Want to see a video? Skip to the bottom of the post to see Oli talk about creating urgency for pre-orders.
Did you know humans are roughly 2.5 times more sensitive to losses than we are to gains of similar size? In this article, we’ll cover three psychology-backed ways to generate urgency for your pre-order campaigns — and why they work.
Core Idea
Urgency in pre-order campaigns can boost conversions when it’s rooted in psychology and applied ethically, not through manipulative pressure. The goal is to help customers make decisions with confidence, not to trick or overwhelm them.
Why Urgency Works (Psychology)
Loss Aversion
Quote: “We are roughly 2.5 times more sensitive to losses than we are to gains of similar size. A message framed as a potential loss might therefore be more persuasive.”
Ref: Daniel Kahneman (pioneer of loss aversion in behavioral economics) Link
What is it:Loss aversion is the tendency to prefer avoiding a loss over acquiring an equivalent gain. The pain of losing $100 feels stronger than the pleasure of gaining $100. Customers are motivated to avoid missing out.
Application: Frame your pre-order incentives around what customers might lose if they delay. For example, offer a limited-time discount or bonus for pre-ordering. Countdown timers or showing a limited quantity available reinforce the idea that the opportunity is slipping away.
Example: Many Kickstarter campaigns use early-bird pricing tiers available only to the first X backers or for a limited period. This taps into buyers’ fear of missing out on a better deal, driving a surge of early pledges. Another example of Loss Aversion is Booking.com, who often displays messages like “Only 2 rooms left for your dates”.
Kickstarter tier limits
Scarcity Principle
E-commerce deal pages often highlight limited time and quantity to trigger urgency. When customers see a ticking countdown or low-stock warning, they perceive the product as more valuable and feel pressure to act before it’s too late.
Quote: “Simply put, people want more of those things they can have less of.”
Ref: Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of PersuasionLink
What is it: The scarcity principle says that limited availability increases perceived value. Easily available products feel like commodities; rare products seem special and desirable.
Application: Launch your next pre-order as a limited drop with a finite number of units or a clear deadline. Communicate that only a certain number of customers will get the product. Just make sure the scarcity is real — fake sell-outs can damage trust.
Example: Streetwear brand Supreme mastered scarcity by releasing limited quantities that fans would line up for hours to buy. You can create your own version of this hype by positioning your product as a limited-edition pre-order drop.
Supreme limited edition drop (ref: story.capetown)
Social Proof and Trends
Crowds lining up for a new iPhone release are a powerful example of social proof. If so many people are eager to buy, it signals that the product must be good. In e-commerce, you can mimic this by showing indicators of high demand — like “500 customers already pre-ordered” or live purchase notifications.
Quote: “Especially when they are uncertain, people will look to the actions and behaviors of others to determine their own.”
What is it:Social proof is when people look to others’ behavior to guide their own decisions. A popular product feels safer and more appealing.
Application: Highlight activity and reviews to show that others are buying. Use live notifications, customer photos, or counters (“Over 500 pre-orders so far!”) to reinforce demand.
Example: This combines social proof with scarcity. Similarly, you might highlight “Join 300 others who have pre-ordered this item.” Even McDonald’s classic “Over 100 million served” is social proof in action.
Mila UGC reviews
Summary
Creating urgency for pre-orders is about tapping into three core psychological triggers: loss aversion (we hate missing out), scarcity (we want what’s rare), and social proof (we follow the crowd).
When used authentically, these tactics can significantly boost your pre-order conversions. The key is to apply them transparently and ethically:
Clearly communicate limits or timeframes.
Back up popularity claims with real evidence.
Build trust by delivering on promises.
By using urgency as a positive force, you can generate excitement, prompt faster action, and increase pre-orders — all while strengthening customer trust.
Managing pre-orders manually drains time small teams don’t have. Tracking inventory thresholds, sending customer emails, coordinating fulfillment, updating product availability, these repetitive tasks consume hours each week. Shopify Flow pre-order automation eliminates this operational overhead, letting merchants build sophisticated pre-order systems without developers or ongoing maintenance costs.
