5 Ways to Put Products on Pre-Order in Shopify: Fine-Grained Control to Mass Automation

Introduction

Putting products on pre-order in Shopify is a great way to build hype, improve cash flow, and validate demand before you commit to inventory. But many merchants run into the same question: what’s the best way to incorporate pre-orders into my business?

That’s where PreProduct comes in. PreProduct gives you multiple ways to put products on pre-order in Shopify — from quick manual listings to fully automated workflows. Each approach has its own strengths and trade-offs, depending on how many products you’re managing and how hands-on you want to be.

In this post, we’ll walk through five different ways of putting a product on pre-order in Shopify with PreProduct.


1. Manual Listing

The most straightforward way of putting a product on pre-order is to create a listing manually in PreProduct. You can set deposits, lead times, and customize variant availability. It’s perfect if you want complete control over the details of each pre-order.

The trade-off? It’s slower when managing more than a handful of products.

👉 Full guide: Listing a new product on pre-order


2. Bulk Lister

If you want to put multiple products on pre-order at once, PreProduct’s bulk product lister makes it simple. You can apply pre-order settings across batches of products in just a few clicks.

This is ideal for mid-sized catalogs where setting each product individually would be too time-consuming.

👉 Full guide: Bulk Product Lister


3. Listing Manager

For stores managing hundreds or even thousands of products, templates are the best way to scale pre-orders. Instead of configuring each product, you define rules — for example: “apply deposit upfront pre-orders to all products tagged ‘Pre-Sale’.”

PreProduct’s Listing Manager builds on templates to deliver full automation. Once your templates are in place, the Listing Manager will automatically apply them to new or updated products as variants go in and out of stock.

This is ideal for large catalogs where products frequently go in and out of stock, saving hours of repetitive admin work.

👉 Learn more: Templates


4. API

If you need complete flexibility, PreProduct’s Admin API is the most powerful way to put products on pre-order. It allows developers to programmatically create, edit, or remove listings, integrate with your backend, and sync pre-order data with external systems like ERPs or custom apps.

This route is for teams with technical resources who want pre-orders deeply embedded in their existing workflows.

👉 Full guide: PreProduct Admin API


5. Shopify Flow

Shopify Flow is a free Shopify app that allows you to build automation workflows across your store. PreProduct integrates directly with Flow, enabling over 30 pre-order related triggers and actions:

  • “Put listing variant on pre-order”
  • “Link listing to template”

This opens up powerful automation without needing to write code, though it does require a system-thinking approach to set up correctly.

👉 Full guide: Pre-order Shopify Flow Actions & Triggers


Which Method Should You Choose?

When it comes to putting products on pre-order in Shopify with PreProduct, the right method depends on your stage and scale:

  • Best for getting started: Manual listing
  • Best for 10–100 products on pre-order: Bulk lister or listing manager
  • Best for automation: Start with Listing Manager, then add Shopify Flow if needed

Wrap-Up

Putting products on pre-order is a low-risk way to improve cash flow and capture demand before stock arrives. Whether you’re just listing a single product manually or building full-scale automations, PreProduct supports every workflow — from fine-grained control to mass automation.

Want to learn more? Check out the PreProduct docs for step-by-step guides on putting products on pre-order in Shopify.

Pre-sell With PreProduct

7 day free trial with all plans

How to Set Up Pre-orders on Shopify

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

  1. Navigate to Products > All products in your Shopify admin
  2. Select the product you want to offer for pre-order
  3. In the Inventory section, uncheck “Track quantity”
  4. Set “Continue selling when out of stock” to enabled
  5. Update product description to clearly indicate pre-order status
  6. Modify your order confirmation emails to mention pre-order timing
Shopify continue selling box
The Shopify “continue selling when out of stock” box allows zero stock products to pass through checkout.

Method 2: Using Pre-Order Apps

  1. Browse the Shopify App Store for pre-order solutions
  2. Install your chosen app (many offer free trials such as PreProduct)
  3. Create a pre-order listing for your product in the app.
  4. Check the product page and make sure you’re happy with the presentation and user experience
  5. Update any settings and automated email sequences you’d like before going live.
  6. 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
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:

  • Conversion rate compared to regular products
  • Cancellation rate: On average 5.4% of pre-orders are cancelled (according to our recent report: https://preproduct.io/one-million-pre-orders/)
  • Customer satisfaction scores
  • 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.


Oli Woods

Co-founder @PreProduct

Pre-sell With PreProduct

7 day free trial with all plans

How to set up pre-orders on Shopify

1. Introduction

Pre-orders can be a great tool for your online store, with potential to increase hype around new releases whilst solving your cash flow problems. It’s beneficial to understand how to set up Shopify pre-orders.

What is a pre-order?

A pre-order is where customers can place orders for products or services before they become available for general sale. Essentially, customers are buying an item before it is physically in stock or released.

There are several benefits to setting up pre-orders:

Pre-orders can provide insight for Shopify stores about the demand for their products.

By seeing how many people are pre-ordering an item, stores can adjust their production and inventory management to meet demand. This can help them avoid overproduction, which can lead to excess inventory and financial losses. If you plan to use pre-orders for probing future demand, we recommend capture-only or charge-later pre-orders, that way customers aren’t being charged anything until you’re comfortable moving forwards.

Pre-orders can generate buzz and excitement for a product before its release.

By allowing customers to pre-order, store owners can boost hype and create a sense of exclusivity around new releases. It also gives you an opportunity to launch twice in a way, once for the pre-order release and once again when the product arrives and you start taking regular buy-now orders.

Pre-orders can boost your online store cashflow, as they can capture revenue upfront.

