How to Answer Stock and Size Inquiries Instantly in Your Ecommerce

If you have an online clothing store, this probably happens to you: "Do you have it in size M?", "Do you have this jean in black?", "Do you ship to Salta?". The same questions repeat a thousand times a day, and meanwhile you're trying to serve customers, post products on Instagram, and handle shipping. The problem isn't that people ask: it's that if you don't reply quickly, the customer goes cold and buys somewhere else.

The problem: the customer wants to buy NOW

In ecommerce, a sale is won or lost in minutes. If someone writes to you at 2:00 in the morning asking if you have that dress from Instagram in size S, and you only reply in the morning, they've probably already bought it from another store. Not to mention Sundays, when sales also happen. The challenge is to be available all the time, but without being glued to your phone.

The solution: a WhatsApp reply system that doesn't make you lose sales

The key isn't to reply faster, but to have a method so stock and size questions are resolved instantly, even when you're not around. Here's a step-by-step recipe you can implement today, with or without AI tools.

1. 1Make a list of the most frequent questions about stock and sizes: "Do you have it in size M?", "What size do you recommend if I wear S?", "Do you ship nationwide?". Write clear, direct answers for each one.
2. 2Set up quick replies in WhatsApp Business: go to Settings > Quick replies and load shortcuts like /stock or /sizes with the answers you prepared. That way, with two taps, you reply without copy-pasting.
3. 3If you use an online catalog, keep it updated: upload products with available sizes and mark the ones that aren't. When someone asks about a size, share the direct link to the product and say "check here, it's updated".
4. 4For after-hours questions, turn on the WhatsApp Business away message with text like: "Thanks for writing to us. We'll get back to you shortly, but in the meantime you can check sizes and stock in our catalog: [link]".
5. 5If a customer says they want a size you don't have, don't leave them hanging: offer to let them know when it arrives, suggest a similar size, or share a link to a similar product. The sale isn't lost if there's a plan B.
6. 6When the customer confirms the size, send them the payment link as soon as possible. If you hesitate, they go cold. You can use a message like: "Perfect! I'll get it ready for you, here's the payment link: [link]".

How Wando makes this process easier for you

All of the above works, but it has a limit: quick replies don't learn, and the away message is generic. That's where Wando comes in, a tool that uses AI to suggest replies to your WhatsApp customers, but always with a human approving. It's not a robot that replies on its own: the AI proposes the reply and you approve it with one click. The best part is that it learns from your real replies, so it gets more and more attuned to your way of selling.

• Instant reply suggestions: when an inquiry arrives, the AI suggests a response based on what it learned from your previous replies. You review it and approve it with a click, or edit it if needed.
• 24/7 availability: even if it's 3 in the morning or a Sunday, the AI is ready to suggest instant replies. You approve them whenever you can, but the customer has already received a proposal.
• Audio transcription: if they send you an audio asking about a size, Wando transcribes it and shows you the text, so you don't have to listen to it over and over.
• Integration with Mercado Pago: if you use Mercado Pago to charge, you can link it and have your payments more organized, without leaving the conversation.

Common mistakes when answering stock and size inquiries

• Delayed response: if you take more than 10 minutes, the customer is already gone. Use quick replies or an automatic message to keep their interest.
• Not having updated stock: if you tell them you have size M and then you don't, you lose trust. Check the catalog every day.
• Not offering alternatives: if you don't have the size they ask for, offering something similar is better than saying "no." The customer wants a solution, not a "no."
• Making the customer wait: if you can't reply right away, leave them a clear message with a link or a quick reply. Don't leave them on read.
• Sending the payment link late: as soon as the customer confirms the size, send them the link. Every minute that passes lowers the chance of a sale.

In summary

Answering stock and size inquiries instantly is not magic: it's having a system. Start with quick replies on WhatsApp Business, keep your catalog updated, and don't leave the customer without options. If you want to go a step further, tools like Wando help you automate the process without losing human control. The sale is in speed, and now you have the recipe to achieve it.