Whether you’re running simple restock campaigns or complex charge-later pre-orders with deposits, automation transforms manual processes into hands-free workflows that scale with your business. This guide shows you how to automate pre-orders using native Shopify Flow, then extend functionality with PreProduct’s 15 custom actions and 16 custom triggers for complete pre-order lifecycle management.
Why Use Shopify Flow for Pre-orders?
Pre-order operations involve multiple interconnected processes: inventory monitoring, product availability updates, customer communications, pricing adjustments, and fulfillment coordination. Without automation, merchants manually check inventory levels, toggle product settings, send emails, and track when to charge customers or release orders.
Shopify Flow automates these touchpoints, creating intelligent workflows that:
Save operational time. Instead of manually enabling pre-orders when items sell out, Flow does it automatically within seconds of inventory hitting zero.
Reduce human error. Automated workflows execute consistently every time, eliminating forgotten steps or missed communications.
Scale without headcount. Small teams can manage hundreds of pre-orders with the same efficiency as large operations departments.
Enable sophisticated logic. Combine multiple conditions to create nuanced workflows that adapt to different scenarios (product type, customer segment, inventory status).
For merchants running pre-orders, Flow transforms a labor-intensive process into a hands-free operation that runs 24/7 without intervention.
Shopify Flow Pre-order Automation: Key Benefits
Before diving into specific workflows, understanding the strategic advantages helps you design automation that aligns with your operational goals.
Instant pre-order activation. When high-demand products sell out, Flow can activate pre-order mode within seconds, capturing demand instead of losing sales to “out of stock” messages.
Automatic inventory management. Flow monitors inventory levels continuously and toggles between buy-now and pre-order modes based on stock availability, eliminating manual threshold monitoring.
Coordinated customer communication. Trigger email sequences, update customer segments, or send notifications based on pre-order events, keeping buyers informed throughout the pre-order journey.
Flexible fulfillment control. Automatically apply fulfillment holds to charge-later pre-orders, then release orders when stock arrives or you manually tag items as ready-to-ship.
Conditional logic for complex scenarios. Build workflows that behave differently based on product tags, metafields, inventory levels, or customer attributes, handling exceptions without manual intervention.
These capabilities compound when combined, creating end-to-end automation that manages pre-orders from stockout detection through final fulfillment release.
What Flow offers small teams:
Automation across products, inventory, orders, customers, and more.
No need for manual scripts or recurring app maintenance.
The ability to scale smarter, not just headcount.
Qualified stores can use the HTTP request action to call out to third party services like ERP’s, marketing services or AI context aggregators.
In essence, Flow gives you the building blocks to operate like a much larger team – without hiring.
Part 1: Native Shopify Flow Pre-order Automation (Free)
You can build functional pre-order automation using only Shopify Flow’s native capabilities, no apps required. This approach works well for basic scenarios and helps you understand Flow’s fundamentals before adding advanced features.
Example Workflow: Activate Pre-order When Inventory Reaches Zero
This workflow automatically enables pre-orders when variants sell out, then reverses the process when stock is replenished.
➡️ Trigger: Product variant inventory equals 0
Flow monitors all product variants in your store. When any variant’s available inventory hits exactly zero, this trigger fires.
➡️ Condition: Product has tag “can-pre-order”
Not every product should become available for pre-order when it sells out. This condition checks if the product has been tagged “can-pre-order” by your team, giving you manual control over which items are pre-order eligible.
You might tag seasonal items, bestsellers, or products with predictable restock timelines as “can-pre-order” while excluding one-off or discontinued items.
➡️ Action 1: Enable “Continue selling when out of stock”
Using an HTTP request action (Shopify Plus) or manual product setting update, enable the “continue selling when out of stock” option for the variant. This allows customers to add the item to their cart and checkout even though inventory is zero.
➡️ Action 2: Update product metafield with pre-order messaging
Set a metafield on the product (e.g., custom.pre_order_message) with customer-facing text like “Ships mid-March” or “Pre-order now, shipping in 4-6 weeks.” Your theme reads this metafield to display pre-order information on product pages.