When customers pre-order products, they typically pay the full price or a deposit at the time of the order, which provides stores with a cash flow boost before the product is even released. This can be especially helpful for small businesses or startups that may not have access to significant capital or financing (although financing options for small e-comm brands is in improving!) .


Image ref: piggybank.ca

2. Set up pre-orders on Shopify

Does my Shopify store support pre-orders?

All Shopify stores are capable of supporting pre-orders, however not all payment processors support deferred-charge pre-orders. Currently both Shopify Payments and PaPal are supported, however you will run into issues when using an unsupported third party payment gateway or even Shop Pay.

That said, Shopify will automatically hide any unsupported payment providers from your checkout. So, as long as you have Shopify Payments or PayPal enabled, you’re good to go and move forward to set up pre-orders on Shopify.

Installing a Pre-order App

To get started and set up pre-orders on Shopify, visit the Shopify App Store and search for “pre-order”, then select the app you wish to install.

Once you have located the app, click on it to access the app listing page, and then select the “Add app” option.

To grant the app access to your Shopify admin account, click “Install app” and authorize its use.

Integrating the App with Your Storefront

Shopify 1.0

If your Shopify theme is Shopify “store 1.0” and you’re not comfortable with customising the code of your product template, then I’d recommend contacting the app developer, as they’ll need to edit code to add their snippet to your online store.

Generally the process is to locate the Shopify theme file containing the “buy” button and insert the app’s customized code beneath the {% endform %} liquid tag. This will let the app’s script determine which product the pre-order button should apply for (if any) when running on that page.

Keep in mind that the file name may differ, but commonly it will be one of: product-template.liquid, product-form.liquid, or product-main.liquid, among others. (Typically in your ‘sections’ or ‘snippets’ folder)

*We also recommend saving your theme file locally first, incase of any mistakes. That way you have a backup if anything goes wrong, as well as being able to take advantage of powerful code editor ‘file find’ tools like ‘find in project’.

Shopify 2.0

With the introduction of Shopify 2.0, app blocks can now seamlessly integrate into the Shopify admin’s drag-and-drop theme customizer, making it much easier to set up pre-orders on Shopify. (‘app block’ is effectively the same as a ‘snippet’ in this context)

App blocks streamline the product pre-order template installation process, as well as automatically removing themselves if you uninstall the app.

Listing Pre-orders on Shopify

Once you’ve completed the above steps to integrate the app with your Shopify storefront, you can now start pre-selling!

Begin by listing a product in your selected pre-order app. Most if not all pre-order apps sit on top of your existing Shopify product listings. Once listed in the app, the pre-order product page’s cart button text should be replaced with a pre-order version, accompanied by any other front-end additional information, i.e. special pre-order messaging.



You will need to decide which type of pre-order to use, generally depending on the payment settings they use. The general pre-order types are:

  • Charge upfront pre-order – 100% charged upfront (Most apps will offer this).
  • Charge Later pre-orders – 100% charged later when you trigger the charge.
  • Deposit-based pre-orders – A percentage paid upfront, with the outstanding charged later.
  • Capture-only pre-orders – A payment link is sent once you’re ready to send customers through your payment gateway.

Different apps may support or not support any of the above, so it’s important to research this ahead of installing (for example, PreProduct’s list is here).

What kind of pre-order should you use?

pros, and, cons

The below is just a set of rough guidelines from what I’ve seen running a pre-order solution over the years.

Charge upfront pre-orders are useful if you need the cash flow upfront, and appropriate if you have a good idea of when the pre-order items will be ready for shipping. Charging upfront also comes with a higher commitment from customers, over something like capture-only or notify-me-when-in-stock.

Charge upfront may not be the best type of pre-order if you’re worried about manufacturing delays or freight issues. Customers could become frustrated if they’ve fully paid, but then have unexpected delays receiving the product.



Charge later pre-orders can be one of the better choices when you’re not sure how long manufacturing may take, or when there is some uncertainty around production and supply chain. As customers will be less inclined to be annoyed by delays when they haven’t parted with any money yet. It’s still important to keep customers informed of delays though.

Charge later is also convenient if customers have a change of mind, whilst waiting for the out of stock product to come in; because no refund is needed, the pre-order can just be cancelled (without any bank transaction started/cancellation needed).

Deposit-based pre-orders is a good alternative that sits between charge upfront pre-order and charge later pre-order. This type of pre-order shows commitment from customers, but also means customers do not need to pay for the full product upfront, which can help increase pre-order sales by lowering the price to buy for customers.

Capture-only pre-orders can be a great pre-order option when you need to gauge interest. They require the least amount of commitment from both the buyers and shop owners. Similar to a back-in-stock flow, customer’s only go through checkout once the product’s available and can be imminently shipped.


Deciding on a pre-order shipping statment

When creating a pre-order listing, you will also need to set a shipping statement. This could be in a period of days or fixed phrase (ie ‘Next Summer’). The balance here is that a pre-order listing with too vague a shipping statement can deter potential buyers, however an exact shipping statement with a much longer duration can also detract from the willingness to buy.

At PreProduct, generally we advise merchants to keep it specific when they can. With the caveat that you should go with what’s comfortable and if that’s not committing to an exact date, then that’s a completely sensible decision. You should also bear in mind that the communicated shipping statement can be changed at any point (well in a lot of apps at least).


