Low stock indicator for Shopify
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Each one fills in sample stock and sales. Swap in your own numbers in step 2 and the plan updates as you type.
Pick one of the three stores above. A suggested threshold, how long the line would show, the wording shoppers read and a live preview of the app’s line appear here.
The parts of a low stock line
A low stock indicator for Shopify is one line of text on a product page that tells shoppers how many are left of the option they picked, shown only once the real count falls to a level you choose, and this tool suggests that level from your usual stock and weekly sales before you publish the Low stock widget in the Nudgesmart app.
The threshold range, the default of 10 and the default wording are the ones the Low stock widget uses in the Nudgesmart app, and the track quantity and continue selling settings are Shopify’s own inventory settings. Every widget layout the app offers is on the store widgets page, and the steps to add the line to a product page are in the low stock help article.
A low stock line is only as good as the number behind it and the moment it starts to show. These are the pieces the tool weighs, in the words Shopify and the app use for them.
- Threshold
- The count at which the line starts to show. In the app it is called Show it when this many or fewer are left, and it takes any whole number from 1 to 50, with 10 if you leave it empty.
- Option or variant
- One size, one colour or one flavour of a product. Shopify keeps a stock count for each, and the line reads the count of whichever one the shopper has picked, so a sold-through size can show the line while the others stay quiet.
- Track quantity
- The Shopify inventory setting that keeps a count for a product at all. A product that does not track quantity has no number to show, so it never shows the line.
- Continue selling when out of stock
- The Shopify setting that lets an option keep selling at zero, as for preorders or made-to-order items. With it on, being low means nothing, so the line never shows for that product.
- Count line
- What shoppers read once the count is at or under the threshold. Out of the box it says Only 3 left in stock, with the real number in place of the 3, and you can reword it in the app as long as the number stays in.
- Text when more are left
- An optional second line for when the count is above the threshold, such as In stock and ready to ship. Leave it empty and nothing shows until stock is low. It follows the same tracked-quantity rules as the count line.
- Stock counter
- The everyday name for any Only X left message. The Low stock widget shows the real count of the picked option, never a sample, or nothing at all.
Nudgesmart adds widgets like this one to your store from the theme editor, in your theme’s fonts and colours by default, and is available on the Shopify App Store. See every widget layout or see what it costs.
Five products and the threshold each one needs
Invented stores with typical numbers. Every threshold, span and flag comes from the same plan the tool above builds, and each one started on the app default of 10.
| Scenario | Typed | Threshold | Line shows for | What the tool says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramics studio, glazes made in small runs | 8 on hand, 2 a week, 3 weeks to restock, text when more are left: Made in small batches | 2 | about a week | A threshold of 10 is at or above the 8 you usually hold, so the line would show on every unit you ever have. Shoppers who come back and see it every time stop believing it. Lower it to about 2. A restock takes about 3 weeks, but the line would show for only about a week, so the option will be sold out for a while if you reorder only when it appears. Reorder well before that; the line is for shoppers, not your reorder reminder. |
| T-shirt in five sizes, per size | 24 on hand, 4 a week, 6 weeks to restock | 4 | about a week | A restock takes about 6 weeks, but the line would show for only about a week, so the option will be sold out for a while if you reorder only when it appears. Reorder well before that; the line is for shoppers, not your reorder reminder. |
| Coffee beans, big weekly restocks | 300 on hand, 120 a week, 2 weeks to restock, text when more are left: In stock and ready to ship | 50 | about 3 days | A threshold of 10 would show the line for about a day before the option sells out, so most shoppers would never see it. That is honest, just quiet. A week of selling is more than 50, the highest threshold the app allows, so the suggestion stops at 50. At your pace even that shows for only about 3 days. A restock takes about 2 weeks, but the line would show for only about 3 days, so the option will be sold out for a while if you reorder only when it appears. Reorder well before that; the line is for shoppers, not your reorder reminder. |
| Vintage prints, four of each, slow seller | 4 on hand, 0.5 a week, 12 weeks to restock, text when more are left: Selling fast, grab yours | 1 | about 2 weeks | With only 4 of each option, every unit is already one of the last few, so almost any threshold shows the line for much of the time. A threshold of 1 or 2 keeps it for the true last ones, and the text when more are left can say the batch is small instead. A threshold of 10 is at or above the 4 you usually hold, so the line would show on every unit you ever have. Shoppers who come back and see it every time stop believing it. Lower it to about 1. The text when more are left shows only while more than your threshold are left, so words like hurry, limited or selling fast there are simply untrue. Keep it to a plain fact, such as In stock. A restock takes about 3 months, but the line would show for only about 2 weeks, so the option will be sold out for a while if you reorder only when it appears. Reorder well before that; the line is for shoppers, not your reorder reminder. |
| New candle, no sales yet | 60 on hand, no sales yet, 4 weeks to restock | 5 | until the last ones sell, however long that takes | No weekly sales typed, so there is no saying how long the line would show. A low threshold is a safe start; come back once a few weeks of sales are in. |
What the plan cannot see
Sales are not steady
The plan assumes a typical week. A sale, a mention on social media or a quiet month changes how long the line shows. Look again after a busy spell rather than setting it once.
One threshold covers every product it is on
The widget has one threshold, and products that sell at very different speeds may want different ones. Plan for the products where the line matters most, and check how it reads on a slow seller and a fast one.
It cannot see stock you have not told Shopify about
Units in a back room or on their way from a supplier are not in the count until they are in Shopify. If the count is wrong in Shopify, the line is wrong on the page.
Low is not the same as limited
A low count says this option is nearly gone for now. It does not say the product will never come back. If it will be restocked, say so somewhere on the page, so shoppers who miss it know to return.
Your reorder point is a different number
When to reorder depends on how long a restock takes, which the line does not know. Set your reorder point well above the threshold, or the line will often be followed by a sold-out spell.
Low stock indicator questions
How do I add a low stock indicator to Shopify?
In the Nudgesmart app, create a Low stock widget, set the threshold, pick a style and publish it. Add to store then opens the Shopify theme editor on your product page with the block already added, ready to save. It works on product pages only.
Is the number in Only X left real?
Yes. It is the Shopify inventory count of the option the shopper has picked, never a sample or a random number. After a sale or a stock edit it can take a few minutes to catch up, the same as the theme Sold out label.
Does it work on every product?
No. It shows only on products that track quantity in Shopify and have Continue selling when out of stock switched off. Untracked products, preorders and products that keep selling at zero never show it, and at zero the theme Sold out label takes over.
What threshold should I use?
Low enough that the line shows only in the last stretch of each restock, not most of the time. The app starts at 10, which suits a product you hold dozens of but shows almost all the time on a small batch. Type your own stock and weekly sales above to get a number.
Does it change when a shopper picks another size or colour?
Yes. The line follows the option picked, so switching to a size with plenty left hides it, and switching to one with two left shows it with that count.
Why are there no colour themes for it?
The line is meant to sit with your price and buttons as if the theme had written it, so it always uses your theme fonts and colours. You can still pick one of seven styles in the app, and try them in the preview on this page.
Can it show a stock meter or progress bar?
No. It is one line of text. A bar suggests how full the shelf is compared with some starting amount, which a shopper has no way to judge and a store can easily tilt. A plain count says exactly what is true.
Shoppers want to know when the size they picked is nearly gone.
Nudgesmart has a Low stock widget for product pages that shows the real count of the option a shopper picks, only once it falls to your threshold, in your theme’s fonts and colours.