Reversal Workflow: Disable Pre-order When Stock Returns
When inventory is replenished, automatically disable pre-order mode and return to normal buy-now behavior.
➡️ Trigger: Product variant inventory is greater than 0
This trigger fires when stock levels increase above zero (restock occurs).
➡️ Condition: Product has tag “can-pre-order” AND metafield custom.pre_order_message exists
Only reverse products that were previously in pre-order mode (indicated by the presence of the pre-order metafield).
➡️ Action 1: Disable “Continue selling when out of stock”
Turn off overselling so the product returns to standard inventory behavior.
➡️ Action 2: Remove pre-order metafield
Delete the custom.pre_order_message metafield to stop displaying pre-order messaging on the product page.
Limitations of Native Flow for Pre-orders
While native Shopify Flow handles basic scenarios, it has constraints for sophisticated pre-order operations:
No pre-order-specific triggers. Native Flow doesn’t know when a pre-order is created, charged, or fulfilled, it only sees standard Shopify events (inventory changes, order creation, product updates).
Limited charge control. Flow can’t trigger deferred charges for charge-later pre-orders or coordinate payment timing with inventory arrival.
No fulfillment hold management. Native Flow can’t automatically apply or release fulfillment holds to prevent premature shipping of charge-later pre-orders.
Manual pre-order listing creation. You need to manage pre-order configurations (deposit amounts, ship dates, customer limits) outside of Flow.
These limitations create the case for extending Flow with pre-order-specific capabilities, which is where PreProduct’s custom triggers and actions come in.
Part 2: Extending Shopify Flow with PreProduct (31 Custom Capabilities)
PreProduct adds 31 specialized triggers and actions specifically designed for pre-order automation. While native Flow handles general Shopify events, PreProduct’s extensions give you granular control over the entire pre-order lifecycle, from listing creation through charge initiation and fulfillment release.
Why PreProduct Extends Flow
Native Shopify Flow provides infrastructure but lacks pre-order domain knowledge. PreProduct bridges this gap by introducing events and actions that understand charge-later pre-orders, deposits, customer limits, shipping notifications, and fulfillment holds.
For example, native Flow can detect when inventory hits zero, but it can’t create a pre-order listing with specific deposit amounts, ship dates, and customer limits. PreProduct’s “Create listing” action handles this complexity in a single step.
Similarly, native Flow can trigger when an order is created, but it can’t distinguish between regular orders and charge-later pre-orders, or trigger charges when inventory arrives. PreProduct’s “Charge created” trigger and “Trigger charges and/or fulfilment” action provide this pre-order-specific logic.
15 Custom Actions
PreProduct’s actions let you programmatically manage pre-order operations from within Flow workflows:
Listing Management
Create listing: Programmatically create pre-order listings with all configuration (deposit, ship date, limits, discounts)
Get listing: Retrieve listing details to use in conditional logic
Get all listings: Access multiple listings for bulk operations
Variant Control
Add variants to pre-order: Enable pre-orders for specific variants within a listing
Remove variants from pre-order: Disable pre-orders for variants (e.g., when discontinuing)
Configuration Updates
Update customer limit: Adjust maximum quantity per customer during campaigns
Native action: Tag product “high-demand-pre-order”
Native action: Add product to “Trending” collection (for homepage visibility)
This workflow automatically launches pre-order campaigns, then alerts you when demand is high so you can increase production quantities.
Real Workflow Examples: Shopify Flow Templates
Let’s walk through detailed implementations of common pre-order automation scenarios.
Workflow 1: Automatic Pre-order Activation on Stockout
Business Scenario: You sell seasonal products that frequently sell out between restocks. Instead of losing sales, you want to automatically offer pre-orders and notify customers of the estimated ship date.