Choosing an exact pre-order shipping statement

Using a less specific pre-order shipping statement

Shopify product settings

The product/variant section of the Shopify admin dashboard contains an option to enable the ‘continue selling when out of stock’ feature. This setting is crucial when utilising pre-orders and has two important purposes:

  1. If a product has zero stock and the box is unchecked, customers will not be able to purchase it. However, if the box is checked, the product can still pass through the checkout, whatever the inventory level. Some apps (eg PreProduct) automatically manage this box, when creating/finishing a pre-order listing.
  2. Furthermore, most Shopify themes display an ‘out of stock’ message when a product/variant has zero stock and the box is un-ticked. Ensuring the ‘continue selling when out of stock’ box is ticked will prevent this message from being displayed.


3. Offering Discounts on Pre-orders



Basic Discount Setup

If you’re not using a pre-order app, you can set up a discount in any theme by altering the ‘Price’ and ‘Compare at Price’ in the Shopify product admin. The ‘Compare at Price’ is the original price and the ‘Price’ is the discounted price. This means the Shopify will know that there is a discount and your theme will most likely reflect this on your front-end. 



Purchase Options Discounts

For pre-order listings that use purchase options (in PreProduct’s case, this is every kind apart from capture-only listings), rather than altering the price of the product directly on Shopify, the discount is applied at the pre-order listing and order level.

This means that the discount is fixed for any pre-orders already captured, but if you decide to change the discount for future pre-orders, they’ll have the updated subtraction applied. This is great, as you don’t need to worry about the price change; and furthermore, can even change the Shopify product price without impacting previous pre-orders.

With early bird discounts, you can enable customers to commit to a purchase early on and capture more sales, this is due to a created sense of exclusivity and urgency. Tapping into the classic psychology of ‘wanting more for less’ and FOMO.

Letting early adopters get in early can boost customer loyalty, and rewarding these customers with a discount can boost this dynamic even more so.



4. Setting up pre-orders on Shopify to use deposits

Creating Deposit-based pre-orders

When you set up pre-orders on Shopify and create a listing, there should be an option to choose whether to capture deposits/partial payments for pre-order listings in supporting deposit pre-order apps.

When creating a pre-order listing, you will just need to select the deposit type: fixed amount or percentage. This will be communicated on the product and cart pages, as well as next to the payment authorization section of the checkout.



How do deposit pre-orders work?

Pre-order listings that use deposits will communicate to customers the price and terms of the order before they click the pre-order cart button. They’ll then be directed through your usual checkout process, however there will be details of the deposit price, the outstanding price, as well as when the merchant plans to charge it. Then once you’re ready to trigger the outstanding payment, you can trigger the charge via your pre-order app. Usually this is is powered by vaulted credit card technology so no further action is needed from the customer.

Using deposits can be beneficial as they require customers to commit a portion of the pre-order payments upfront, demonstrating a genuine interest and commitment to purchasing the product.

Deposits provide an immediate influx of cash for the business, which can be crucial for covering production costs, marketing efforts, or other expenses related to fulfilling pre-orders. It’s completely up to you whether you implement a non-refundable deposit policy.

Charging Tax and Shipping Fees

When using deposit based pre-orders, both shipping and taxes will be charged in the final outstanding amount, not in the deposit amount. Your existing tax and shipping profiles will be respected.

5. Summary and Conclusion

In summary, to use and set up pre-orders on Shopify offers several powerful advantages for ecommerce stores.

  • They provide valuable insight into product demand for pre-order products, enabling stores to predict inventory amount and avoid overproduction.
  • Pre-orders generate anticipation for a product, improving hype for your future releases.
  • Lastly, pre-orders can generate upfront revenue, providing cash flow before product release, something that ecommerce companies of all sizes can get excited about.

If you are interested in giving pre-orders on Shopify a go and experiencing some of these benefits I mentioned above, we’d love you to start a free trial of PreProduct today.

Get the Shopify App


Eliza Wegener

Co-founder @PreProduct

Pre-sell With PreProduct

7 day free trial with all plans

How to do Pre-orders on Shopify: Complete 2025 Guide

Shopify pre-orders let stores capture demand before inventory arrives. Whether you’re launching a new product, managing out-of-stock items, or building hype for an upcoming release, pre-orders can help you take orders and revenue sooner while validating market interest.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about setting up pre-orders on Shopify, from choosing the right payment model to marketing your pre-launch campaign and measuring success.

What Are Pre-orders and Why Use Them?

A pre-order allows customers to purchase products before they’re available for general sale or when inventory is temporarily out of stock. Instead of waiting until products hit your warehouse, you can start taking orders immediately.

Shopify pre-orders

Business Benefits of Pre-orders

Validate Demand Before Committing to Inventory
Pre-orders help you gauge genuine customer interest before investing in large production runs. By tracking pre-order volume, you can adjust inventory levels to match actual demand, reducing the risk of overstocking or having to discount unsold products.

Improve Cash Flow and Take Revenue Sooner
Pre-orders powered through PreProduct have generated over $85.3 million USD, and that’s just our app alone. Taking payment upfront or capturing payment details earlier gives you working capital before products ship, particularly valuable for small businesses and startups managing tight cash flow.

Build Hype and Marketing Momentum
Pre-orders create anticipation around product launches. You effectively launch twice: once when you announce the pre-order and again when the product becomes available. This dual-launch approach generates sustained buzz and gives you multiple marketing touchpoints.

Secure Committed Customers
Customers who pre-order demonstrate higher commitment than those who add items to wishlists. Pre-order customers have already made a purchase decision, reducing the risk they’ll buy from a competitor when your product finally launches.

Customer Benefits

Guaranteed Access to New or Limited Products
Pre-orders ensure customers secure their spot for highly anticipated releases or limited-edition items that might sell out quickly.

