customers can rather see back-in-stock notification – a promise that their desired item will be theirs once restocked.
Backorders keep sales flowing even when stock is low, especially for predictable restocks, custom items, seasonal must-haves, or hot sellers.
Let’s unlock the secrets of seamless WooCommerce backorder management and discover how to keep those sales flowing, even when your shelves are temporarily empty.
From enabling your first backorder to managing complex pre-orders like a pro, this guide has got your back(order)!
What is backorder in WooCommerce?
WooCommerce backorders allow you to accept an order for a product you don’t have on hand, with the understanding that you’ll fulfill it as soon as the item is back in stock.
Suppose a customer named Robin, wants to buy a new phone and headphones from your store. The headphones are ready to ship in two days – fantastic! But the phone? Out of stock, with a week-long wait. What happens next? A lost sale? Not if you offer backorders.
Backordering lets Robin order the out-of-stock phone, securing the sale for you. Automated emails keep them updated, turning a potential loss into a positive experience.
Default WooCommerce backorders behavior
By default, WooCommerce doesn’t automatically enable backorders. You need to configure this setting for each product individually. The standard WooCommerce settings offer three options:
- Do not allow backorders: This is the default setting. Customers cannot purchase out-of-stock items.
- Allow backorders, but notify customers: Customers can purchase out-of-stock items, and they are notified that the item is on backorder.
- Allow backorders: Customers can purchase out-of-stock items without any notification.
Choose the backorder setting that aligns with your business and customer communication. Notifying customers about backorders is generally best practice.
When to use WooCommerce backorders:
- Good for predictable restocks.
- High-demand items.
- Custom/made-to-order products.
- Seasonal goods.
When to avoid WooCommerce backorders:
- Bad for unreliable suppliers.
- Uncertain restocks.
- Very low stock items.
- Complex/time-consuming products (consider pre-orders instead).
How to allow WooCommerce backorders?
WooCommerce allows you to enable backorders on a per-product basis. Here’s how:
- In your WordPress admin, navigate to
Productsand select the product you want to enable backorders for. - Go to the
Inventorytab in the product’s edit screen. - Ensure the
Manage stockcheckbox is ticked. This is essential for backorder functionality. - Set the Stock status to
In Stockeven though the stock quantity is 0 or less. This will help accept orders even after the stock hits zero. - Find the
Allow backordersdropdown menu. You’ll see three options:- Do not allow: The default. Customers cannot purchase the product when it’s out of stock.
- Allow, but notify customer: Customers can purchase the product even if it’s out of stock, and they’ll be notified about the backorder status during checkout.
- Allow: Customers can purchase the product even if it’s out of stock, but they won’t receive any specific notification.
- Choose the desired backorder setting and click
Updateto save the changes.
Limitations of standard WooCommerce backorder management
The default WooCommerce also enables you to search and see products that are on backorder.
But default WooCommerce backorder management falls short in a few significant areas. Got more than ten products? Then you need to watch out for these issues:
Need to go to each product to set it on backorder
Imagine wrestling with hundreds, even thousands, of products, manually setting each one to backorder. Frustrating, right? That’s the problem with WooCommerce’s lack of bulk backorder editing. You need a solution that supercharges this process, and fast.
No advanced search filters
Want to put all your “Summer Collection” items on backorder? Or maybe just the sale items under $50? Or perhaps every product with a “XL” size? Good luck with that using the default WooCommerce settings. You’re stuck with manual updates, which isn’t exactly ideal.
No inline edit, no export
Stuck with backorder limitations? You can’t even directly set a product to backorder, let alone easily export a list of backordered items. It’s a frustrating situation—unless you have a secret weapon. Enter Smart Manager: the simple solution to conquer your backorder woes.
Think of it like trying to water a garden one plant at a time – it works, but it’s not efficient when you’ve got hundreds of plants!
Manual backorder management is similar – okay for small stores, but a bottleneck as you grow. Luckily, tools like Smart Manager can streamline this process with bulk editing. Stay tuned to learn how!
How to bulk edit and manage WooCommerce backorders easily?
Transform your WooCommerce backorder management from complex to effortless with Smart Manager – your virtual command center for the “available for backorder” control. Unlike the standard WooCommerce interface, Smart Manager brings everything you need into one powerful dashboard.
This powerful plugin provides an Excel-like spreadsheet interface, giving you a fast and efficient way to control your inventory from a single page. Here’s why Smart Manager is the top choice for managing WooCommerce backorders:
Steps to manage WooCommerce backorders with Smart Manager:
Edit backorders directly
Smart Manager’s inline editing makes backorder management simple. Click the backorder entry, choose your option from the drop down, and save—it’s that easy for both simple and variable products.
Similarly, you can directly add new products using the ‘Add Row’ tab and set it on backorder.
Bulk edit backorders based on search filters
Smart Manager’s powerful combination of bulk editing (its most used feature) and advanced AND/OR search filtering makes product management a snap.
Simply select products based on filters and apply the bulk edit operation.
- Filter products using the
Advanced Search panel(with AND/OR conditions). - Select the desired products.
- Open the
Bulk Editpanel, enter your changes, and clickUpdate.
Bulk edit also enables you to allow backorders for all products in WooCommerce at once.
Offer discounts for backorders
A common concern for WooCommerce store owners is the potential for lost sales when items are on backorder.
Smart Manager lets you easily set discounts on backordered products, either in bulk or individually. This targeted discounting boosts sales.
Export WooCommerce backorders
This plugin lets you filter and export details for backordered products. For example, you can export only the product name and sale price.
- Open the
Columnsmenu (top left). - Select only Backorders, Sale Price, and Product Name.
- Click
Update. - Click
Export.
Enhancing stock management with Smart Manager
Smart Manager goes beyond backorders, offering comprehensive stock and inventory management for WooCommerce. Here’s how it helps:
- Real-time stock updates.
- Manage stock for individual products and variations.
- Track and export stock change logs.
- Set regular and sale prices in bulk.
- Edit stock fields quickly, whether individually or in bulk.
- Extend stock management to popular WooCommerce extensions like Subscriptions, Bookings, Memberships, Product Add-ons, and Cost of Goods.
- Use simple and advanced filters to find the products you need.
- Create personalized stock management views.
- Delete all products efficiently.
- Add featured images and product thumbnails.
- Manage orders, coupons, users, and other WordPress post types.
Conclusion
Maximize sales and minimize frustration by mastering WooCommerce backorders. This guide covered everything from backorder basics and best practices to using Smart Manager for efficient bulk editing, targeted discounts, and data exports.
Smart Manager also streamlines complete stock and inventory management, including real-time updates, extension integrations, and control over other WooCommerce data. Transform stock shortages into growth opportunities—explore Smart Manager today and unlock your store’s full potential.
FAQ
What happens if I can’t fulfill a backorder in the expected time?
Communicate promptly and honestly, explaining the delay, apologizing, and providing a revised timeline (if possible). Offer alternatives or discounts. Give regular updates. Offer a refund if necessary. Analyze the issue to improve future backorder handling.
Can I automatically mark products as out of stock when they are on backorder?
WooCommerce doesn’t automatically mark products “out of stock” just because they’re on backorder. “In stock”/”Out of stock” and “Backorder” are separate statuses. You can be “in stock” and allow backorders, or “out of stock” and still allow them. Automating a change to “out of stock” based on backorders requires custom code or a plugin.
Can backorders be enabled for digital products in WooCommerce?
Backorders usually don’t apply to digital products in WooCommerce. Since digital products are typically infinitely available, “out of stock” usually indicates a file issue, not a quantity problem, making backorders illogical.