The three cases that go off the happy path

Not all stock and size inquiries end in a sale. There are three scenarios that go off script and, if you don't have them planned for, they make you lose time and customers.

The first is the customer who asks for a size that is not in stock. Here the temptation is to reply 'we don't have it' and that's it. Better: offer to notify them when it arrives, suggest a similar size, or send them the link to a similar product. The sale isn't lost if there's a plan B.

The second is the customer who asks about a product that isn't even published. That happens when the online catalog isn't up to date. The solution isn't to improvise: it's to keep stock updated and, if it's not available, tell them 'we don't have it, but I'll let you know when it arrives.'

The third is the customer who writes to you outside business hours. Don't leave them on read: activate an absence message with the link to the catalog and, if you use Wando, the AI suggests responses instantly for you to approve when you return.

• Out of stock: offer an alternative or notification
• Unpublished product: update the catalog
• Outside business hours: absence message with link

How to measure if management has improved

Improving query management isn't just about responding faster: it's about being able to measure if the change works. Without metrics, you're driving blind.

The first thing is response time. If you used to take an hour and now you reply in five minutes, that shows in sales. You can measure it manually or with tools that log times.

The second is the conversion rate: how many inquiries end in a sale. If you went from 1 in 10 to 3 in 10, management has improved. The key is to log each inquiry and its outcome.

With Wando, you also get message and campaign statistics. This lets you see how many inquiries come in per day, at what times, and how many responses are approved. With that data, you know if the system is working or if something needs to be adjusted.

• Response time: target under 10 minutes
• Conversion rate: inquiries that end in a sale
• Volume by time slot: to know when to reinforce

What to do when the customer doesn't reply

Sometimes the customer writes to you, you reply right away, and then it just stops. Don't panic: it's part of the game. But there are ways to revive the conversation without being annoying.

If a few hours have passed and they haven't replied, send a short message with a bonus: 'Do you have any questions? If you want, I can hold size M for you until tomorrow.' That gives them a reason to come back.

If a day has passed, try a friendly reminder: 'Hi, I was writing about the dress. I have it reserved until Friday, let me know if you're interested.' Urgency helps, but without pressure.

If they don't respond after two attempts, let it go. Don't insist further: you might come across as spam. In any case, if you use Wando, the AI suggests follow-up responses, but always under your control.

• First attempt: offer a reservation
• Second attempt: reminder with urgency
• Third attempt: don't insist anymore

How it was done before and why it failed

Before current tools, managing inquiries was chaos. The store owner replied from their personal cellphone, with copy-pasted answers from a notepad, or just improvised.

The problem was that every response depended on a single person. If the owner was on a trip or sleeping, the customer waited. And if there was more than one salesperson, each one answered differently: one said 'yes, I have it' and another 'no, I don't have it,' for the same product.

WhatsApp Business away messages helped, but they were generic: they didn't distinguish between a size inquiry and a shipping one. And quick replies, though useful, didn't learn: you had to update them manually every time stock changed.

That model failed because it didn't scale well. More inquiries meant more time to respond and more errors. The solution isn't working more hours, but having a system that assists you, like Wando, which learns from your responses and suggests the best ones, without replacing you.

What NOT to automate in this management

Automating everything can be a mistake. There are parts of management that need your human touch, and if you delegate them to a robot, you lose sales and customers.

The first thing not to automate is closing the sale. When the customer has already chosen the size and is about to pay, they need a personalized response: 'Perfect! I'll get it ready for you, here's the link.' If a machine responds to that, it feels cold.

Nor is it advisable to automate complaints or claims. If a customer had a problem with shipping, they need empathy, not a generic response. There, AI can help you draft, but the final decision is yours.

And even less so to automate complex questions, like 'does it fit me well if I'm 1.70?' or 'is the color lighter than in the photo?'. Those require judgment and product knowledge. AI can suggest, but you have to approve and adjust.

The rule is simple: automate the repetitive, humanize the important. Wando gives you instant suggestions, but you have the control.

• Closing a sale: needs warmth
• Complaints: need empathy
• Complex questions: need judgment