How to set up Pre-Orders on Shopify
What Is a Shopify Pre-Order?
A Shopify pre-order allows customers to order a product before it is officially released, restocked, or available for immediate delivery. Instead of waiting for the product to become available, customers can reserve it in advance.
Pre-orders are useful in different situations. An established brand might use them to test demand for a new release, while a startup might use them to validate a first product before investing heavily in production. In both cases, pre-orders can help measure interest, collect early sales, and reduce uncertainty.
When and Why Would You Offer Pre-Orders?
Selling physical products can be risky and expensive. Creating inventory before knowing whether customers will buy it often depends on assumptions rather than real demand. Pre-orders can help you validate demand before investing in manufacturing or large stock quantities.
Running a physical goods business can also be complicated because:
- Products often involve multiple third-party suppliers.
- Goods may need to be shipped from different vendors to you or your assembly partner.
- Final products often need packaging before they are ready to ship.
This process can involve design work, sourcing, production, packaging, and back-and-forth communication with suppliers. It can also take weeks before stock is ready to sell.
Pre-orders allow brands to start collecting orders while production or restocking is still in progress. Instead of waiting until everything is ready, you can begin building demand earlier and get a clearer picture of how much interest there is.
Pre-orders can also be useful when testing a minimum viable product, or MVP. This approach is common in software, but it can also work in eCommerce. With strong visuals, product mockups, and a clear delivery timeline, a store can test whether customers are interested before committing to a full production run.
For Shopify store owners, pre-orders can help measure demand, support manufacturing decisions, build anticipation, and reduce the risk of overstocking. Customers may also see pre-orders as a chance to secure a limited product or become one of the first people to receive a new item.
Types of Pre-Orders
There are several types of pre-orders you can use depending on your product, payment setup, and customer expectations.
Pay now: Customers go through the regular checkout process and pay when they place the order. This option works well when you are confident about delivery timelines, but it is important to communicate shipping dates clearly.
Pay later: Customers reserve the product, but payment is collected later when the item becomes available. This can be useful for measuring demand or building a marketing list, but you should make sure your data collection follows relevant privacy rules.
Crowdfunding: This is similar to the pay-now model because funds are collected before products are shipped. It is often used by startups or brands launching new products that require upfront demand before production.
How to Enable Shopify Pre-Orders
There are two common ways to enable pre-orders on Shopify: using a pre-order app or creating a custom product template. For most store owners, using an app is the simplest option.
Using Pre-Order Apps
Shopify pre-order apps allow you to sell products before they are available without manually editing your theme code. Each app has its own setup process and features, so choose one that fits your store’s needs.
Popular Shopify pre-order apps include:
Using an app is usually the best choice if you want a faster setup, automatic button changes, product badges, scheduled availability dates, or pre-order messaging without touching code.
Authorizing Pre-Order Payments
Before accepting pre-orders, it is important to decide how you want to handle payments. In some cases, you may want to authorize the payment first and capture it later when the product is ready.
You should also make sure customers clearly understand that the product is not available for immediate shipping. This helps avoid confusion, refund requests, and negative customer experiences.
1. Log in to Shopify: Open your Shopify admin dashboard.
2. Open settings: Click Settings in the lower-left corner.
3. Go to payments: Select Payments.
4. Adjust payment authorization: Find the payment authorization section and choose the option to manually capture payment for orders.
5. Save your changes: Click Save to apply the setting.
Keep in mind that payment authorization periods can be limited depending on the payment provider. If you need a longer pre-order window, check whether your payment method supports it or consider using a dedicated pre-order app.
Adding a Pre-Order Product Template
You can also create a dedicated pre-order product template in Shopify. This method is more technical and may depend on your theme structure, so it is best used if you are comfortable editing theme code or working with a developer.
1. Log in to Shopify: Open your Shopify admin dashboard.
2. Open your theme files: Go to Online Store → Themes.
3. Edit your theme code: On your active theme, click Actions, then select Edit code.
4. Create a new product template: In the templates section, click Add a new template.
5. Name the template: Choose product as the template type and name it pre-order.
6. Create the template: Shopify will open the new template in the code editor.
7. Connect the template to a pre-order section: Depending on your theme, you may need to replace the standard product section reference with a pre-order product section. For example, a legacy theme may use code like this:
{% section 'product-template' %}You may replace it with:
{% section 'product-pre-order-template' %}8. Save the template: Click Save.
9. Create a pre-order section: Go to Sections and click Add a new section.
10. Name the section: Enter product-pre-order-template as the section name.
11. Copy the product section code: Copy the contents of your original product section into the new pre-order section.
12. Change the button text: In the new pre-order section, update the add-to-cart button text so it displays “Pre-order” instead of “Add to cart.” The exact code depends on your theme.
13. Assign the template to a product: Go to Products, open the product you want to sell as a pre-order, and find the theme template option.
14. Select the pre-order template: Choose product.pre-order from the template dropdown.
15. Save the product: Click Save.
16. Allow out-of-stock purchases if needed: If the item is not currently in stock, enable the option that allows customers to purchase the product when it is out of stock.
Best Practices for Shopify Pre-Orders
Pre-orders can increase revenue and help you avoid missed sales, but they need to be handled carefully. Clear communication is the most important part of a successful pre-order setup.
Make sure your product page clearly explains that the item is a pre-order. Include the estimated shipping date, payment terms, refund policy, and any possible delays. Customers should understand exactly what they are buying before they complete checkout.
It is also helpful to send order updates if the timeline changes. A short, honest update can prevent frustration and help maintain trust.
Looking for more ways to improve your Shopify store? Check out our article on adding social share buttons to Shopify.