Pre-Orders and Back-in-Stock Alerts on Shopify: Selling Products Before They Arrive

An out-of-stock product page is one of the most expensive dead ends in a store. The visitor wanted the product, found it, and left with nothing. Pre-orders and back-in-stock alerts on Shopify turn that moment into either a sale now or a sale later, and they can also help you fund inventory, test demand for new products and smooth out launch day.

They also create obligations. Once you take money for something you do not have yet, you are responsible for delivery dates, communication and refunds. This guide covers the main pre-order models, how to handle inventory and messaging, how back-in-stock alerts fit in, and when an app is enough versus when a custom build makes sense.

When Pre-Orders Make Sense (and When Alerts Are Better)

Pre-orders and back-in-stock alerts solve related but different problems.

Pre-orders work best when:

• You have a confirmed incoming shipment with a reasonably reliable date.
• The product is in high demand and customers are willing to wait.
• You are launching something new and want to gauge demand or fund the first production run.
• The product is made to order or produced in batches.

Back-in-stock alerts work best when:

• You do not know when (or if) the item will return.
• The restock date is unreliable, such as with suppliers who often slip.
• The product is cheap enough that customers are unlikely to commit money in advance.
• You want to measure demand before placing a reorder.

Many stores use both: pre-orders for items with a confirmed restock date, alerts for everything else. Some switch a product from "notify me" to "pre-order" as soon as a purchase order is confirmed.

Pre-Order Payment Models on Shopify

How you charge the customer is the biggest decision. Each model has different effects on cash flow, cancellations and customer trust.

1. Full payment upfront

The customer pays the full price at checkout, just like a normal order. The order sits unfulfilled until stock arrives.

• Pros: Simplest to run. Best for cash flow. Works with almost any pre-order app.
• Cons: Customers are more hesitant to pay for something they will not receive for weeks. Refunds are needed if you cancel. If the wait is long, customers may forget what they bought and dispute the charge.

2. Deposit now, balance later

The customer pays part of the price (often 10% to 50%) at checkout and the remainder when the product ships.

• Pros: Lower barrier to commit. Useful for expensive or custom items like furniture, bikes or made-to-order goods.
• Cons: Collecting the balance can fail if the card has expired or been replaced. You need a clear process for chasing failed payments and a policy for what happens to the deposit.

3. Pay later (no charge until shipping)

The customer's payment details are saved at checkout, and the charge happens when the product ships or at a set date.

• Pros: Lowest friction for the customer. Very few refund requests.
• Cons: Some charges will fail at shipping time, and you have not been paid while waiting. Card authorizations generally expire after a short period (commonly around a week), so for longer waits you need a vaulted payment method rather than a simple authorization.

Deposit and pay-later models on Shopify are built on selling plans, the same system that powers subscriptions. Selling plans can define deferred or partial payments and when the remaining amount is collected. Most pre-order apps use them behind the scenes. Availability of certain deferred payment options can depend on your payment provider and plan, so confirm with Shopify Payments or your gateway before designing around a specific model.

Delivery Dates and Messaging

Most pre-order complaints are not about waiting. They are about surprise. Customers who clearly understood the wait tend to be patient. Customers who thought the item was in stock are not.

On the product page

• Change the button label from "Add to cart" to "Pre-order" so nobody mistakes it for an in-stock item.
• Show an estimated shipping window near the button, such as "Ships between September 10 and 20". A window is more honest than a single date.
• Explain the payment model in one line: "Pay in full today" or "Pay a 20% deposit today, the rest when it ships".
• Link to a short pre-order policy covering cancellations and delays.

In the cart and checkout

This is where many setups fall short. Use line item properties or cart attributes so the pre-order status and estimated date show next to the item in the cart and appear on the order. If a customer mixes in-stock and pre-order items, tell them how that affects shipping: will everything ship together when the pre-order arrives, or will you split the shipment (and who pays for the second one)?

After the order

• Confirmation email that repeats the estimated date and payment terms.
• A status update at least every few weeks for long waits, even if the news is "still on track".
• An immediate notice if the date slips, with a clear option to cancel.

Know the legal basics

Rules vary by country, so get proper advice for your markets. In the US, for example, the FTC's Mail, Internet or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule generally requires you to have a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state (or to ship within 30 days if you state none), to notify customers of delays, and to give them the option to cancel for a refund. EU and UK consumer laws have their own delivery and cancellation requirements. Build these into your process before you launch pre-orders, not after the first delay.

Inventory Handling for Pre-Orders

Shopify's inventory system was designed for items you have on hand, so pre-orders need some thought.

Option A: allow overselling. Turn on "Continue selling when out of stock" for the product. It is simple, but you have no automatic cap. If the incoming shipment is 500 units, nothing stops you selling 800.

Option B: set a pre-order limit. Most pre-order apps let you set a maximum quantity, and some let you set inventory to the incoming amount and sell against it. This is the safer approach for most stores.