Early-Bird Incentives
Many brands offer exclusive discounts, bonus content, or limited-edition packaging to reward customers who commit early.

First Access to Innovation
For customers who value being first to try new products, pre-orders provide that exclusive early-adopter experience.

How Pre-orders Work: The Customer Journey

Understanding the pre-order flow helps you design a better customer experience.

Step 1: Announcement

Announce your upcoming product with details about features, benefits, release date, and pricing. This announcement typically happens through email campaigns, social media, and on-site banners.

Step 2: Pre-order Period Opens

A designated timeframe begins when customers can place pre-orders. This period typically opens well before the official launch, ranging from a few weeks to several months depending on your product and lead time.

Step 3: Customer Places Order

Interested customers place orders through your Shopify store. The checkout experience differs slightly from regular purchases, with clear messaging about estimated delivery dates and when payment will be processed.

Step 4: Payment Processing

Depending on your pre-order model (covered below), customers either pay immediately, accept a future charge, pay a deposit, or receive a payment link when you’re ready to charge.

Step 5: Order Confirmation

Customers receive confirmation via email detailing their pre-order, estimated delivery date, and what to expect next.

Step 6: Fulfillment Communication

Throughout the pre-order period, you keep customers updated on production progress, shipping timelines, and any relevant changes. That can be done passively via a customer portal, or actively via email/SMS.

Step 7: Product Ships

On or near the estimated delivery date, any charges are processed, and products ship to pre-order customers, completing the purchase cycle.

Customer journey

Types of Pre-orders on Shopify: Choosing Your Payment Model

Shopify supports multiple pre-order payment models. Your ideal approach depends on your product lead times, price point, and cash flow needs. Most models use card vaulting (secure card storage) rather than traditional authorization holds, giving you flexibility for longer lead times.

Charge Upfront Pre-orders

Customers pay 100% at the time of pre-order placement. This model works best when you need immediate working capital or when lead times are relatively short (under 60 days).

Best for:

  • Products with short lead times (under 60 days)
  • Lower-priced items where customers are comfortable paying in full
  • Brands with established trust and reputation
  • Situations requiring immediate cash flow for production

Considerations:
According to our analysis of over one million pre-orders, charge-upfront accounts for a smaller percentage of listings compared to deferred payment models. Customers may hesitate to pay months in advance, especially for higher-priced items or brands they’re less familiar with.

Charge Later Pre-orders

Customers proceed through checkout and accept a future charge. Their card information is securely vaulted (stored) with your payment processor, and you trigger payment when inventory arrives and you’re ready to ship. No authorization hold is placed, so there’s no expiration window to worry about.

This is the most popular model: 43.8% of all pre-order listings on PreProduct use charge-later approaches, making it the dominant payment method for pre-orders.

Best for:

  • Products with longer lead times (60+ days or more)
  • Mid-high priced items where customers prefer not to pay months in advance
  • First-time purchase orders of a product or from a supplier, where having some wiggle room is important
  • Brands building trust with new customers
  • Any timeline where authorization holds would expire before you’re ready to charge

Considerations:
The customer’s card details are stored with your payment processor (Shopify Payments or PayPal) through card vaulting. When you’re ready to ship, you trigger the charge. If the card has expired or been cancelled, the charge will fail and you’ll need to collect updated payment information manually or via a dunning flow.

Deposit Pre-orders

Customers pay a partial amount upfront (typically 10-50% of the total price), with the remaining balance charged later via deferred transaction when you’re ready to ship. Like charge-later orders, the customer’s card is vaulted with your payment processor for the future balance charge.

Best for:

  • Mid-high priced items ($50-200+)
  • Products with long lead times but requiring some upfront capital
  • Merchants who want assurance that buyers are committed
  • Balancing cash flow needs with customer comfort

Considerations:
Deposits signal stronger commitment than charge-later-only models while being less intimidating than full upfront payment. Customers pay a portion now and the rest later, with their card securely stored for the balance charge. This middle-ground approach works well for premium products where you need some working capital but want to reduce purchase friction.

Capture-Only Pre-orders

This model captures customer information without taking any payment or storing payment details. You replace the standard purchase button with a pre-order button, and email a payment link later when ready to process orders.

Capture-only payment links account for 28.7% of PreProduct pre-order transactions, making it the second most popular model.

Best for:

  • Conservative markets where merchants are hesitant to exchange any payment details upfront (we see quite a few Japanese merchants using this model)
  • Products with highly uncertain timelines
  • Testing demand before committing to production
  • Customers wanting maximum flexibility
  • Situations where you want zero checkout friction upfront during the pre-order phase

Considerations:
This approach has the lowest commitment level, which can lead to lower conversion rates when payment time comes. However, it’s excellent for demand validation since customers can opt in without any payment friction or card storage. It’s also one step above waitlists, as the order is already captured and can be prepopulated at checkout.

Weighing up your pre-order options

Authorization Period Pre-orders

The most basic approach is where customers go through checkout and you place a traditional authorization hold on their card. In Shopify, this is the “manual payment capture” method. You must capture payment within the authorization window (typically 7-30 days depending on the payment processor and card type) before the hold expires.

Best for:

  • Very short lead times (under 7-30 days)
  • Products arriving imminently where you know exact ship dates
  • Merchants who need guaranteed payment capture without card vaulting

Considerations:
This model is limited by authorization hold expiration windows. For most products with longer lead times, charge-later with card vaulting is more practical. Authorization holds tie up customer credit limits during the hold period, which can cause friction for higher-priced items. The extended 30 day authorization period is currently only available to Shopify Plus merchants and adds a 1.75% fee if charged after day 7.

