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Managing Pre-orders
on Sage

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Sage ERP systems (e.g., Sage Intacct, Sage X3, Sage 300) can integrate with Shopify to synchronize product data, orders, and inventory. They support negative inventory for pre-orders or overselling, offer partial fulfillment workflows, and allow for custom workflows leveraging Shopify tags/metafields (via specialized integration solutions).

This guide will break down how Sage handles key pre-order functions like negative stock, Shopify’s “On Hold” status, and fulfilment workflows—so you’ll know what to expect, where it excels, and any workarounds you may need.

How ERPs and pre-orders work together in the modern ecommerce stack

As the central source of truth for your ecommerce operations, ERPs play a crucial role in pre-orders—primarily in two areas:

Product & inventory management (tracking stock, syncing availability).
Order processing (handling pre-order statuses and fulfilment flows).

Below is a typical flow. Click through to see how Shopify, the ERP and pre-order application interact.

1

Order & Inventory Sync

The ERP synchronizes orders and inventory across various sales channels (e.g., Shopify, Amazon, retail POS).

Key Considerations for Managing Pre-orders on Sage

In the diagram above you may have noticed the word “should” being used a couple of times… That’s because not all ERPs fully support Shopify’s pre-order features out of the box. Some may lack support for negative inventory counts or fail to respect Shopify’s “On Hold” order status, requiring workarounds or additional configuration. Read on to see how Sage interacts with Shopify pre-orders and what you might need to adjust.

Syncing Shopify Products

Sage can synchronize product data—including titles, SKUs, and inventory levels—with Shopify through various integration solutions. This ensures a seamless flow of product information across both platforms and helps maintain accurate stock counts for online and offline sales.

Syncing Shopify Orders

Yes, Sage can synchronize Shopify order data—statuses, customer details, line items—through compatible integrations. By unifying sales data in Sage, you streamline order management, invoicing, and fulfillment, reducing manual entry and errors

Handling Negative Inventory

Sage ERP systems allow negative inventory, making it possible to capture orders even when stock is insufficient. This is useful for pre-orders or overselling scenarios. Once inventory is replenished, Sage updates the negative stock entries, ensuring a clear path to fulfillment.

Resources:

• Negative On-Hand

Respecting Shopify’s “On Hold” Status

Whether Sage recognizes Shopify’s “on hold” status depends on the integration configuration. Not all Sage solutions automatically mirror this status; for instance, Sage X3 handles internal holds that are separate from Shopify’s “on hold.” You could build a custom workflow or mapping to align Shopify holds with Sage’s internal hold processes.

Pre-Order-Specific Features

Sage ERP systems provide features to manage pre-orders effectively:
• Order Management Automation: Modules like Sage Intacct’s Order Management automate the order-to-cash process—particularly beneficial for pre-orders.
• Customizable Workflows: Adapt Sage to suit multi-channel pre-order scenarios.
• Inventory Allocation: Real-time stock visibility ensures incoming items get reserved for pre-orders.
• Unified Customer Data: Consolidate contacts and orders, making it easy to manage pre-orders and update customers.

Custom Workflows with Order Tags, Line-item Properties or Metafields

Yes, Sage can leverage Shopify tags and metafields for custom workflows, but typically requires a specialized integration or middleware to sync that data. Once mapped to Sage’s fields, you can design automation rules to handle unique processes—e.g., special shipping or handling for orders tagged as “pre-order.”

Supporting Full vs. Partial Order Fulfilment

Yes, Sage supports both full and partial fulfillment workflows. For instance, Sage X3 or Sage 300 let you process partial shipments, shipping available items now and sending the rest later. This flexibility helps you maintain customer satisfaction and manage stock constraints efficiently.

Summary

Sage support for
Shopify Pre-orders

Pre-order touchpoint	Sage support
Products sync with Shopify	✅ Syncs titles, SKUs, and stock with Shopify through integrations
Orders sync with Shopify	✅ Imports orders, statuses, and line items for unified management
Negative inventory support	✅ Allows negative inventory for backorders/pre-orders
Shopify “On Hold” status recognition	⚠️ Handling “on hold” depends on the integration; not always automatic
Specific pre-order support	✅ Workflows for order automation, inventory allocation, and real-time updates
Custom workflows	✅ Supports Shopify tags/metafields with specialized connectors
Partial fulfilment support	✅ Allows partial shipments to send in-stock items first

Strengths & Limitations

✅ Strengths
• Robust order-to-cash automation for pre-orders
• Negative inventory support across various Sage products
• Flexible partial fulfillment and custom workflows

⚠️ Limitations
• “On hold” status integration not guaranteed
• Requires specialized connectors for custom tag/metafield workflows
• Different Sage products (X3, Intacct, etc.) vary in features and configurations