Option C: use incoming inventory. If you create purchase orders or transfers in Shopify, incoming stock can be tracked. Some apps can use this to set pre-order caps automatically. Check whether your chosen app supports it.

A few other points to plan for:

• Allocation order. When stock arrives, fulfill pre-orders in the order they were placed. Tag pre-orders (Shopify Flow can do this automatically) so your warehouse or 3PL can find them.
• 3PL and ERP sync. Some fulfillment systems will try to ship any unfulfilled order immediately. Put pre-orders on hold with a fulfillment hold or a tag your 3PL respects, and test that end to end.
• Partial arrivals. If only 300 of 500 units arrive, decide who gets them and how you notify the rest.
• Reporting. Pre-orders inflate sales in the month they are placed but not revenue recognition. Your accountant will want to know how you are treating them.

Back-in-Stock Alerts Done Well

Back-in-stock alerts collect an email or SMS signup on sold-out product pages and notify subscribers when inventory returns. Shopify does not include a full back-in-stock alert system natively at the time of writing, so most stores use an app or their email platform.

Widely used options include dedicated back-in-stock apps and the back-in-stock features in email platforms like Klaviyo. Using your email platform's version has one big advantage: signups become profiles you can market to later, and the alert can be designed like your other emails.

Setup tips

• Variant-level signups. The customer wants the medium in blue, not "the product". Make sure the form captures the exact variant.
• Clear consent. Keep the alert signup separate from marketing consent unless the customer opts in to both. Consent rules differ by country, especially for SMS.
• Stagger notifications. If 2,000 people are waiting for 200 units, sending everyone at once creates a rush and disappointment. Many tools let you notify in batches or first come, first served.
• Include urgency honestly. "Limited stock available" is fine if true. Fake scarcity erodes trust.
• Track conversion. Measure signups per product and the percentage who purchase after the alert. That data is gold for reorder decisions.

Using signup data for purchasing

Alert signups are one of the cleanest demand signals you have. A product with 400 waiting signups and a history of converting 15% to 25% of them gives you a real basis for reorder quantity. Export this data before each purchasing cycle, or have it pushed into your inventory planning sheet automatically.

Apps vs Custom Pre-Order Builds

For most stores, a well-reviewed pre-order app plus a back-in-stock tool is the right starting point. Widely known pre-order apps include options like PreProduct, Timesact and several others in the Shopify App Store. They typically cost from free to around $100 or more per month, depending on order volume and features like deposits and partial payments.

Apps work well when:

• You use one of the standard payment models.
• Your theme is compatible with the app's button and message placement.
• Your 3PL or ERP can recognize pre-orders via tags or holds.

A custom build becomes worth considering when:

• Your products are configured or made to order, and the pre-order logic depends on options, materials or production capacity.
• You run large launches where you need allocation rules, per-customer limits, waitlist priority or staged releases to past buyers first.
• Your fulfillment stack is complex, and pre-orders must sync reliably with an ERP, production schedule or multiple warehouses.
• Several apps are conflicting. Pre-order, subscription and bundle apps all touch selling plans and cart behavior, and they sometimes fight each other.

Custom pre-order work typically ranges from a few thousand dollars for theme-level messaging, tagging and Flow automations, up to $10,000 to $30,000 or more for a full custom app with deposits, allocation and ERP integration. Our custom Shopify features team builds these when off-the-shelf tools cannot handle the logic, and our Shopify integrations work covers the connection to 3PL and ERP systems.

A Practical Launch Checklist

Before turning on pre-orders for a product:

1. Confirm the incoming quantity and a realistic delivery window with your supplier, then add a buffer.
2. Choose the payment model and confirm your payment provider supports it.
3. Set a pre-order cap below the confirmed quantity.
4. Update the product page button, date window and policy link.
5. Make sure the pre-order label shows in the cart, order confirmation and admin.
6. Tag orders automatically and set holds so they are not shipped early.
7. Test a full order, including a mixed cart, a cancellation and (for deposits) balance collection.
8. Write the delay and cancellation emails in advance.
9. Brief your support team with the dates and policies.

FAQ

Can Shopify do pre-orders without an app?

Partly. You can allow selling when out of stock and edit your theme to change the button text and add a shipping message. But you will not get pre-order caps, deposits, deferred payments or automatic tagging without an app or custom development.

What happens if my pre-order shipment is delayed?

Tell customers as soon as you know, give a new estimated window, and offer the option to cancel for a full refund. In many markets this is a legal requirement, not just good service. Proactive updates prevent most chargebacks.

Should in-stock and pre-order items be allowed in the same cart?

It depends on your shipping costs. Allowing it is friendlier, but decide in advance whether you will hold the whole order or ship in two parts. Some stores block mixed carts to keep fulfillment simple and explain why in the cart.

Do back-in-stock alerts actually convert?

They usually convert better than typical marketing emails because the subscriber asked for that exact product. Rates vary widely by product and how long the wait was. Track your own numbers per product and use them to plan reorders.

If you are planning pre-orders or a launch that needs more than an app can handle, book a free 1-hour strategy call through our contact page.