Planning Your Pre-order Strategy

Before launching pre-orders, strategic planning ensures better outcomes.

When to Use Pre-orders

Pre-orders work well for:

  • New product launches: Build anticipation and validate demand before committing to large production runs.
  • Seasonal or limited releases: Create urgency for products available only during specific periods.
  • Out-of-stock bestsellers: Continue taking orders when inventory temporarily runs out.
  • Custom or made-to-order products: Collect orders before beginning production.
  • High-ticket items: Gauge serious buyer interest before investing in expensive inventory.

Setting Realistic Timelines

According to our data, 121-150 days represents the most common fulfillment window at 28.1% of pre-orders, while 20.6% ship within 30 days. Your estimated timeline should account for:

  • Manufacturing or production time: Factor in supplier lead times plus buffers for delays if the stock has not yet been manufactured.
  • Shipping and freight: Expected shipping times from the supplier for the product, whether that’s sea or air freight.
  • Quality control: If this is a first run or the first time using a supplier, building in time for inspection and potential corrections.
  • Customs and import processing: For international products, adding 1-2 weeks can be sensible.
  • Buffer for unexpected delays: Add 10-20% padding to your estimated timeline

It’s good to be conservative with your customer-facing shipping statement. It’s better to over-deliver than create frustration by missing promised dates. However, you can always update your shipping statement along the way and send out updates to your customers.

planning a strategy

Pricing Strategies

Products priced between $25-50 represent 42.7% of individual pre-orders, though the most common listing price range exceeds $250 (26.8% of listings).

Early-Bird Discounts:
Consider limited-time discounts (typically 10-20% off) to reward customers who commit earliest. This creates urgency and helps you gauge initial demand quickly.

Pay Early and Save:
Some pre-order solutions let you offer a discount to customers who want to pay off a deferred-charge pre-order early. This can be a good way to improve cashflow and incentivise customers to commit early, whilst giving them the option to pay later if they prefer.

Pay in Installments:
Optional multi-step payment plans can be a great way to meet customers where they are and let them pay in installments. This can be a good way to improve conversion for price sensitive customers or high-ticket items.

Tiered Pricing:
Consider Kickstarter style multiple pricing tiers:

  • Super early bird: 20% off (first 50 customers)
  • Early bird: 15% off (next 100 customers)
  • Standard pre-order: 10% off (remaining slots)
  • Launch price: Full price at product release

Bundle Incentives:
Include exclusive bonuses, free gifts, or exclusive perks for pre-order customers.

Inventory Planning Considerations

Use pre-order volume to inform production quantities. If you’re taking capture-only pre-orders (where no payment is collected upfront), build in an expected conversion rate (typically 70-85%) when planning inventory. Charge-later and deposit models typically have higher conversion since cards are vaulted.

Consider whether to limit pre-order quantities to create scarcity or leave them unlimited to maximize demand insights.

Setting Up Pre-orders on Shopify

Shopify Native Pre-orders vs. Apps

As of 2024, Shopify introduced native “Purchase Options” functionality that allows apps to facilitate deferred-charge pre-orders through your native Shopify checkout.
Purchase options require a supporting app to use, however the “continue selling when out of stock” checkbox allows merchants to sell pre-orders without any third-party solutions. That said, most merchants running serious pre-order campaigns still use a dedicated app; so they can make use of enhanced features like communication and payment flexibility.

FeatureNative Shopify Pre-ordersApp-Based Pre-orders
Cost✅ Free and built-in❌ Monthly subscription cost
App Required✅ No additional app required✅ Requires third-party app
Payment Flexibility❌ Limited (charge upfront only)✅ Multiple models (upfront, later, deposit, capture-only)
Customer Communication❌ No automated communication✅ Automated messaging and customer portals
Fulfillment Management❌ Basic fulfillment management✅ Advanced controls (holds, automation)
Analytics & Pre-order Insights❌ None✅ Pre-order analytics and performance tracking
Variant-Specific Controls❌ Not supported✅ Variant-specific pre-order limits

For smaller merchants running occasional, simple pre-orders that can be charged upfront, Shopify’s native option may suffice. For brands building pre-orders into their core strategy, dedicated apps provide significantly more control and better customer experience.

Payment Processor Requirements

Not all payment methods support pre-orders, particularly deferred charging models. Currently supported options include:

  • Shopify Payments (full support for all pre-order models)
  • PayPal (supports most pre-order types)
  • Cybersource potentially. As of late 2025, we’ve heard reports from merchants that Cybersource is supported for deferred charges as well.

Third-party gateways often don’t support deferred charging. Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay also have limitations with charge-later pre-orders. Shopify automatically hides incompatible payment providers at checkout for pre-order products.

Installing a Pre-order App

We’ll use PreProduct as an example, though the general process can apply to other pre-order apps.

Step 1: Install from Shopify App Store
Search “pre-order” in the Shopify App Store and install your chosen app. PreProduct offers a free trial and/or a commission-only plan to test functionality.

Do more with Shopify apps

Step 2: Integration Based on Theme Version

For Shopify 2.0 Themes (Recommended):
If your app doesn’t support auto-install, then you’ll need to add it’s ‘app block’ from the Shopify Customize editor:

  1. Navigate to your theme customizer
  2. Select the product template
  3. Drag and drop the pre-order app block where you want it to appear (typically above the add-to-cart button)
  4. Save changes

For Shopify 1.0 Themes:
Again, if your app doesn’t support auto-install, then you’ll need to add it’s snippet code to your theme:

  1. Access Theme Code Editor from the “Online store” section of your Shopify admin.
  2. Locate your product template file (usually found in the snippets directory
    within a file like: product-template.liquid, add-to-cart-button.liquid or product-form.liquid)
  3. Add the app’s snippet code above the buy button’s <button> tag.
  4. Save changes

Most modern themes use Shopify 2.0, making integration significantly simpler. (PreProduct supports auto-install for most themes, but not all.)

