During a recent inventory planning session with a client, I asked a simple question: "How many people are waiting for your bestseller to come back in stock?"

Their answer? "We don't track that."

This missed opportunity is surprisingly common. Your waitlist isn't just a notification system—it's a real-time demand forecasting tool that most merchants overlook.

When I implemented proper waitlist tracking for an apparel brand last year, we discovered insights that completely changed their purchasing strategy:

• Their "slow-moving" winter collection actually had massive pent-up demand (800+ waitlist signups) for specific sizes they consistently under-ordered
• One product variation had 3x more waitlist signups than their forecasted demand
• Customers waiting for premium products converted at 72% when notified, far higher than their store average

These insights led to concrete actions: adjusted inventory orders, targeted marketing for high-demand items, and better size distribution in future seasons.

The key is viewing your waitlist as more than just a courtesy feature. It's direct customer feedback about what they want to buy but can't.

Some practical ways to mine this data:

• Track waitlist-to-purchase conversion rates by product category
• Compare waitlist size to historical sales to identify under-stocked items
• Analyze geographic patterns in waitlist signups
• Monitor which products generate repeat waitlist signups

One client found that products with 50+ waitlist signups warranted immediate reordering, regardless of their original inventory plan. This simple rule increased their revenue by 15% while reducing dead stock.

How are you currently using waitlist data to inform your inventory decisions? There's likely untapped potential in the numbers you're already collecting.