Introduction

Pre-orders turn waiting into an asset: you can lock in buyers, fund production runs, and improve cash flow. But the wrong app creates confusion, double-sells, or reporting headaches.

This guide explains what a pre-order app does, why it matters, how to choose the best shopify pre order app for your store, and how to run a profitable pre-order campaign. You will get concrete comparisons, pricing ranges, a 6-week timeline example, implementation checklists, and common mistakes with fixes. Actionable steps help whether you sell 50 units a month or 5,000 units per launch.

Use this to pick an app or refine a pre-order process that reduces refund volume, improves conversion, and gives clean inventory and accounting flows.

What is a Pre-Order App and How It Works

A pre-order app lets customers buy items that are not yet in stock and manages expectations and fulfillment triggers. It typically changes the storefront messaging, controls how inventory behaves, and integrates with checkout and order tags so you can separate pre-order sales from normal orders.

Core functions most apps provide:

Replace “Add to cart” or “Sold out” with “Pre-order” or custom CTA.
Optionally collect payments or take deposits.
Tag pre-order orders for fulfillment and reporting.
Display expected ship dates and countdown timers.
Integrate with email marketing and back-in-stock alerts.

Example flows:

Full-payment pre-order: Customer pays $120 today, order tag “preorder-paid”, fulfillment postponed until stock arrives in 6 weeks.
Deposit model: Customer pays $30 deposit, tag “preorder-deposit”; the app or manual workflow charges remaining balance later.
Two-stage inventory: Continue selling when out of stock (Shopify inventory policy), but use a pre-order app for messaging and preventing oversell beyond forecast.

Why the mechanics matter: suppose you expect 1,000 pre-orders for a new sneaker at $80 average price. If you allow unlimited pre-orders without clear shipping ETA, you risk reputational damage if fulfillment is delayed. If you cap availability or use deposits, you limit exposure and can forecast manufacturing needs more accurately.

Tagging matters for accounting: tagging orders as “preorder” keeps revenue recognition transparent and helps with partial shipments.

Technical considerations:

App should not break discount codes, gift cards, or external checkouts.
It should create order-level tags or metafields for easy filtering.
For deposit models, ensure app supports follow-up charging or integrates with a payments provider that allows scheduled captures.

Business rules to set before choosing an app:

Will you accept full payment or deposit?
How many days/weeks until shipment?
Will you cap pre-orders per SKU?
Do you need multi-location fulfillment or third-party logistics (3PL) integration?

Set these before comparing apps to avoid feature surprises during implementation.

Why Pre-Orders Can Grow Revenue and Reduce Risk

Pre-orders are a strategic tool for cash flow, demand validation, and inventory efficiency. They let you convert interest into capital and test product-market fit before committing to large production runs.

Revenue impact example:

Small brand launches a new watch. Forecast without pre-orders: 500 units at $150, inventory cost $40 per unit equals $20,000 upfront.
With pre-orders, the brand takes a $50 deposit per unit on 300 initial buyers, generating $15,000 cash that offsets initial production costs and reduces required working capital from $20,000 to $5,000.
Even a 10% conversion lift from urgency messaging can increase sales materially. If your site converts at 2%, a pre-order announcement with an early-bird discount might lift conversion to 3% - an effective 50% increase.

Operational benefits:

Demand validation prevents overstock. If pre-orders reach only 200 instead of 1,000 forecast, you can scale production down and avoid excess inventory costs.
Predictable fulfillment windows mean better logistics pricing. Consolidating one large shipment rather than multiple small replenishments can cut per-unit shipping by 10-30%.
Marketing ROI is clearer. Pre-order campaigns measure intent (conversion on a preorder landing page) and allow optimization before full launch.

When pre-orders hurt:

If you accept unlimited pre-orders without a reliable supply timeline, you risk cancellations and chargebacks.
Poor communication on ship dates or lack of tracking updates leads to negative reviews and increased customer service costs.

Key metrics to track during a pre-order:

Pre-order conversion rate (visitors who click CTA that converts to preorder payment).
Refund/cancellation rate within 30 and 60 days.
Time-to-fulfill variance (actual shipping date minus promised date).
Average order value change for pre-order vs standard orders.

Set targets before launch.

Conversion rate: 1.5% to 3% depending on traffic quality.
Refunds: under 5% of pre-orders.
On-time fulfillment: at least 90% shipped by promised date.

Best Shopify Pre Order App:

how to choose (features, pricing, and selection checklist)

Choosing the best shopify pre order app starts with matching features to your business rules. Evaluate apps against these functional and business criteria.