Listing Your First Pre-order Product

After integration, you’ll need to configure your first pre-order listing. This can be done in an automation/rule type setup, or manually product by product.

Step 1: Select Product or Variant
Choose which products or specific variants to list as pre-order. Advanced apps allow variant-specific pre-ordering, so you can pre-order only out-of-stock sizes or colors while keeping others available for immediate purchase.

Step 2: Choose Payment Model
Select your preferred payment approach: charge upfront, charge later, deposit, or capture-only.

Step 3: Set Estimated Delivery Date
Provide a realistic delivery timeframe. This date appears to customers and can be updated as circumstances change.

Step 4: Configure Pre-order Limits (Optional)
Decide whether to limit quantity to create scarcity or leave unlimited to maximize demand insights.

Step 5: Add Early-Bird Discount (Optional)
Set discount pricing to incentivize early commitment.

Step 6: Customize Messaging
Once you’ve listed your first pre-order, check the front-end wording on your product, cart, and checkout screen. If it doesn’t match your brand voice oe clearly communicate the pre-order, change it via the apps’s “customise wording” screen.

Listing a product for pre-order

Fulfillment Holds and Order Management

Pre-order apps automatically often place fulfillment holds on pre-order items, preventing them from flowing prematurely to your 3PL, ERP, or fulfillment system. This ensures pre-orders stay isolated until you’re ready to ship.

When inventory arrives and you’re ready to fulfill:

  1. If using charge-later, capture-only or deposit pre-orders, trigger payment from your app
  2. If using charge-upfront pre-orders, trigger fulfillment from your app.
  3. Either of the above ways will release the fulfillment hold on the Shopify order, changing it from status: “On hold” to “Unfulfilled”.
  4. Orders flow to your fulfillment system like regular orders

Apps can also offer auto-charge automation based on inventory levels in Shopify, streamlining this process.

Marketing Your Pre-orders

Strong marketing turns a product announcement into a successful pre-order campaign.

Building Anticipation Before Launch

Start marketing before your pre-order period opens:

Tease the Product:
Share behind-the-scenes content, product development updates, or sneak peeks to build curiosity.

Build an Email Waitlist:
Collect email addresses from interested customers, giving you a ready audience when pre-orders open.

Create Countdown Content:
Use countdown timers on your website and social media to create urgency as the pre-order launch approaches.

Launch Day Strategies

When pre-orders open, maximize visibility:

Email Your Full List:
Send dedicated announcement emails to your entire subscriber base, highlighting early-bird pricing and limited quantities if applicable.

Social Media Blitz:
Post across all platforms simultaneously. Use Stories, Reels, and posts to reach different audience segments.

Influencer and Partner Outreach:
Coordinate with influencers, affiliates, and partners to amplify your announcement.

Press and Media:
For significant launches, reach out to relevant media outlets and bloggers in your niche.

Paid Advertising:
Run targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, or other platforms to reach beyond your existing audience.

Creating Urgency and Scarcity

Drive conversions by emphasizing time-sensitivity:

Early-Bird Pricing:
Time-limited or quantity-limited discounts reward fast action.

Limited Quantities:
If you’re capping pre-orders, display remaining spots to encourage immediate purchase.

Exclusive Bonuses:
Offer pre-order-only bonuses that won’t be available at launch.

Tiered Pricing:
Show how pricing increases over time, motivating customers to buy now rather than later.

Ongoing Campaign Management

Pre-order campaigns span weeks or months. Maintain momentum:

Planning marketing

Regular Updates:
Email your pre-order customers with production updates, shipping progress, and exciting milestones.

Social Proof:
Share testimonials, unboxing videos, or endorsements from early customers or influencers.

Retargeting:
Run retargeting ads to website visitors who viewed the pre-order product but didn’t purchase.

Referral Incentives:
Encourage pre-order customers to refer friends in exchange for discounts or bonuses.

Customer Communication Best Practices

Clear communication throughout the pre-order period builds trust and reduces cancellations. Our data shows that approximately 5.4% of pre-orders get cancelled on average, with proper communication helping minimize this rate.

Front-End Messaging

Product Page:
Clearly indicate this is a pre-order, not an immediately available product. Display estimated delivery dates prominently.

Cart and Checkout:
Remind customers about pre-order status and delivery timelines during checkout. If you allow mixed carts (combining pre-order and ready-to-ship items), note that orders may ship in multiple shipments. Depending on your warehouse/3PL software and your Shopify split shipping settings.

From our data, 37.9% of stores permit mixed carts, with most merchants preferring isolated pre-order workflows to avoid complicated fulfilment workflows.

Email Communication Strategy

Order Confirmation:
Send immediate confirmation with order details, estimated delivery date, and what customers can expect next.

Progress Updates:
Send periodic emails (every 2-4 weeks for long lead times) with production updates, photos, or milestones reached.

Shipping Notifications:
Alert customers when products ship, providing tracking information and estimated arrival dates.

Pre-Fulfillment Reminder:
For charge-later or deposit-balance orders, consider setting up an upcoming charge email to give customers a 24 hour or so heads-up before their card is charged.

Customer Portals

Quality pre-order apps offer customer portals where buyers can:

  • View order status and progress
  • See real-time estimated shipping dates
  • Access payment schedules (for multi-step payments)
  • Request cancellations if needed
  • Update shipping information

This self-service approach reduces support inquiries while giving customers transparency and control.