➡️ Trigger: Variant inventory quantity = 0
➡️ Conditions:
Product has tag “auto-pre-order-enabled”
Product does NOT have metafield preproduct.listing_id (prevents duplicate listings)
➡️ Actions:
Check if variant is on pre-order (PreProduct action)
If already on pre-order, end workflow (prevent duplicates)
Create listing (PreProduct action)
Use template: “Standard restock pre-order”
Deposit: 0% (charge-later)
Ship date: +30 days from today
Customer limit: 5 units
Add product to collection (Native action)
Collection: “Pre-order Items”
Makes pre-orders discoverable on your site
Send Klaviyo event (Integration action)
Event: “Product on pre-order”
Triggers email campaign to waitlist subscribers
Result: When bestsellers sell out, they automatically become available for pre-order with a 30-day estimated ship date. Customers on your waitlist receive notification emails, and the product appears in your “Pre-order Items” collection.
pre-order workflow template
Workflow 2: Charge & Fulfill When Inventory Arrives
Business Scenario: You’re running charge-later pre-orders. When inventory arrives, you want to automatically trigger charges for all waiting pre-orders and release orders for fulfillment simultaneously.
➡️ Trigger: Product tagged “inventory-arrived”
Your team applies this tag when stock hits the warehouse, initiating the charge and fulfillment process.
➡️ Conditions:
Product has metafield preproduct.listing_id (confirms active listing exists)
➡️ Actions:
Get listing (PreProduct action)
Retrieve listing details using preproduct.listing_id
Remove “inventory-arrived” tag (prevents workflow re-triggering)
Result: A single tag application bulk-processes all pre-orders for a product, charging customers and releasing orders for shipment. Your team receives Slack confirmation and can monitor charge success rates.
Workflow 3: VIP Customer Priority Fulfillment
Business Scenario: You want to manually prioritize certain pre-orders for early fulfillment (VIP customers, influencers, early bird orders).
➡️ Trigger: Order tagged “priority-fulfillment”
Your team manually applies this tag to orders that should be fulfilled first.
➡️ Conditions:
Order has tag “priority-fulfillment”
Order line items include products with metafield preproduct.listing_id
Business Scenario: You want fine-grained control over which products become pre-orders, using metafields to define eligibility rules (minimum price, specific vendors, certain product types).
If product type = “Apparel”: Use “Apparel pre-order template” (30% deposit)
If product type = “Electronics”: Use “Electronics template” (50% deposit)
Ship date pulled from metafield custom.expected_restock_date
Update metafield (Native action)
Set custom.pre_order_active = “true”
Your theme uses this to display “Pre-order” badges
Result: Only high-value, house-brand products automatically become pre-orders, with deposit amounts tailored to product category and ship dates sourced from your internal restock planning metafields.
Advanced Shopify Flow Automation Strategies
Once you’re comfortable with basic workflows, these advanced strategies unlock additional operational leverage.
🤖 Multi-Condition Logic for Targeted Automation
Combine multiple conditions to create nuanced automation that handles different scenarios appropriately.
Example: Deposit amount varies by product price tier
Products $0-$100: 0% deposit (pure charge-later)
Products $101-$300: 25% deposit
Products $301+: 50% deposit
Build conditional branches in Flow:
If product price ≤ $100 then create listing with 0% deposit template
Else if product price ≤ $300 then create listing with 25% deposit template
Else create listing with 50% deposit template
This tailors payment structure to product value without manual intervention.
📫 Marketing Integration via Klaviyo & Shopify Flow
Trigger sophisticated email campaigns based on pre-order events, keeping customers engaged throughout extended lead times.
Example: Automated pre-order nurture sequence
Trigger: Pre-order created (PreProduct trigger)
Action: Send Klaviyo event “pre_order_placed”
Klaviyo flow triggered with 3-email sequence:
Day 0: Order confirmation + what to expect
Day 14: Production update + behind-the-scenes content
Charge date – 3 days: “Charge coming soon, update payment method if needed”
Trigger: Listing shipping in 5 days (PreProduct trigger)
Expired vaulted cards (lead time exceeded card expiration)
Insufficient funds in customer accounts
Payment method removed by customer
Resolution: PreProduct can send ‘failed charge’ emails that can be used as a dunning process, but you can enhance this with Flow:
Trigger: Charge failed (PreProduct trigger)
Wait: 24 hours
Action: Send customer email
Subject: “Update payment method for your pre-order”
Include link to customer portal for card updates
Wait: 48 hours
Action: Send internal Slack notification
Alert team to manually follow up with high-value orders
Testing Workflows Without Affecting Customers
Challenge: You want to test workflows before enabling them for real traffic.
