Automate Product Template Changes by Variant Stock Status

Manually updating product templates for stock changes is a time-consuming, error-prone task that can lead to frustrating customer experiences. Showing an 'Add to Cart' button for an out-of-stock item or an empty page for a partially stocked product means lost sales, confused customers, and missed opportunities to capture leads or cross-sell.

This Flow eliminates manual template changes by triggering on `Product variant inventory quantity changed`. It then uses 'If' conditions to check if `all variants inventory > 0`, `all variants inventory <= 0`, or `at least one variant no inventory`, applying your designated 'in stock,' 'sold out,' or 'partial stock' product templates via the `Send Admin API request` action.

• You sell products with multiple variants (e.g., sizes, colors) where stock levels fluctuate independently.
• You want to display different calls to action or information (like a 'notify me' form) based on product availability.
• You want to provide a superior customer experience by instantly reflecting product stock status on the page layout.

1. 1

   Start a new Flow with the 'Product variant inventory quantity changed' trigger.

2. 2

   Add a 'Condition' block: 'all variants inventory > 0'. If true, use 'Send Admin API request' to set `product.template_suffix` to `null` (for your default template).

3. 3

   Add a 'Condition' block: 'all variants inventory <= 0'. If true, use 'Send Admin API request' to set `product.template_suffix` to your dedicated 'sold-out' template (e.g., `sold-out`).

4. 4

   Add a 'Condition' block: 'at least one variant no inventory'. If true, use 'Send Admin API request' to set `product.template_suffix` to your 'partial-stock' template (e.g., `variant-sold-out`).

5. 5

   Ensure your theme has custom product templates (e.g., `product.sold-out.liquid`, `product.variant-sold-out.liquid`) prepared to be called by Flow.

How do I create custom product templates in my Shopify theme?

You can create custom product templates by navigating to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit code. Under 'Templates,' click 'Add a new template,' choose 'product,' and give it a unique name (e.g., 'sold-out').

What is the 'Admin API request' action and how do I use it to change templates?

The 'Admin API request' action allows Flow to directly modify Shopify's data. To change a product template, you'll use a PUT request to the `products/{product.id}` endpoint with a JSON body like `{"product": {"id": {{ product.id }}, "template_suffix": "your-template-name"}}`.

Can this Flow distinguish between a product being 'temporarily out of stock' versus 'discontinued'?

This Flow primarily reacts to inventory quantity. For 'discontinued' status, you'd typically archive the product or use a separate tag-based Flow to set a specific 'discontinued' template, as inventory alone doesn't differentiate.

How can I ensure my 'sold-out' or 'partial-stock' templates are customer-friendly?

Edit the Liquid files for these custom templates to include clear messages, options like 'email me when back in stock' forms, links to similar products, or pre-order buttons if applicable, enhancing the customer journey.

• Shopify Flow

  Native Shopify automation builder.

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