Shopify Product Display Apps: Products Unavailable vs. Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. How Does Products Unavailable Work?
3. How Does Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock Work?
4. How Much Does Products Unavailable Cost?
5. How Much Does Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock Cost?
6. Cost Analysis: Products Unavailable vs. Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock
7. User Reviews & Customer Support Insights
8. Integration and Compatibility Comparison
9. Conclusion

Introduction

In an era where online shopping preferences continue to evolve, the significance of an effective product display cannot be overstated. Studies reveal that 70% of customers abandon their carts due to poor product availability or unclear information. A well-structured product display can significantly enhance user experience and boost conversions.

Product display apps serve a crucial role in this context, providing merchants with the tools needed to customize how products appear in their stores. They help streamline inventory management, improve user experience, and ultimately drive sales. In this blog post, we will compare two prominent Shopify apps, Products Unavailable and Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock. Both applications offer distinct features that cater to different aspects of product presentation.

How Does Products Unavailable Work?

Products Unavailable is designed to manage product visibility during specific time frames. This app provides a unique opportunity for merchants to control customer access to products, allowing them to disable the "Add to Cart" and "Proceed to Checkout" buttons based on set schedules.

Core Features:

1. Flexible Scheduling: Merchants can set varying operational hours for each day of the week. This feature is particularly useful for businesses with fluctuating inventory or those offering limited-time products.

2. Time Zone Management: The app allows for precise scheduling based on the merchant's time zone, ensuring accurate control over product availability.

3. Targeted Product Selection: Merchants can choose specific collections or products to disable, allowing for strategic promotions or seasonal offerings.

Utility Across Business Sizes:

• Startups: For new businesses, the free plan enabling up to 25 monthly orders is an affordable entry point. This flexibility allows them to test products in the market without incurring extra costs.

• Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: The $2.99/month and $3.99/month plans cater to growing businesses, offering scalability to accommodate increased order volumes.

• Large Enterprises: The unlimited orders plan provides enterprises with a robust solution to manage high traffic during peak seasons, ensuring smooth customer experiences.

Unique Functionality:

A standout feature of Products Unavailable is its ability to support promotional campaigns, where specific products can be scheduled to be hidden during off-hours. For example, a restaurant could disable both buttons for select menu items after hours, maintaining a professional storefront without confusing customers.

Overall, Products Unavailable's features make it an excellent choice for businesses looking to enhance their inventory display capabilities.

How Does Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock Work?

Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock is focused on managing product visibility by automatically hiding out-of-stock items from the storefront. This app is designed to prevent customers from encountering unavailable products, which can impact overall sales.

Core Features:

1. Automatic Inventory Management: The main selling point of Knockout is its automatic hiding and publishing of products based on stock status. This ease of use saves merchants time and effort in manually updating their inventory status.

2. Reverse Actions: Knockout provides the ability to reverse actions taken within the last 7 days, allowing for more streamlined management of stock changes.

3. Channel Integration: The app is designed to work seamlessly across multiple sales channels, making it a versatile choice for businesses selling on various platforms.

Utility Across Business Sizes:

• Startups: The free plan is a useful tool for startups, where they can hide products manually, which is beneficial as they begin to establish inventory and brand presence.

• Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: The advanced plan at $8/month offers automation features that can liberate valuable time, allowing business owners to focus on growth strategies.

• Large Enterprises: For larger businesses, the ability to manage countless products efficiently makes this app appealing, although the lack of more robust options for customization may be a drawback.

While Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock has many positives, its features may not cater as extensively to businesses requiring tailored visibility management.

How Much Does Products Unavailable Cost?

Choosing a cost-effective app can be vital to a business's success. Products Unavailable offers several pricing tiers, accommodating various business needs:

Pricing Structure:

1. Free Plan:

   • Cost: Free
   • Features: Up to 25 monthly orders, flexible scheduling for products.
   • Limitations: Limited to lower order volumes, which might not suffice for rapidly growing businesses.
   • Target Audience: Ideal for startups testing the waters.