Best Practices:
Use test products: Create duplicate products tagged “test-product” and build test-specific conditions:
Condition: Product title contains “TEST”
This prevents test workflows from affecting live products
Disable email actions temporarily: While testing, comment out or disable email/SMS actions so customers don’t receive test notifications.
Run manually: Flow lets you manually trigger workflows. Create test data (test product, test inventory level), then click “Run workflow” to see results without waiting for real events.
Check activity logs: After manual runs, review step-by-step execution in activity logs to verify each action completed successfully.
Performance Optimization for Complex Workflows
Symptom: Workflows run slowly or time out with many actions.
Solutions:
Split complex workflows: Instead of one 20-action workflow, create multiple smaller workflows chained via triggers:
Workflow 2: Trigger on “listing_created” → Send emails, update collections
Avoid unnecessary HTTP requests: HTTP actions are slower than native actions. Only use them when necessary for external integrations.
Use conditional early exits: Place most restrictive conditions first to exit workflows quickly when conditions aren’t met.
FAQ: Shopify Flow Pre-order Automation
No, Shopify Flow is available on all plans (Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus). However, HTTP request actions, which enable integration with external services like ERPs, 3PLs, or custom APIs, are Shopify Plus exclusive.
For basic pre-order automation (creating listings, triggering charges, updating products), standard Flow actions work on any plan. HTTP requests are only needed for advanced integrations beyond Shopify’s ecosystem.
Do I need Shopify Plus to use Flow for pre-orders?
Yes, when combined with PreProduct’s Flow actions. Native Flow can’t trigger deferred charges because it doesn’t have pre-order-specific payment actions. PreProduct’s “Trigger charges and/or fulfilment” action enables automatic charge initiation based on inventory arrival, manual tags, or scheduled timing. For example, you can build a workflow:
Result: Automatic bulk charging when stock lands – Trigger: Product tagged “inventory-arrived” – Action: Trigger charges for all waiting charge-later pre-orders
Can Shopify Flow automate charge-later pre-orders?
Create a test workflow using duplicate products and restrictive conditions:
Duplicate a real product and prefix the title with “TEST -“
Build your workflow with an additional condition: “Product title contains ‘TEST'”
Manually adjust the test product’s inventory or tags to trigger the workflow
Review Flow activity logs to verify each step executes correctly
Once validated, remove the “TEST” condition to enable for real products
Disable customer-facing actions (emails, SMS) during testing to prevent notifications.
How do I test Flow workflows without affecting real orders?
Native Shopify Flow provides general ecommerce automation: inventory changes, order creation, product updates, customer actions. It understands Shopify events but not pre-order concepts like charge-later, deposits, fulfillment holds, or listing lifecycle.
PreProduct extends Flow with 31 pre-order-specific capabilities:
Use native Flow for basic stockout detection and product updates. Use PreProduct extensions for sophisticated pre-order operations like automated charge timing, customer limit management, and fulfillment coordination.
What’s the difference between native Shopify Flow and PreProduct’s extensions?
Here are some solutions to common issues:
Workflow status: Verify it’s “Active” not “Paused”
Trigger conditions: Ensure the event you expect actually occurred (check exact inventory level, tag spelling, metafield values)
Condition logic: Review “AND” vs “OR” logic, all “AND” conditions must be true
Activity logs: Flow logs all execution attempts. Navigate to the workflow and click “Activity” to see if it fired but was “Skipped” with a reason
Timing: Some triggers have slight delays (inventory updates may take 30-60 seconds to propagate)
If still stuck, temporarily remove all conditions except the trigger to isolate which filter is blocking execution.
How do I troubleshoot workflows that don’t trigger?
