How to take Pre-Orders on Shopify?

Key Takeaways

• Pre-Orders on Shopify let customers buy or reserve products before they are ready to ship, but you need a pre-order app to display and manage pre-order details properly.
• Shopify requires clear shipping expectations. If no shipping date is clearly shown, you should have a reasonable belief that the product will ship within 30 days of purchase. 
• Pre-orders do not support some checkout methods, including Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and local payment methods such as Klarna, iDEAL/Wero, and Sofort. 
• Pre-orders work well for product launches, restocks, seasonal drops, made-to-order products, limited releases, and wholesale buying windows.
• For B2B merchants, pre-orders can help collect demand from retailers, distributors, boutiques, salons, cafés, or dealers before production or bulk procurement.

Offering pre-orders on your Shopify store is a great way to increase anticipation for your upcoming product launches and a great way to book orders for current out-of-stock items.

Having a pre-order section on your product page will not only help you take pre-orders from your customers but also help you with having sufficient funds to procure or manufacture your product.

Below, we will discuss everything you need to know about pre-orders on Shopify. We will cover how to set them up, what to include in your terms and conditions, tips to market your pre-order offerings, and much more.

So, let’s begin!

What are Shopify Pre-orders?

A Shopify pre-order is an order placed for an item that is not yet available for sale. When a customer places a pre-order on your store, they usually pay the product costs at the time of purchase. The product or an item is then shipped to the customer on an estimated date or as soon as it is manufactured or available in stock.

Pre-orders are commonly used for any type of product launch or out-of-stock products in your ecommerce store.

Why Offer Pre-orders on Shopify?

There are several reasons you might want to offer pre-orders on Shopify for your products:

1. To generate buzz

Offering pre-orders is a great way to create excitement for your upcoming product launch. By allowing customers to reserve their products in advance, you can generate buzz and build anticipation leading up to your launch date.

2. To manage inventory

If you are worried about your product running out on launch day, pre-orders on Shopify can help you manage inventory. By taking pre-orders, you can get a better idea of how many products to produce and have a better chance of meeting customer demand. 

On the other hand, if you’re a B2B wholesale distributor, then your wholesale buyers also get benefits from pre-ordering for a specific event. For example, if a toy store wants to stock Christmas gifts in their inventory before Christmas arrives, then they can pre-order these Christmas gifts at discounted rates from a wholesale supplier.

3. To raise capital

Implementing pre-orders on Shopify can also help you raise funds for your business. If you are manufacturing products yourself, the upfront cost of materials can be expensive. By taking pre-orders, you can ensure that you have a sufficient amount of bank balance or capital to cover the costs of production.

How to set up pre-orders on a Shopify store?

Shopify does not offer a complete native pre-order setup by default. To use pre-orders, Shopify says you need to install a pre-order app from the Shopify App Store and then manage pre-orders inside Shopify admin after the app is configured.

Step 1: Add product(s) to your Shopify store

Create the product in Shopify or open the existing product you want to offer for pre-order. Add a clear title, description, product images, variants, SKU, price, and expected availability details.

If the product is not physically available yet, do not describe it like a normal in-stock product. Mention that it is a pre-order and include the estimated shipping or delivery window.

Step 2: Install a 3rd-party Pre-Order Helper app from Shopify App Store

Step 3: Setup Pre-order on Shopify using Pre-Order Helper

This video includes information on:
1. Selecting product/variants to enable pre-order
2. Configure to continue selling out-of-stock
3. Adding a pre-order button to product pages in Shopify
4. Displaying a custom Sold Out message on product pages
5. Designing your pre-order button as per your needs

Common instructions by Shopify on setting up pre-orders on your store

Shopify has provided a standard set of common instructions that are to be followed when you sell products on Shopify for pre-orders. Here are these instructions:

• You should specify the estimated delivery or shipping date of the product.
• If no date is specified, you should make sure and tell your customers that the pre-ordered product will be shipped after 30 days of purchase.
• If you cannot ship the product within 30 days, you should contact the customer with revised shipping instructions and a reason for the same.
• You can’t offer your customers accelerated checkouts or payment options for pre-orders via Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc.
• You cannot allow your customers to purchase product subscriptions if you’re selling them as pre-orders. 

Things you should include in Pre-order Terms and Conditions

When offering pre-orders on a Shopify store, it is important to include all relevant information in your terms and conditions. This includes the estimated shipping date, refund policies, and any other relevant details. By including this information upfront, you can avoid any confusion or issues down the road (for yourself and your customers).

Here are a few things you may want to include in your pre-order terms and conditions:

1. Estimated delivery date

As we mentioned before, be sure to include an estimated ship/delivery date for your product. This will help customers with their buying decisions by providing an idea of when their pre-ordered product will arrive. 

2. Refund policy

Include a refund policy in case the customer needs to cancel their order.

3. Billing information

Include billing information so that the customer knows how they will be charged for the pre-order.

4. Cancellation policy

Include a cancellation policy in case the customer needs to cancel their order. Have a look at this guide from Shopify on the cancellation of orders.

5. Additional shipping information

Include shipping information so that the customer knows how their order will be shipped.

Tips to optimize and market your pre-order offerings

No matter which method you choose to set up pre-orders on Shopify store, there are a few things you can do to optimize and market your offerings:

1. Include relevant information in your product descriptions

Including detailed product information such as its dimensions, pricing, estimated ship date, refund policy, and other relevant details will help set customer expectations and avoid confusion during the buying decision.

2. Create a dedicated landing page for pre-orders

A dedicated landing page for pre-orders is a great way to showcase all of your offerings in one place. You can use this page to highlight the benefits of pre-ordering and encourage customers to place their orders early.

3. Use urgency and scarcity tactics

Urgency and scarcity are great ways to encourage customers to place their orders. You can write the product copy accordingly and create a sense of urgency for your customers. You can also use preorder countdown timers on the products page.

4. Offer incentives for pre-ordering

Incentives encourage customers to speed up their buying decisions if they are enticing. You can use ideas such as offering discounts, free shipping, reward points, or exclusive gifts with purchase.

5. Generate buzz around your product launch

The sooner you start promoting your pre-orders on Shopify, the better. This will give customers plenty of time to place their orders and ensure that you meet your sales goals. You can generate buzz for your pre-order offering through multiple channels such as, by sending out email alerts, posting on social media, and running ads.

6. Make it easy for customers to place their pre-orders

You can do this by including a “pre-order” button on your product pages and providing clear instructions on how to place a pre-order.

Final Thoughts 

Selling products on pre-orders on Shopify store helps you create brand awareness, customer loyalty, and early revenue opportunities for your business. It also helps you quickly spread the word about your products and helps you with production/procurement costs.

There are a few good third-party pre-order apps available on the Shopify app store that you can install and add a preorder section to your store. We hope that this article has helped you set up pre-orders on Shopify. If you have any further questions or suggestions, please let us know in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions