A fully booked calendar doesn't have to mean a lost customer. With the waitlist feature, customers can request a spot even when your time slots are at capacity. Then you can propose a new time, and they can confirm it with just one click.

It's perfect for:

• 📅 Popular services that sell out quickly
• 🕒 Times when you might open extra availability later
• 💼 Appointment-based businesses where demand often exceeds supply

This guide will show you how to turn on waitlist, what your customers see, and how to manage incoming requests.

⚠️ Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• ✅ The Hoppy Appointments app installed
• ✅ A service already created (waitlist is configured per service)
• ✅ An understanding that waitlist requests need your manual action — you'll propose a time or decline each one

ℹ️ Waitlist is not available for Bundle services. It works for Regular and Multiday booking types only.

🛠️ Step 1 — Enable Waitlist on Your Service

1. In your Shopify admin, open the Hoppy Appointments app.
2. Go to Services and click the service you want to edit.
3. Click the Payment tab.
4. Scroll down to the Waitlist card.
5. Select Enable waitlist.

Once enabled, you'll see an info banner explaining that waitlist requests need to be reviewed manually and aren't counted in analytics until they're confirmed.

Show waitlist when a slot is fully booked

A new checkbox appears below the toggle:

• "Show waitlist when a slot is fully booked"
• When checked, customers will see a "Join waitlist" button directly on time slots that have hit their booking limit
• This checkbox is hidden for Multiday services (multiday bookings don't use time slots)

💡 If you leave this checkbox unchecked, customers can still join the waitlist when a whole day is full or when no time slots are available — just not on individual full slots.

📊 Step 2 — Make Sure Booking Limits Are Set

Waitlist only appears when customers hit your capacity. The most common trigger is the Maximum bookings per time slot limit, which defaults to 1.

When a slot reaches that limit, it becomes fully booked. With the waitlist checkbox enabled, customers see the Join waitlist option instead.

You can also set a Maximum bookings per day limit if you want whole days to become waitlist-only once they're full.

ℹ️ These limits live in the Availability tab of your service. See the service setup guide for the full walkthrough on availability and booking limits.

🖊️ Step 3 — What the Customer Sees

When a slot or day is full, customers see the Join Waitlist option. They fill in a short form with their preferred date and time, then see a confirmation that they're on the list.

💡 Only email is required from customers to join. Name and phone aren't collected in the waitlist form.

📝 Step 4 — Customize Waitlist Labels (Optional)

You can change the wording customers see on the storefront:

1. Go to Settings → Translations.
2. Find the Waitlist group.

Useful labels to customize:

• "Join Waitlist" — the main button
• "Join the Waitlist" — the form title
• "Can't find your slot? Join waitlist" — the inline link above the slot list
• "You are on the waitlist" — the success message after joining

💡 Keep the tone friendly and clear — customers are signing up because they couldn't get their first choice, so a warm message goes a long way.

📬 Step 5 — Check Your Waitlist Emails

Head to Settings → Email Settings to review the emails sent during the waitlist flow.

Customer waitlist emails:

• Added to waitlist — sent right after a customer joins
• Waitlist spot available — sent when you propose a time; contains the Confirm Booking button
• Waitlist booking declined — sent if you decline their request

Admin waitlist email:

• New waitlist booking — alerts you when someone joins the waitlist

Useful dynamic variables for the "spot available" email:

• [Requested Date] — when the customer originally wanted to book
• [Proposed Date] — the new time you're offering
• [Confirm Booking Link] / [Waitlist Book Now Block] — the button that lets them claim the spot

ℹ️ See the Email Notifications setup guide for the full details on editing templates.

🕹️ Step 6 — Manage Waitlist Requests

When a customer joins your waitlist, you'll handle it from the Bookings page.

1. In the app menu, click Bookings.
2. Click the Waitlist tab.

You'll see a list of waitlist requests. Each row shows:

• The service name
• The customer's email
• The date and time they requested
• A status helper like "Waitlist request — propose a time or decline."

Propose a new time

1. Click Propose Time on the waitlist row.
2. A modal titled "Propose a new time" opens.
3. The top section shows the Customer Request — what the customer originally asked for.
4. In the Proposed Time section, pick a date and enter a Start time and End time.
5. Click Propose Time.

The customer will automatically receive the "Waitlist spot available" email with a Confirm Booking button.

Decline a request

1. Click Decline on the waitlist row.
2. The request is marked as declined and the customer receives a decline email.

⚠️ There's no "Convert" button for merchants. The customer must confirm the proposed time themselves. This protects you from accidentally booking someone without their agreement.

✅ Step 7 — Customer Confirms the Spot

Here's what happens on the customer's side after you propose a time:

1. They receive the "Waitlist spot available" email.
2. They click Confirm Booking.
3. The booking widget opens with the proposed date and time already selected.
4. They fill in their details and complete the normal booking flow.
5. The old waitlist request is deleted, and they receive the regular booking confirmation email.

For paid services, the customer goes through Shopify checkout just like a normal paid booking. The waitlist spot isn't reserved until they complete payment.

⚠️ Good to Know

• Waitlist is not available for Bundle services. If you offer bundle bookings, customers can only book available slots directly.
• Proposed slots are not reserved. Another customer could book the same slot before the waitlisted customer clicks Confirm Booking. If that happens, the waitlisted customer may need a different time.
• Multiple customers can waitlist the same slot. You'll manage each request separately.
• Only email is required from customers to join the waitlist. Name and phone aren't collected in the waitlist form.
• Waitlist emails count toward your daily email limit. The default limit is 10 emails per day; you can request an increase via support chat if needed.
• Waitlist requests don't affect analytics until they're converted into confirmed bookings.

🎉 Final Result

Your waitlist is now set up and ready to capture demand! Here's what you can check off:

• ✅ Waitlist enabled on your Regular or Multiday service
• ✅ Booking limits configured so "Join waitlist" appears at the right moment
• ✅ Customer-facing labels and emails reviewed and customized if needed
• ✅ Admin notification email turned on so you know about new waitlist requests
• ✅ You know how to Propose Time or Decline each request
• ✅ Customers can confirm a proposed spot and convert it into a real booking

Now, even when you're fully booked, you can keep the conversation going — and turn waiting customers into confirmed appointments 🙌

Updated on: 20/08/2026