How to Set Up Pre-Orders on Shopify: Your quick 4-Step guide
Want to sell your products before they are even ready? That’s where pre-orders come in! Knowing how to set up pre-orders on Shopify is like having a magic wand for your Shopify store. You can get customers hyped, and grab some cash early from their support to your big product launch. Also, it makes your online shopping vibe way more fun!
In this tutorial, we’ll give you:
- An overview of knowledge about the Shopify pre-order feature.
- Step-by-step about how to set up pre-orders on Shopify – without getting tangled in techy terms.
Contents
1. Pre-Order on Shopify: At a glance
1.1. What is a Pre-Order?
A pre-order lets customers buy a product before it’s officially available in your Shopify store. It’s like making a promise to your customers: “Hey, this awesome thing isn’t here yet, but you can grab it now and get it later!”.
1.2. How does it work?
Doing pre-orders on Shopify means that your customers can add it straight to the shopping cart, and go on with the Shopify checkout to pay for it now (or later). And you – as the store owner, can send the products when they are ready.
This is a boost to both user experience (UX) and your store’s conversion rate. Because let’s imagine, Emma – a.k.a your customer, deeply wants to buy this short skirt and click buy in excitement – just to receive a message like “Sorry, this product is not available yet”. How frustrating it is! This is also a reason that contributes to the infamous cart abandonment situation in the eCommerce landscape.
1.3. Pros & Cons for Sellers
Here’s the good and not-so-good stuff about taking pre-orders on Shopify:
2. Requirements to meet before setting up pre-order on Shopify
Before you dive into how to set pre-orders on Shopify, let’s make sure you tick all the boxes in this checklist:
Requirement 1: An active Shopify store
The guide is all about the Shopify platform, and things cannot happen if you haven’t owned a store yet! Shopify is a very beginner-friendly eCommerce platform. If you haven’t built an online store, make sure to check out our simple guide about How to launch a Shopify store for a fresh start.
💡Plus, Shopify gives all merchants this deal to sign up for Shopify 3 months for $1. Simple, easy & cost-effective!
Requirement 2: A clear Pre-Order policy
Create a well-prepared policy explicitly made for the pre-order products before you run any pre-order campaign Shopify! Some information to include:
- Estimated delivery dates. Tell customers exactly when their stuff will arrive (or at least within 30 days).
- Refund/cancellation terms.
- Clear terms about payment processing.
- Communication via email updates. If you’re late, you must update them and offer refunds.
Requirement 3: Technical setup
Make sure you have these things added to make the Shopify pre-order feature even smoother:
- Payment gateways that support delayed fulfillment.
- Pre-order app installed (since Shopify doesn’t have built-in pre-order functionality and we will talk about this further in the next part).
- Keep your checkout page customization simple for now.
3. How to set up pre-orders on Shopify?
Ready to get started with the steps for how to set pre-orders on Shopify? This platform doesn’t have a built-in pre-order feature, so:
3.1. Install a third-party app for Shopify pre-orders feature
Apps are the best way to add preorder to Shopify. They let you show pre-order buttons, set rules, and even send “back in stock” alerts. It also helps you avoid that coding dilemma when customizing your store.
3.2. Comparison of 3 popular pre-order Shopify apps
Shopify has a Shopify app store that gives you a lot of options. However, to make it easier for you to find the best match, here’s a quick look at the top three apps for doing pre-orders on Shopify:
Pricing | – Free plan – Lite: $10/month – Standard: $29/month – Pro: $69/month | – Free plan – Flexible: $1/month – Fixed: $19/month | – Free plan – Lite: $9.9/month – Pro: $19.9/month |
Free trial | 14-day free trial | None | 7-day free trial |
Key Functions | – Pre-order for in/out of stock – Back-in-stock alerts – Customizable buttons | – Pre-orders with partial payments – Back-in-stock notifications – Countdown timers | – Restock notifications – Pre-order for multiple variants – Automated emails – Inventory forecasting |
✅Pros | – Easy setup, 24/7 support – User-friendly interface | – Stylish badges – Affordable – Countdown timers create urgency – Good analytics | – Great for inventory control – Advanced customization options – Supports multiple languages – Good for large catalogs |
❌Cons | – SMS costs extra – Limited customization on the basic plan | – Limited benchmark for free plan – Some users report syncing issues | – Steeper learning curve – Need a pricing plan upgrade for more customization |
In this guide, we’ll use the first option – Preorder, Back In Stock ‑ it’s simple and has a free plan!
3.3. How to set up pre-orders on Shopify with the Stoq app
Step 1: Go to Shopify App Store to install the app
Head to the Shopify App Store > Search for “Preorder, Back In Stock ‑ Stoq” > click “Install” It’s free to start, so no worries there!
You might need to grant the app some access by clicking on the “Install” button one more time.
Step 2: Enable App Embed
Go to your Shopify admin > on the left sidebar, find and click on Stoq under your Apps list.
You will need to go through some onboarding steps > hit “Get Started” > then “Enable App Embed” to add it to your store’s theme.
The app might ask you to choose a plan, just tap “Subscribe” on the Free plan and you are good with the next steps.
Step 3: Choose Pre-Order in the App and set the button & product
In Stoq, pick the “Preorders” tab on the left.
Click the “Add new offer” button, so you can set up your overall settings (like a “Pre-order now!” button, payment method, or fulfillment) and choose your product.
Your chosen products must be satisfied for these 2 requirements to make sure the pre-order button appears:
- The “Continue selling when out of stock” enabled.
- The selected product must be out-of-stock.
Step 4: Click Save & Test
Double-check everything > then hit “Save” > Your Shopify pre-order products are ready to roll!
Don’t forget to visit your storefront to check whether the pre-order button already appears correctly on the product cards. To be even more certain, make a pre-order test.
4. Best practices for Pre-Order on Shopify
Setting up pre-orders is just the beginning. But if you want your pre-order campaign Shopify to shine, let’s explore some top tips:
Tip 1: Be super clear
Selling on eCommerce is all about trust and credibility. So make sure to tell your customers:
- Exactly when their stuff will ship – no guessing games! Delivery timeframes are acceptable.
- Add a note about the wait time for your checkout optimization.
- Send regular updates after buying for your customers – especially when timelines change.
Tip 2: Make It Exciting
Taking pre-orders on Shopify is actually a tactic to boost your conversion rate, so don’t just put it there, make it more engaging:
- Use countdown timers or “Limited Stock” tags to get your customers hyped and boost FOMO.
- Offer small discounts for customers willing to pre-order.
- Send marketing emails with exclusive bonuses or freebies for early adopters.
Tip 3: Optimize the checkout experience
A poor checkout process is the “best way” to let your customers go away and dump all your efforts before. So let’s lower the cart abandonment by making a checkout optimization:
- Send automated confirmation emails to update customers on their pre-order status.
- Minimize the steps by reducing the number of required fields.
- Enable guest checkout to skip the account creation.
5. Conclusion
Now you know how to set up pre-orders on Shopify – you’re basically an eCommerce wizard! Setting up pre-orders on your Shopify store isn’t just a technical exercise – it’s a strategic business move to get cash early, test ideas, and build customer anticipation. Just follow the simple steps in this guide, and you will add pre-orders to Shopify while keeping your user experience (UX) super smooth.
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6. FAQs
