SleekAI reads your live WooCommerce stock data from wc_product_meta_lookup and the variation table for variable products. Restock ETAs are typically stored as postmeta on the product, often _restock_eta or a similar key set by your replenishment tooling. The data source wizard maps those fields once and the bot reads them in real time, so a stock change on the purchase order side reflects in the chatbot answer immediately.

SleekAI writes the restock signup to a database table or a custom post type when the chatbot captures it. Your existing transactional email tool (FluentSMTP, FluentCRM, a WooCommerce notification plugin, or a custom hook) fires the email when stock updates from zero to positive on the matching variation. The chatbot is the capture and confirmation layer; the email engine stays whatever you already use.

Yes. The bot can search the catalog by attribute match (color family, style category, size) and surface the closest in-stock variation. The system prompt should be configured to suggest alternatives only when the shopper is open to them, which usually means after the bot has captured the restock signup for the original item. That keeps the suggestion useful instead of pushy.

Yes, if your data distinguishes them. If a product is pre-order with a launch date, the bot quotes the launch date and signs the shopper up for the launch notification. If a product is a restock of a previously available SKU, the bot quotes the restock ETA and signs up for restock. Both flows write to the same requests table with a type field so notifications and analytics can keep them separate.

If you update the _restock_eta field on the product, the bot quotes the new date the next time it is asked. For shoppers already on the waitlist, you can fire a delay email through your transactional tool when the field changes by more than seven days. Honest delay communication retains more signups than silence does; the shoppers most likely to unsubscribe are the ones who feel forgotten, not the ones told that the shipment is two weeks late.

Yes. SleekAI supports multibot, so a footwear store can run a Restock Helper scoped to the boots category, a separate one for trail running shoes, and another for limited drops. Each can have its own system prompt and quick replies tuned to that category's vocabulary, which makes the conversation feel native to the product family rather than generic.

The chatbot can include an explicit consent line in the confirmation step ('Sign me up to be notified about this size'). SleekAI logs the consent against the conversation, including the timestamp, IP, and the model used to confirm. Combined with your standard double-opt-in flow if you use one, this satisfies GDPR Article 7 consent requirements for the restock notification use case in most jurisdictions.

Yes. SleekAI does not care how the stock changes, only that the _stock field on the variation moves above zero. Whether stock comes from a manual CSV import, a connected ERP, a 3PL push, or a manual edit, the bot reads the new value the next time it is queried. The notification email fires from your existing email tool when the stock change hook runs.