Customer shopping

Legal Requirements and Compliance

Understanding legal obligations protects your business and builds customer trust. The below is a general guide, and you should always consult with a legal expert to ensure you’re compliant with your local laws and regulations.

FTC 30-Day Shipping Rule

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule requires that if you advertise a delivery timeframe, you must ship within that time. If you don’t specify a timeframe, you must ship within 30 days of receiving payment.

For Pre-orders:

  • Clearly state estimated delivery dates
  • If delays occur, notify customers promptly and offer options to cancel with full refund
  • Don’t charge payment until you can ship within the promised timeframe (or use charge-later models)

Required Disclosures

Be transparent about:

  • Pre-order status: Clearly indicate products aren’t immediately available
  • Delivery timelines: Provide realistic estimates, not guarantees
  • Payment terms: Explain when payment will be charged
  • Cancellation policy: Outline how customers can cancel and receive refunds

Refund Policies

Establish clear refund policies for pre-orders. Most merchants offer:

  • Full refunds before production begins
  • Partial refunds after production starts (to cover committed costs)
  • No refunds after shipping

State your policy clearly on product pages and in order confirmation emails.

International Considerations

If you are non-US based or selling globally, research requirements for:

Different regions have varying rules about pre-order disclosures, refund rights, and delivery timeframes. We also have a brief guide on pre-order legal requirements for various countries.

Shopify pre-order Shipping en route

Measuring Pre-order Success

Track these metrics to optimize your pre-order strategy over time.

Key Performance Indicators

Conversion Rate:
Percentage of product page visitors who complete pre-orders. Compare to your regular product conversion rates to understand if pre-order messaging affects purchase decisions.

Pre-order Volume:
Total number of pre-orders taken. This validates demand and informs inventory planning.

Average Order Value (AOV):
Revenue per pre-order transaction. Pre-orders often have higher AOV due to early-bird bundles or customers committing to premium versions.

Cancellation Rate:
Percentage of pre-orders cancelled before fulfillment. Rates above 8-10% may indicate overly long lead times, poor communication, or pricing issues.

Email Engagement:
Open and click rates for pre-order update emails. High engagement indicates customers remain excited; declining engagement may signal need for more compelling updates.

Time to Sell Out:
If you limit quantities, how quickly do pre-orders sell out? This measures demand intensity and can inform future launch strategies.

Analytics and Reporting

Use your pre-order app’s built-in analytics to track:

  • Daily pre-order volume trends
  • Traffic sources driving pre-orders
  • Variant-level performance
  • Geographic distribution of pre-orders
  • Payment model preferences

Integrate with Google Analytics using UTM parameters to track:

  • Which marketing channels drive highest pre-order conversions
  • Customer journey from awareness to pre-order
  • Retargeting campaign effectiveness
Measuring pre-order success

A/B Testing Opportunities

Optimize your pre-order campaigns by testing:

  • Early-bird discount amounts: Does 15% convert better than 20%?
  • Delivery date framing: “Ships in March” vs. “Estimated delivery: 90-120 days”
  • Payment models: Does your audience prefer charge-later or deposit approaches?
  • Pre-order button text: “Pre-order Now” vs. “Reserve Yours” vs. “Get Early Access”
  • Urgency messaging: Limited quantity vs. limited time vs. both

ROI Calculation

Calculate return on investment for pre-order campaigns:

Pre-order ROI = (Revenue - Campaign Costs - Product Costs) / Campaign Costs × 100

Campaign costs include:

  • Marketing and advertising spend
  • App subscription fees
  • Email platform costs
  • Influencer or partner fees
  • Content creation expenses

Factor in the value of early cash flow, which can be invested in production or growth while regular sales models require waiting for inventory.

Pre-order cash flow

Troubleshooting Common Pre-order Issues

Even well-planned campaigns encounter challenges. Here’s how to address common problems.

Payment Charge Failures

Problem: Customer’s vaulted card fails when you attempt to charge for charge-later or deposit balance pre-orders (card expired, cancelled, or insufficient funds).

Solutions:

  • Send automated email requesting updated payment information
  • Provide customer portal where buyers can update cards easily
  • Build in multiple retry attempts with updated payment details before cancellation
  • For deposit models, the upfront payment provides some revenue even if balance charge fails
  • Use payment recovery workflows to capture updated card details

Theme Compatibility Issues

Problem: Pre-order button doesn’t display correctly or conflicts with theme design.

Solutions:

  • Check that your theme supports Shopify 2.0 app blocks (most modern themes do)
  • Contact app support for theme-specific integration assistance. Whilst Shopify themes are standardized in lots of ways, there can still be big differences in how they work. Especially if you have a custom theme built especially for your store.
  • Test across devices and browsers to identify specific compatibility issues

Inventory Sync Problems

Problem: Pre-order availability doesn’t update correctly when stock levels change.

Solutions:

  • Verify app has proper permissions to access inventory data
  • Check if you’re using inventory management integrations that may conflict
  • In PreProduct, we don’t turn on automations autoamtically, so you will need to turn them on via the app’s “automations” screen.
  • Coordinate with 3PL or ERP provider to ensure inventory feeds are accurate

Customer Notification Delays

Problem: Automated emails aren’t sending or arrive late.

Solutions:

  • If sending from the pre-order app’s email domain, consider adding a custom sender so you can have emails sent from your own domain.
  • Verify email settings and SMTP configuration in app
  • Test email deliverability with test orders
  • Use transactional email services (Klaviyo, SendGrid) for improved delivery

Fulfillment Hold Confusion

Problem: Pre-order items accidentally ship early or fulfillment system attempts to process before ready.

