Customers can identify products that they would like to
purchase but are currently out of stock. Once you place
the product in stock, you can run the Send Email routine
from the module admin interface. It sends an unlimited number
of notifications as one process, using Miva Engine
functions to prevent timeout. Each waiting customer
will receive an email telling them that the product is
back in stock in your Miva Merchant store. This module is for MIVA Merchant 5.x. We also have the corresponding module for an older version of Merchant.
Important Note. This module only works on inventory by product code. If you have implemented inventory at the attribute level, this module will not work for your store.
The module works with Miva's Inventory Management (version 5.x). The Wait List Manager will automatically
insert the Wait List link on the product page when the quantity is out of stock. This is determined by the global default
or individual product's "out" setting. You can even block the
automatic link insertion by including the product code in
the blocking list through the admin interface.
When the customer clicks the Wait List link they are
taken to a form to verify/enter their email address. If
they are logged in, it inserts their email address for
them. If not, they just type it in. The form also lists
the number of other customers waiting for the item if
that number is 5 or above (just to the right of the product name). This will give customers a sense
of urgency when they receive the in-stock notification. When
they add themselves to the list, you have the option (in admin)
of sending them a thank you (for their interest) email. If
you employ this option, it will also tell them their position
on the Wait List. When products are in short supply, that may
be something your customers would like to know. Also, if they
are already on the Wait List, and sign up again, it will not
duplicate their record, rather it will email them that they are
already on the list and what their current position is on the
list.
The admin configuration screen allows you to vary the name and/or image
associated with this program so you aren't locked into the
term "Wait List". You can also change the colors and fonts
in the form along with the verbage in the form and notification
email. You may even want to pass on a coupon code in the
notification email for customers who have been waiting for a
product.
When editing an individual product in admin, you can also
display all of the Wait List records associated with that
product. They can be deleted manually in this screen if you don't
plan to restock the item. There
is also a handy link for mailing them to verify their continued
interest in the item. You can even limit the
notification in this screen to just some of the waiting customers.
This is useful when you only receive a small number of the out-of-stock
item and there are many more waiting for it. Since the entries
are arranged in order, it is easy to give those on the waiting list
the longest, the first shot at the newly re-stocked item.
You can quickly get a summary of all of the items on "Wait
List" to provide you with a re-order, based on demand, tool.
When you Send Email, the module searches all products with
a stock level above zero and checks the product code against the Wait List database.
Pending Wait List customers are notified of the re-stock of the
product and their Wait List record is then deleted.
To help the store owner identify needs quickly, an optional CC email can be sent when an item is wait listed.
You will use render tokens in the Merchant 5
page templates to insert the Wait List prompt.
There is an alternate template form for
the customer to enter their name and email address. This template can be HTML customized to suit your look and feel. If you are not skilled at coding HTML, you can still use the default
(built in) form which is customized with colors, fonts, etc with easy inputs in admin.
The module currently fully supports the mivasql configuration of MIVA Merchant 5. It also supports MySQL as long as load balancing has the data stored on the single MySQL server and
permissions are set correctly on the data
directories. This would be the case in most of the server setups. If you are using Merchant 5.x and your host is web.com, you will not be able to use this module due to the way they configure their servers. There are no known issues with
other hosts.
We have incorporated wait listing
into the Emporium Plus Tool Kit module. We recommend you use the Tool Kit for wait listing as it gives you more control of the email layout and the notifications are more automated.
