Ali Demirbaş - Lab

Product Detail Page

Hiding Out-of-Stock Items or Offering Notify Me

Keeping an out-of-stock product visible gives interested visitors a way to request a stock alert.

  • Product page
  • Purchase rate after an item is out of stock

Option A vs Option B

Two alternatives; neither is the incumbent.

Changed
Options
Page
Product page
Difference
changed

Hypothesis

Hiding it may direct attention to other products. The defined arms change both visibility and the availability of alerts, so this compares two experiences and cannot isolate the form’s effect.

How to run this test

Primary metric

Purchase rate after an item is out of stock

Compare purchases, including alternative products, per assigned visitor from a shared eligible entry point over the same fixed follow-up period.

Other metrics

  • Back-in-stock signup rateReport signups per assigned visitor in the visible-product arm; the hidden-product arm has no equivalent form.
  • Page exit rateCompare exits from the experience assigned to each visitor.
  • Similar-product click-through rateCheck whether visitors use the alternative recommendations.

What to check before and during the test

  • ExperienceCompare hiding an out-of-stock product with keeping it visible alongside one fixed back-in-stock form.
  • FormKeep form fields and eligibility rules unchanged.
  • AlternativesUse the same rules for alternative products in both arms.
  • AssignmentAssign visitors before product visibility diverges and keep their assignment consistent.

Setup mistakes to avoid

  1. 1Do not show an unavailable product as purchasable and then fail at checkout.
  2. 2Keep the back-in-stock form fields fixed; changing them would introduce a second variable.
  3. 3Send the promised notification when the predefined stock condition is met.
  4. 4Do not delete or redirect product URLs; this test compares the out-of-stock experience shown to visitors.
  5. 5Interpret the result as the combined visibility and notification experience, not as the form alone.