Shopify Flow works with any app that provides custom triggers and actions. Some pre-order apps offer basic Flow integration (e.g., “Pre-order placed” trigger), but the depth varies significantly.
PreProduct provides the most comprehensive pre-order integration with 31 total capabilities. Most other apps offer 2-5 basic triggers/actions without support for charge-later workflows, fulfillment holds, or deposit management.
If you’re using a different pre-order app, check their documentation for available Flow triggers and actions, then build workflows using those events combined with native Shopify actions.
Does Shopify Flow work with other pre-order apps besides PreProduct?
Native Flow (without pre-order apps) can’t:
– Create pre-order listings with deposits, ship dates, or customer limits – Trigger deferred charges for charge-later pre-order – Automatically apply or release fulfillment holds – Distinguish between regular orders and pre-orders – Track pre-order capacity or notify when limits are reached
These limitations are why merchants serious about pre-orders use apps like PreProduct to extend Flow with pre-order domain expertise. The combination of native Flow infrastructure + pre-order-specific triggers/actions creates powerful automation that neither tool achieves alone.
What are Shopify Flow’s limitations for pre-orders?
Conclusion
Shopify Flow pre-order automation transforms time-consuming manual processes into intelligent, hands-free workflows. Native Flow provides free foundational capabilities, perfect for basic stockout-to-pre-order scenarios using tags and metafields.
For merchants running sophisticated pre-order programs (charge-later, deposits, multi-step payment plans, fulfillment coordination), PreProduct’s 15 actions and 16 triggers unlock automation native Flow alone can’t achieve. Automatically create listings when inventory depletes, trigger charges when stock arrives, release fulfillment in bulk, and coordinate customer communications throughout extended lead times.
The result: small teams operate at enterprise scale, capturing demand automatically instead of losing sales to stockouts, and delivering exceptional customer experiences without expanding headcount.
28.7 % of pre-orders processed with PreProduct were taken as “capture-only” (ref: One Million Pre-orders report). It’s popular amongst our Japanese merchants, as well as hobby stores. Prefer a video? here’s one of Oli explaining capture-only pre-orders.
If you’ve ever eaten a surprise cost increase or watched freight rates spike after locking in prices, you know the pain. This guide breaks down the two types of 100% pay later pre-order —Charge-Later and Capture-Only, so you can decide the best fit for your business.
TL;DR
Charge-Later pre-orders convert best but lock your price in — often fine, but riskier in volatile markets.
Capture-Only safeguards margin by splitting the flow into (1) placing a reservation and (2) completing checkout later.
43.8 % of all PreProduct pre-orders run Charge-Later.*
Why “locking-in” the price can come back to bite you
Supplier volatility: quotes expire in days, not months; delays and surprise surcharges are now the norm.
Freight roulette: sea-freight rates swung from roughly $2.4 k to $8 k per FEU on key routes in 2025 (Freightos index).
Tariff whiplash: US and EU duties can change mid-production.
Charge-Later pre-orders vault the card and lock the price the moment a shopper checks out—great for conversion, but prices and orders are fixe.
Capture-Only pre-orders flips that flow. The reservation sits outside your ecommerce platform until you’re ready; then a payment-link email drops customers into a pre-filled checkout with the final price.
Launch for real. Market the new “Pre-Launch” to your list and socials.
Next Steps
Grab PreProduct’s Starter plan or a 7-day free trial of any fixed-cost tier. Weigh up Capture-Only versus Charge-Later for your own launch, then pick the flow that protects your margins. Questions? Ping me (Oli) anytime—keen to hear how you’re handling pre-orders this quarter.
Want to see a video instead? Click here to watch Oli talk through pre-orders on the variant level.
Introduction
The global retail industry loses an estimated $1.75 trillion annually due to stockouts (ref). For e-commerce stores selling products with multiple variants—sizes, colors, styles—this problem becomes even more critical. When a customer’s preferred size is out of stock, they don’t just abandon that variant; they often abandon the entire purchase.
But what if you could capture those lost sales? What if running out of Medium t-shirts or Shade #3 lipstick didn’t mean losing revenue? The solution lies in variant-level pre-orders, a strategy that turns stockouts into sales opportunities.
$1.75 in trillion lost through stockouts each year
The Hidden Cost of Variant Stockouts
When you order inventory, buyers estimate demand across all variants. Despite their expertise, it’s nearly impossible to predict exactly how many size Large vs. Medium items will sell. This leads to:
Uneven inventory depletion: Some variants sell out while others gather dust
Lost sales opportunities: Customers leave empty-handed when their size is unavailable
Abandoned carts: The “almost perfect” scenario where everything except size is right
Increased discounting: Overstocked variants require markdowns to clear
The psychology is clear: customers will wait for their perfect product if given the option. The key is offering that option seamlessly. …and luckily for us, they’ve often happy to wait longer for the perfect option.
Manual Variant Pre-Order Setup
Approach 1: Manual Variant Pre-Order Setup
The simplest approach involves manually enabling pre-orders for specific out-of-stock variants:
Identify stockout patterns: Monitor which variants consistently sell out first
Enable selective pre-orders: Use tools like PreProduct to enable pre-orders only for out-of-stock variants
Set clear expectations: Display estimated restock dates and shipping timelines
Maintain in-stock sales: Keep functioning variants as “Buy Now” while only out-of-stock variants show “Pre-Order”
This mixed approach means customers see “Buy Now” for available sizes and “Pre-Order” for their preferred size if it’s out of stock, rather than seeing “Sold Out” and leaving.
Approach 2: Automated Variant Pre-Order Solutions
For larger catalogs or lean teams, automation provides scalable solutions:
Inventory automations: Use an automation like PreProduct’s Listing Manager to enable pre-orders automatically when variants hit zero stock
Template-based rules: Set up conditional logic (tags, product types, seasonal items)
Batch management: Organize by shipment dates or product seasons
Automation works best for established stores with predictable restock patterns and larger product catalogs where manual management becomes unmanageable.
The Approach
Best Practices for Variant Pre-Orders
Always show delivery estimates: Customers need to know they’re placing an actual order, not joining a wishlist. Clear restock dates build confidence.
Create urgency through scarcity: Use the fact that variants sold out to create urgency: “Pre-order now to secure your size—this style sells out fast.”
Offer pre-order incentives: Consider “Pre-order today and save 10%” to compensate for the wait and encourage immediate action.
Smart messaging: Use variant-specific messaging that acknowledges the stockout while positioning pre-order as the smart choice.
When to Use Manual vs. Automated Approaches
Start with manual if you’re:
Testing pre-orders for the first time
Working with a small product catalog
Need tight control over which products accept pre-orders
Testing a new pre-order app
Discontinuing certain variants
Move to automated when you’re:
Managing hundreds or thousands of variants
Experiencing frequent stockouts across multiple products
Working with a lean team
Confident in your pre-order process
Real-World Impact
Stores implementing variant-level pre-orders capture sales that would otherwise be lost to stockouts. Instead of customers leaving when their size is unavailable, they place pre-orders, securing revenue and maintaining customer relationships.
Consider a fashion brand with 20 products, each in 6 sizes. Without variant pre-orders, selling out of even 2 sizes per product means losing potential potential sales from 40 different SKUs. With variant pre-orders, those stockouts become revenue opportunities.
Implementation with PreProduct
PreProduct offers both manual and automated approaches for variant pre-orders:
Manual control: Enable pre-orders for specific variants while keeping others as regular sales
Automated triggers: Set up the listing manager or use Shopify Flow to automatically enable pre-orders when variants go out of stock
Template system: Create reusable settings for different product types or seasons
Multi-platform support: Works across Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce
The platform includes features like estimated delivery dates, mixed cart capabilities (in-stock + pre-order items), and customer communication tools to optimize the pre-order experience.
Conclusion
Variant stockouts don’t have to mean lost sales. By implementing variant-level pre-orders—whether manually or through automation—you can capture revenue that would otherwise disappear. The key is giving customers the option to wait for their perfect product rather than forcing them to choose between a compromise and leaving empty-handed.
