Schedule the release of special items and plan a promotion around the product launch.

A product drop, sometimes called a restock or shop update, is a limited release of new products that you promote in advance and publish on a specific date and time. To coordinate your strategy and increase your online store sales, you can use Squarespace tools to plan your release after setting up your limited release selling features.

Research customer metrics to forecast demand

Before announcing a release date, review your site analytics to decide who your audience is and what items they want:

• Review your traffic details: Use geography analytics and traffic sources analytics to see where your visitors come from.
• Find popular search terms: Your current best-sellers and top search terms show which products your customers care about most.
• Decide on availability constraints: Determine if you’ll release a limited quantity or offer items for a short time to keep your release exclusive. Consider using a limited availability label or offer early drop access to your site members to drive demand.

Set a drop date for your product

Set a realistic release date that gives you enough time to promote your products and build hype.. When do potential customers visit your site the most? Review your traffic analytics to find out which days get the most traffic, and consider releasing your new products then.

Hide and automate product visibility before release dates

You can add items to your store before launch without making them visible to visitors immediately. To prepare your layout before a launch goes live:

• Schedule your products: Set up product scheduling to automatically publish products when your sale begins. The scheduled date and time use the time zone from your Language and region settings, not your visitor’s local time.
• Use a hidden status: Keep new products hidden while you update descriptions, upload images, or test your page layout.
• Password-protect your pages: If you need to lock your entire online store while updating your inventory before a major drop, add a page password to your store page.

Plan your promotional messages for the release

To build anticipation and ensure your customers are ready, use our built-in tools to share your release date and time:

• Send targeted emails: Use Squarespace Email Campaigns to notify your subscriber lists about upcoming inventory restocks.
• Add a site-wide announcement banner: Display a site-wide announcement bar so visitors can see the release date on every page..
• Collect early signups: Use a promotional pop-up to gather email addresses for your launch event.
• Create content for social media.: Use Unfold and the Marketing Kit to create branded promotions for your social accounts.

Monitor your sales and fulfill incoming orders

When your items go live, track your purchases and fulfill and ship orders as they come in.

As an Admin or Store Manager, you'll automatically get order notifications via email and push notifications through the Squarespace app. The app also alerts you when your inventory runs low.

To process your sales and manage your stock levels:

• Fulfill orders on any device: You can fulfill your orders from a computer or the app.
• Connect a shipping extension: For high order volumes, connect a third-party shipping extension to speed up fulfillment.
• Collect email addresses for restocks: If you sell out but plan to restock, enable product waitlists so customers can sign up for automatic availability updates.

Review your store performance to plan future releases

After your launch ends and your orders are shipped, use your store data to review your performance, and plan your next sale:

• Review your sales metrics: Review sales analytics to track your total units sold, conversion rates, and average order values.
• Locate your highest traffic sources: Review your traffic sources to find which marketing channels brought the most visitors.
• Contact your customers: Keep in touch with your customers through mailing lists or social media, to build loyalty and prepare them for your next release.