Must-have features:

Flexible pre-order button and messaging. Ability to show expected ship dates and customize CTAs per product or collection.
Order tagging and reporting. App must tag orders as “preorder” and let you export or filter them.
Deposit or full-payment options. If you need partial payments, ensure the app supports follow-up charging or integrates with a payments platform.
Stock capping and limit controls. This prevents overselling beyond capacity.
Multi-location and draft order support. For stores using multiple fulfillment centers or 3PLs, the app must respect Shopify location inventory or allow draft order generation.

Nice-to-have features:

Countdown timers and early-bird pricing.
Automatic email sequences for updates and reminders.
Integration with Shopify Flow (Shopify Flow is a workflow automation tool) or third-party shipping/fulfillment solutions.
Customer waitlist/back-in-stock integration.

Pricing considerations:

Free tier: Good for testing but usually limits features (e.g., only full-payment preorders).
Monthly subscription: Expect $5 to $30 per month for basic apps.
Transaction or order fees: Some apps add a per-order fee of $0.25 to $1.50 on top of Shopify payments fees.
Enterprise plans: $50 to $200+ per month for advanced features, automation, and priority support.

Selection checklist (use this as a short audit when trying apps):

Does the app tag orders and export tags to CSV? Yes/No
Can you set different ship dates per variant? Yes/No
Does the app support deposit models or scheduled charges? Yes/No
Does it integrate with your 3PL or shipping provider? Yes/No
Are there any per-order fees beyond Shopify payments? Yes/No
Does the app maintain product SEO and not generate duplicate pages? Yes/No

Practical example configuration:

Store: direct-to-consumer apparel, limited run of 1,000 hoodies, ship in 8 weeks.
Requirements: full payment, cap at 1,000, show exact ship week, integration with fulfillment center.
Choose an app that supports per-variant caps, displays a ship window (week 8), tags orders “preorder-paid”, and exports filtered CSV to give to the fulfillment provider.

Testing plan before launch:

1) tags applied,

2) notification emails,

3) reporting,

4) taxes and shipping calculations,

5) merchant workflows to send purchase orders to supplier.

Live test: Run a 48-hour soft launch to email list to confirm conversions and customer support volume.

When and How to Run a Pre-Order Campaign (Timeline and Kpis)

A structured timeline reduces chaos. Use a 6-week timeline for a typical pre-order launch that includes marketing, operational setup, and post-order fulfillment.

Example 6-week timeline:

Week 0: Planning and prerequisites
Confirm supplier lead time and MOQ (minimum order quantity).
Decide on full payment or deposit model.
Choose and configure the pre-order app. Test tagging and payment flows.
Week 1: Product page and messaging
Update product pages with “pre-order” CTA, ship date, and FAQ.
Add banners and pre-launch landing page with captured emails.
Week 2: Marketing assets and early-bird setup
Create email sequence (announcement, reminder, final call).
Prepare ads and creative for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google.
Set early-bird discount (e.g., 10% off or free shipping if ordered in first 72 hours).
Week 3: Soft launch to VIPs
Invite top 1,000 subscribers or previous customers.
Monitor conversion rate; if below target, iterate on messaging.
Week 4: Full launch and ad scaling
Scale ads incrementally. Target lookalike audiences and retarget site visitors.
Monitor pre-order pace against production target (e.g., aim for 30% of projected order volume in week 1).
Week 5: Production confirmation and logistics
Issue final purchase orders to manufacturer based on pre-order count.
Confirm packaging and fulfillment timelines with 3PL.
Week 6: Shipping prep and customer updates
Send shipping window reminders and expected delivery dates.
Prepare tracking integration and phase shipments if necessary.

KPIs to track daily and weekly:

Daily pre-order count and revenue.
Conversion rate for the product page.
Cost per acquisition (CPA) from ads. Target CPA must be below allowable CAC based on product margin.
Fulfillment readiness: percentage of pre-orders allocated to confirmed production run.

Example budgeting and numbers:

Product price: $120, variable margin 60% ($72 gross margin).
Advertising target CPA: $30. If CPA $30 and conversion rate 2%, cost per sale = CPA / conversion? Actually CPA is cost per acquisition; to acquire X customers at $30 each.
If you want 500 pre-orders: ad budget = 500 * $30 = $15,000.
If you instead rely on email to convert 150 pre-orders at 5% conversion from a 3,000 email send, that saves $4,500 in ad spend.

Fulfillment staging:

If production is delivered in waves, set partial shipments in the app or use “backorder” options to fulfill in prioritized batches.
Communicate transparently: send shipping updates and an FAQ on returns and cancellations.

Tools and Resources

Core app options and complementary tools to evaluate. Always verify latest pricing and reviews in the Shopify App Store.