The technology exists today to turn every stockout into a sales opportunity. The question isn’t whether you can afford to implement variant pre-orders; it’s whether you can afford not to.
Pre-orders can transform your Shopify business, we’ve helped stores process over one million pre-orders to help boost their cashflow and demand (ref). This guide shows you how to implement pre-orders on Shopify using both native features and third-party solutions. Click here to see a video instead. For a more in-depth, much longer walkthrough, see our Complete Shopify Pre-order Guide.
Understanding Your Pre-Order Options
Native Shopify Approach Shopify includes basic pre-order functionality through inventory management settings. This approach works well for simple scenarios:
Built into your existing Shopify plan
No additional monthly fees
Quick setup process
Basic functionality for straightforward pre-orders
However, it has some limitations:
Manual inventory tracking required
Limited customer communication options
Basic payment processing only
No advanced analytics or reporting
Third-Party Pre-Order Apps For businesses needing more advanced features, specialized pre-order apps offer enhanced functionality:
Automated inventory management
Advanced customer communication workflows
Flexible payment processing options
Comprehensive analytics and performance tracking
Integration with marketing tools
Popular options include PreProduct, which offers flexible payment timing and comprehensive merchant tools for managing pre-order campaigns.
Step-by-Step Implementation Guide
Method 1: Native Shopify Setup
Navigate to Products > All products in your Shopify admin
Select the product you want to offer for pre-order
In the Inventory section, uncheck “Track quantity”
Set “Continue selling when out of stock” to enabled
Update product description to clearly indicate pre-order status
Modify your order confirmation emails to mention pre-order timing
The Shopify “continue selling when out of stock” box allows zero stock products to pass through checkout.
Method 2: Using Pre-Order Apps
Browse the Shopify App Store for pre-order solutions
Install your chosen app (many offer free trials such as PreProduct)
Check the product page and make sure you’re happy with the presentation and user experience
Update any settings and automated email sequences you’d like before going live.
Go live and test out the user flow from product page through to checkout*
*It’s important to ensure Shopify will allow your zero stock product through checkout. Issues usually come from not having the “continue selling…” box unticked or not having the product published to the correct sales channel in Shopify.
Customising wording with a pre-order app
Optimizing Customer Experience
Clear Communication Strategy
Display expected shipping dates prominently on product pages
Send regular updates about order status and any delays
Provide easy cancellation options
Set realistic expectations about potential delays
Include pre-order terms in your checkout process
Payment Processing Best Practices
Decide between immediate charging or payment at shipping
Clearly explain when charges will occur
Ensure Payment Card Industry compliance for all transactions (for example using Shopify or Stripe)
Consider offering deposit options for high-value items
Make refund policies crystal clear
Legal and Compliance Considerations
FTC or equivalent Requirements
Clearly disclose that items are pre-orders
Provide accurate shipping date estimates
Honor cancellation requests within reasonable timeframes
Maintain transparent communication about delays
Customer Protection
Implement clear terms and conditions
Provide easy-to-find contact information
Offer straightforward refund processes
Maintain customer service standards throughout pre-order period
Measuring Success and Optimization
Track these key metrics to optimize your pre-order performance:
Average order value for pre-orders vs regular orders
Time from order to fulfillment
Common Challenges and Solutions
Managing Customer Expectations Challenge: Customers unclear about shipping timelines Solution: Prominent display of expected dates, regular communication updates
Payment Processing Issues Challenge: Confusion about when payment occurs Solution: Clear payment terms at checkout, confirmation emails
Inventory Forecasting Challenge: Difficulty predicting demand Solution: Start with limited quantities, use pre-order data for future planning
Conclusion
Setting up pre-orders on Shopify can significantly boost your cash flow and reduce inventory risk. Start with Shopify’s native features if you’re testing the waters, then consider upgrading to specialized apps as your pre-order volume grows.
The key to success lies in clear communication, realistic expectations, and professional execution throughout the entire pre-order process.
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