Solutions:

  • Double-check fulfillment hold settings in app
  • Setup tag based workflows if your 3PL does not support fulfillment holds. A lot of pre-order apps will add a tag of “pre-order” on any order containing a pre-order item.
  • Train fulfillment staff to recognize pre-order indicators
  • Some ERPs and 3PLs will have ‘virtual warehouses’ which are designed to have pre-order stocked allocated to, as opposed to a real warehouse location.
Shopify pre-order Shipping

Managing Delays

Problem: Production or shipping delays push delivery dates beyond original estimates.

Solutions:

  • Communicate proactively as soon as delays are known
  • Explain the reason honestly (supply chain, quality control, etc.)
  • Offer options: wait with bonus incentive, partial refund, or full cancellation
  • Update estimated delivery dates across all touchpoints
  • Over-communicate during delay periods to maintain trust

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Shopify have built-in pre-orders?

Yes, Shopify has a “continue selling when out of stock” checkbox that allows zero stock products to pass through checkout. However, it only supports charge-upfront models and lacks advanced features like automated customer communication, multiple payment models, and detailed analytics. Most serious pre-order campaigns benefit from dedicated apps.

What payment methods work with Shopify pre-orders?

Shopify Payments and PayPal support all pre-order payment models. Third-party payment gateways often don’t support deferred charging (charge-later models). Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay have limitations with certain pre-order types. Shopify automatically hides incompatible payment options at checkout.

Can I offer partial payment or deposits?

Yes, with pre-order apps that support deposit models. Customers pay a percentage upfront (typically 10-50%), with the remaining balance charged when you’re ready to ship. This balances cash flow needs with customer comfort, especially for higher-priced items.

How do I handle pre-order cancellations?

Pre-orders can be cancelled through standard Shopify order cancellation procedures or via your pre-order app. Quality pre-order apps offer customer portals where buyers can request cancellations directly. Your refund policy is at your discretion.

What apps are best for Shopify pre-orders?

Popular options include PreProduct (comprehensive features and all of the pre-order types listed in this guide), Purple Dot, Amai PreOrder Manager, and PreOrder Globo. Choose based on required payment models, automation needs, and budget.

Are there legal requirements for pre-orders?

Yes. In the US, the FTC 30-day rule requires shipping within stated timeframes or within 30 days if no timeframe is specified. You must notify customers of delays and offer cancellation options. Other countries have similar consumer protection requirements. Always clearly disclose pre-order status, delivery estimates, and refund policies.

How long should a pre-order period be?

According to our data analyzing over one million pre-orders, 121-150 days represents the most common fulfillment window (28.1%), while 20.6% ship within 30 days. Your timeline should match production realities plus buffer for delays. Shorter is generally better for maintaining customer excitement and reducing cancellations.

Can I mix pre-order and regular products in the same cart?

Yes, although only 37.9% of stores in our dataset permit mixed carts. A lot of merchants prefer isolated pre-order workflows to avoid confusion with their fulfilment workflows. However, mixed carts are totally do-able and can be a great way to increase average order value. If you allow mixed carts, we reccomend placing some test pre-orders first to see if your 3PL and ERP handle fulilment holds, or whether a rule based workflow is needed.

How do pre-orders affect my Shopify inventory management?

Pre-order apps place fulfillment holds on pre-order items, preventing them from flowing to your 3PL or fulfillment system prematurely. This keeps pre-orders separate from regular orders. When ready to fulfill, you release holds and orders process normally. Advanced apps integrate with Shopify inventory systems to trigger automatic charging when stock arrives.

What’s the typical pre-order cancellation rate?

Across our platform, approximately 5.4% of pre-orders get cancelled on average, with 2023 seeing the highest rate at 7.1%. Cancellation rates increase with longer lead times and poor communication. Keep customers engaged with regular updates and realistic delivery estimates to minimize cancellations.

Should I offer early-bird discounts for pre-orders?

Early-bird discounts (typically 10-20% off) create urgency and reward early commitment. They help gauge initial demand quickly and can accelerate word-of-mouth marketing. Test different discount levels to find the sweet spot between incentivizing purchases and maintaining margins.

How do I prevent pre-order items from shipping early?

Pre-order apps automatically apply fulfillment holds to prevent premature shipping. These holds integrate with Shopify’s fulfillment system, blocking orders from flowing to 3PLs or ERPs until you’re ready. When inventory arrives, you release holds manually or through automated triggers based on inventory levels.

Conclusion

Pre-orders represent a powerful strategy for Shopify stores looking to validate demand, improve cash flow, and build marketing momentum around product launches. With over $85.3 million in pre-order revenue processed through PreProduct alone, it’s clear that merchants across industries are leveraging pre-orders successfully.

The key to successful pre-order campaigns comes down to:

  • Choosing the right payment model for your product and lead time
  • Setting realistic delivery timelines with buffer for delays
  • Communicating clearly and frequently with customers
  • Marketing strategically to build urgency and maintain momentum
  • Measuring performance to optimize future campaigns

Whether you’re launching your first product, managing out-of-stock bestsellers, or building hype for seasonal releases, pre-orders let you take orders and revenue sooner while keeping customers informed and engaged.

Ready to start taking pre-orders on Shopify? PreProduct offers comprehensive pre-order management with charge upfront, charge later, deposit, and capture-only payment models, plus automated customer communication, fulfillment controls, and detailed analytics. Start your free trial today and see how pre-orders can transform your product launches.

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