Pre-order app types:

Shopify native configuration
Cost: Free
Notes: Use Shopify inventory policy “Continue selling when out of stock” plus manual messaging. Minimal cost but requires manual tagging and no deposit management.
Pre-Order Manager (AA-Team)
Typical pricing: Free plan available; paid plans $4.99 to $19.99 per month; some per-order fees possible.
Strengths: Per-variant control, order tagging, and simple UI.
PreOrderly (or similar popular third-party apps)
Typical pricing: Free trial; paid $9 to $29 per month with automation and email sequences.
Strengths: Deposit support, countdown timers, early-bird pricing features.
Back in Stock and Waitlist apps (e.g., Back In Stock by Back In Stock)
Cost: $29+ per month for waitlist features.
Use case: Good for restock notification combined with pre-order signups.
Deposit and payment platforms
Shopify Payments: Use for full payments. No additional app needed but scheduled captures are limited.
Recharge or partial-payment plugins: May be used for subscriptions or repeat payments; check compatibility with pre-order workflow.

Complementary tools:

Klaviyo or Omnisend for segmented email flows and automated pre-order updates.
Pricing: Klaviyo has free tier to 250 contacts; paid plans scale by contact count.
Shopify Flow for automation (available on Shopify Plus or certain plans)
Use case: Auto-tagging, routing pre-orders to specific fulfillment flows.
3PL integrations such as ShipBob, ShipStation, or Deliverr
Pricing: Varies; ShipBob charges based on storage and fulfillment per order. Verify lead times to match ship dates.

Decision tips:

Small shops with low volume can use Shopify’s native method and a simple app that adds CTA text.
Brands taking deposits and running limited editions need apps that handle deposits, caps, and scheduled communications.
Enterprise or multi-location merchants should prioritize apps that respect Shopify location inventory and offer robust exports or API access.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Vague or missing ship dates

Problem: Customers order without a clear ETA, causing complaints and refunds.
Fix: Always include a specific ship week or date range and update customers proactively when delays occur.

Not tagging or segmenting pre-orders

Problem: Pre-orders mix with regular orders, making fulfillment and accounting complex.
Fix: Use an app that tags orders as “preorder” and build reporting or Shopify Flow rules to separate them.

Allowing unlimited pre-orders without capacity planning

Problem: Overcommitting inventory, leading to refunds or delayed shipping.
Fix: Set hard caps per SKU or use deposits to limit overexposure and fund production.

Ignoring taxes and shipping workflows

Problem: Pre-orders may require tax treatment or different shipping rules.
Fix: Test tax computation and shipping profile behavior for pre-order orders during sandbox tests.

Poor customer communication during delays

Problem: Delays without updates lead to chargebacks and lost customers.
Fix: Schedule email updates at 2-week, 1-week, and 24-hour intervals before expected ship date and provide tracking once shipped.

FAQ

What is the Best Shopify Pre Order App for Taking Deposits?

Deposit support varies. Look for apps that explicitly advertise deposit or partial-payment features and scheduled balance collection. If you need recurring charges, verify compatibility with your payment provider.

Can I Run Pre-Orders Without an App?

Yes. Shopify allows “continue selling when out of stock” in inventory settings. That method requires manual messaging and operational tagging but has zero app cost.

It lacks advanced features like capped pre-orders, timer widgets, or deposit handling.

Will Pre-Orders Affect My Accounting and Taxes?

Pre-orders can affect revenue recognition. Full payments received before delivery may still be taxable; consult an accountant for your jurisdiction. Tag pre-orders separately to simplify reconciliation.

How Do I Prevent Overselling During Pre-Orders?

Use an app or Shopify inventory settings to cap stock or use variant-level limits. Another approach is to accept deposits and only accept full payments once inventory is confirmed.

Do Pre-Order Apps Work with Third-Party Fulfillment?

Many do, but you must verify. Ensure the app tags orders and exports data in a format your 3PL accepts. Some apps integrate directly with ShipBob, ShipStation, or Deliverr.

How Do I Handle Returns on Pre-Orders?

Define clear return policies in the product page and pre-order confirmation email. Decide whether returns are allowed after shipment and whether deposits are refundable on cancellation.

Next Steps

Define your business rules right now: full payment or deposit, per-variant caps, ship ETA, and refund policy. Put these in writing and share with your team.
Run a 5-order sandbox test in Shopify: install candidate pre-order apps, create test SKUs, and verify tagging, email flows, tax calculation, and shipping profile behavior.
Choose an app based on your checklist and cost tolerance. Start with a short trial or free plan, then scale to paid once you confirm the workflow.
Launch a 2-week soft pre-order to your email list with an early-bird incentive. Measure conversion, refund rate, and support tickets, and iterate before broad advertising.

Best Shopify Pre Order App Guide