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Low Stock Alerts

5 min read

Low stock alerts monitor inventory levels for products in your active campaigns and notify you when stock runs low. This helps prevent customer disappointment from out-of-stock discounted items and protects your campaign performance. This feature requires Smart Cycle Discounts Pro.

How Low Stock Alerts Work #

Monitoring Process #

  1. System identifies products in active campaigns
  2. Regularly checks WooCommerce stock levels
  3. Compares stock to configured thresholds
  4. Sends alert when threshold is reached

What Gets Monitored #

Product Type Monitored Notes
Simple products Yes Direct stock check
Variable products Yes Each variation monitored separately
Virtual/Downloadable No No stock to track
External/Affiliate No Stock managed elsewhere

Configuring Low Stock Alerts #

Access Settings #

  1. Go to SC Discounts → Notifications → Settings
  2. Find the “Low Stock Alerts” section
  3. Configure your preferences

Available Settings #

Setting Options Description
Enable On/Off Activate low stock monitoring
Stock Threshold 1-100 units Alert when stock falls to this level
Use WC Threshold Yes/No Use WooCommerce’s low stock setting
Check Frequency Hourly/Twice Daily/Daily How often to check stock levels
Alert on Zero Yes/No Send separate alert when stock hits 0

Threshold Options #

  • Fixed Threshold: Alert at specific unit count (e.g., 10 units)
  • WooCommerce Setting: Uses your WC → Settings → Products → Inventory → Low stock threshold
  • Percentage Based: Alert at percentage of original stock (e.g., 20% remaining)

Alert Email Format #

Low Stock Alert #

Subject: ⚠️ Low Stock Alert: 3 Campaign Products Running Low

The following discounted products are running low on stock:

CAMPAIGN: "Black Friday Sale"

Low Stock Products:
┌─────────────────────────────────┬───────────┬───────────┐
│ Product                         │ Stock     │ Threshold │
├─────────────────────────────────┼───────────┼───────────┤
│ Winter Jacket - Blue, Medium    │ 5 units   │ 10 units  │
│ Wool Sweater - Red, Large       │ 3 units   │ 10 units  │
│ Leather Gloves                  │ 8 units   │ 10 units  │
└─────────────────────────────────┴───────────┴───────────┘

Recommended Actions:
- Reorder stock if more is coming
- Remove products from campaign if stock won't be replenished
- Adjust campaign to exclude low-stock items

[View Campaign] [Edit Products] [Manage Inventory]

Out of Stock Alert #

Subject: 🚨 URGENT: Campaign Product Out of Stock

A product in your active campaign is now OUT OF STOCK:

Product: Winter Jacket - Blue, Medium
Campaign: "Black Friday Sale"
Campaign Status: Active (ends Dec 25)

Impact:
- Customers will see discounted price but can't purchase
- This may cause frustration and lost sales

Immediate Actions:
- [Remove from Campaign] - Stop showing discount
- [Set Backorder] - Allow orders if stock coming
- [Pause Campaign] - Temporarily stop all discounts

[Edit Product] [Edit Campaign]

Managing Alerts #

Alert Grouping #

To prevent inbox overload, alerts are grouped:

  • Per Campaign: One email per campaign with all its low-stock products
  • Daily Digest: Option to receive one daily summary instead of individual alerts
  • Severity Levels: Out-of-stock alerts always send immediately

Repeat Alert Settings #

Setting Options Description
Repeat Alerts Never/Daily/Until Resolved Resend if still low stock
Escalation On/Off Add recipients if unresolved
Auto-Dismiss Yes/No Clear alert if stock restored

Stock Level Recommendations #

Setting Appropriate Thresholds #

Sales Velocity Recommended Threshold Reasoning
High (50+ units/day) 100+ units Need lead time to restock
Medium (10-50/day) 30-50 units Several days buffer
Low (1-10/day) 10-20 units Week+ of stock
Slow (<1/day) 5-10 units Minimal buffer needed

Consider These Factors #

  • Restock lead time: How quickly can you get more inventory?
  • Campaign duration: Longer campaigns need higher thresholds
  • Discount depth: Bigger discounts drive faster sales
  • Historical velocity: How fast has this product sold before?

Actions When Stock Is Low #

Option 1: Restock #

If you can get more inventory:

  1. Place reorder with supplier
  2. Update expected stock date in WooCommerce
  3. Optionally enable backorders
  4. Dismiss the alert

Option 2: Remove from Campaign #

If stock won’t be replenished:

  1. Edit the campaign
  2. Go to Products step
  3. Remove the low-stock product
  4. Save changes

Option 3: Exclude via Condition #

Add a stock-based condition:

  1. Edit the campaign
  2. Go to Products step
  3. Add condition: “Stock quantity greater than 10”
  4. Products automatically excluded when stock falls below

Option 4: Allow Backorders #

If you expect stock soon:

  1. Edit the product in WooCommerce
  2. Set “Allow backorders?” to “Allow, but notify customer”
  3. Customers can still order with backorder notice

Variable Product Handling #

Variation-Level Monitoring #

Each variation is monitored independently:

Product: T-Shirt
├── Red, Small    → Stock: 25 → OK
├── Red, Medium   → Stock: 3  → LOW STOCK ALERT
├── Red, Large    → Stock: 0  → OUT OF STOCK ALERT
├── Blue, Small   → Stock: 50 → OK
└── Blue, Medium  → Stock: 15 → OK

Alert Aggregation #

Alerts for a product’s variations are grouped:

Subject: Low Stock Alert: T-Shirt variations running low

Product: T-Shirt (2 variations affected)

Variation Status:
- Red, Medium: 3 units remaining
- Red, Large: OUT OF STOCK

Other variations have adequate stock.

Integration with WooCommerce #

Respecting WC Settings #

Low stock alerts work with WooCommerce’s built-in stock management:

  • Honors “Manage stock” setting per product
  • Can use WooCommerce’s low stock threshold
  • Respects backorder settings
  • Works with stock status (in stock, out of stock, on backorder)

Avoiding Duplicate Alerts #

If WooCommerce also sends low stock emails:

  • Smart Cycle Discounts alerts are campaign-specific
  • You may receive both WC alerts and SCD alerts
  • Consider disabling one or the other, or using different thresholds

Best Practices #

Before Campaign Launch #

  1. Review stock levels for all included products
  2. Set appropriate thresholds based on expected demand
  3. Ensure restock processes are ready

During Campaigns #

  1. Monitor alerts daily
  2. Act quickly on out-of-stock alerts
  3. Adjust thresholds if getting too many alerts

After Campaigns #

  1. Review stock movement during campaign
  2. Note which products sold fastest
  3. Adjust future stock levels accordingly

Troubleshooting #

Not Receiving Alerts #

  • Verify low stock alerts are enabled
  • Check threshold isn’t set too low
  • Ensure products have stock management enabled
  • Confirm email delivery is working

Too Many Alerts #

  • Raise the stock threshold
  • Enable daily digest instead of individual alerts
  • Reduce check frequency

Wrong Stock Levels in Alert #

  • Stock is checked at specific intervals
  • Alert may show stock level from last check
  • Real-time stock shown when you click through to product
Updated on February 14, 2026

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