2. $2.99/month Plan:

   • Cost: $2.99
   • Features: Up to 300 monthly orders, flexible scheduling options.
   • Limitations: Most suitable for businesses nearing medium size.
   • Target Audience: Small to medium-sized establishments focusing on increased order management.

3. $3.99/month Plan:

   • Cost: $3.99
   • Features: Unlimited orders, advanced scheduling options tailored for peak business periods.
   • Limitations: Higher cost might not be justified for all businesses.
   • Target Audience: Large enterprises with high order volumes looking for comprehensive control.

It is important to note that you can always reach out to our team and we can create a custom pricing plan to suit your needs and your budget. Schedule a call via this link and we’ll come up with the best solution for you and your business.

How Much Does Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock Cost?

Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock also offers a pricing structure that addresses varying business needs but lacks the flexibility found in Products Unavailable. Its pricing highlights include:

Pricing Structure:

1. Free Plan:

   • Cost: Free
   • Features: Manually hide products, support for under 5000 products.
   • Limitations: Limited automation, which may hinder efficiency as businesses scale.
   • Target Audience: Entry-level businesses looking for basic management functionalities.

2. $8/month Plan:

   • Cost: $8
   • Features: Automatic hiding and publishing products, ability to exclude products by tag and priority support.
   • Limitations: Higher price point may not seem justifiable for all businesses, especially compared to competitors.
   • Target Audience: Suitable for growing businesses that need enhanced automation but might have budget constraints.

Considering these points, the pricing structure of Knockout may not represent the best value in comparison to Products Unavailable.

Cost Analysis: Products Unavailable vs. Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock

When analyzing the costs of both applications, Products Unavailable demonstrates better value, especially for businesses at different scales. Its flexible pricing caters to startups, small to medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises with varying needs and budgets. Knockout's offerings, while beneficial, appear less appealing due to their limited customization and relatively higher price point for advanced features.

User Reviews & Customer Support Insights

Is Products Unavailable Good?

Products Unavailable enjoys an impressive rating of 5 stars with 64 reviews, a testament to its effectiveness and user-friendliness. Customers appreciate how easily they can manage product availability and promote seasonal offerings.

Is Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock Good?

Conversely, Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock holds a rating of zero stars from no reviews. While this absence of feedback might suggest that it’s too new, it does raise concerns for potential users. Features such as automatic hiding and publishing may be appreciated by users looking to streamline inventory management, but the absence of user reviews makes it difficult to gauge its effectiveness in practice. Insufficient reviews may also signal potential usability challenges that haven’t been addressed.

Customer support shapes much of a user's experience and can significantly influence ratings. The quality of customer support in Knockout's offering appears untested, while Products Unavailable appears to have more established user and customer support channels.

User Preference: Products Unavailable or Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock?

Based on the average star ratings, Products Unavailable is clearly favored by users compared to Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock, suffering from an absence of feedback. This disparity suggests that the former provides a more intuitive and robust solution for managing product display, engaging users more effectively.

Integration and Compatibility Comparison

Products Unavailable Integrations

Though specific integrations were not detailed for Products Unavailable, its inherent flexibility implies a readiness to work within the Shopify ecosystem seamlessly, enhancing the inventory and user experience.

Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock Integrations

Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock presumably integrates with multiple sales channels, allowing for consistent inventory management across various platforms. The overall effectiveness of its integrations directly impacts the ease with which users can manage their storefronts.

Conclusion

While both Products Unavailable and Knockout ‑ Hide Out Of Stock deliver significant value, Products Unavailable stands out with its user-friendly design, versatile feature set, and flexible pricing. With a stellar rating of 5 stars and a thriving user base, it proves to be a more effective solution for Shopify merchants. Knockout, although it offers automatic management features, has not gained user traction and presents limitations with its lack of reviews. Overall, for businesses seeking a reliable and cost-effective product display solution, Products Unavailable is the preferred choice to enhance the shopping experience while maximizing sales potential.