Similar products on out-of-stock pages: +9.5% conversion rate
Test run byVisuallyTesting and CRO tool
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding similar-product recommendations to out-of-stock product pages lifted The Oodie's conversion rate by 9.5%.
Visually ran this test with The Oodie, a loungewear brand, and published it as a Visually case study.
Before, those pages only offered a notify-me button.
- Conversion rate: +9.5% with recommendations on out-of-stock pages.
- The change gave shoppers a way to buy now instead of waiting.
- Sample size, duration and confidence level were not shared.
The change
Similar-product picks added to out-of-stock product pages
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Out-of-stock product pages offered only a notify-me button.
Variant
A block of similar products was added to out-of-stock pages, alongside the notify-me option.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- An out-of-stock page with only a notify-me button is a dead end for anyone ready to buy today.
- Similar items keep shoppers on the site instead of sending them back to search or to a competitor.
- Many loungewear shoppers may be open to a close alternative in another print or style.
Caveats: Visually reported this result in its own marketing case study. Sample size, test length and statistical confidence were not shared. The case study does not say whether the notify-me button stayed in the variant.
Who ran it
Visually ran this test for The Oodie and published the results (Visually case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Visually →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show similar products on out-of-stock product pages, then conversion rate will rise because shoppers can buy an alternative instead of leaving.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Notify-me sign-ups
- Revenue per visitor
- Exit rate from out-of-stock pages
- Who should test it
- Stores with frequent stockouts and products that have close alternatives. It will help less if your products are unique or rarely sell out.
Questions
What should an out-of-stock product page show?
Give shoppers a next step beyond a notify-me form.
The Oodie saw a 9.5% conversion lift by adding similar-product recommendations.
Should I hide out-of-stock products instead?
Hiding them loses search and returning traffic. Keeping the page and suggesting alternatives lets that traffic still convert.
Will recommendations reduce back-in-stock sign-ups?
They might, since some shoppers buy an alternative instead. Track notify-me sign-ups as a guardrail.
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