When a customer adds both pre-order and in-stock items to their cart, they may not realize that their order contains items with different delivery timelines. The Mixed Cart Alert feature displays a clear notice in the cart, informing customers that their order includes items with different delivery dates — before they proceed to checkout.
This helps reduce confusion, support inquiries, and unexpected cancellations.
What is the mixed cart alert?
The mixed cart alert is a banner that appears in the cart drawer or cart page whenever a customer's cart contains a mix of:
Pre-order items (items not yet available or awaiting fulfillment)
In-stock items (items ready to ship immediately)
The alert lets customers know upfront that their items may arrive at different times, so there are no surprises after checkout.
How to enable the mixed cart alert
In your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Notify Me! > PreOrder.
Click Settings (or navigate to the PreOrder Configurations page).
Scroll down to the Mixed order alert section.
Check the box "Show mixed cart alert in cart".
Click Save.
Once enabled, the alert will automatically appear in the cart whenever a customer has both pre-order and in-stock items.
How to customize the alert appearance
You can fully customize the look and content of the mixed cart alert from the PreOrder customization editor.
Open the customization editor
On the PreOrder Configurations page, in the Mixed order alert section, click Customize appearance. — Or go to PreOrder > Customization and select Cart from the left sidebar.
You'll see the cart preview with the mixed cart alert displayed.
Customize the alert content
On the right panel, you can configure:
Mixed cart alert — The body text of the alert. Default: "Your order contains items with different delivery dates." Click Hide to remove the body text.
Mixed cart alert title — The bold heading of the alert. Default: "Shipping Notice". Click Hide to remove the title.
Show icon — Toggle the info icon on or off.
Customize the alert style
Click into the Style section on the right panel. You can choose between:
Based on your theme (recommended) — The alert automatically inherits your store's theme styling for a seamless look.
Custom Style — Full control over the alert's visual appearance:
Setting | Description | Default value |
Alert background color | Background color of the banner |
|
Alert text color | Color of the alert text |
|
Alert icon color | Color of the info icon |
|
Alert border color | Border color around the banner |
|
Alert border radius | Corner roundness of the banner |
|
Custom CSS | Add your own CSS for advanced styling | — |
Tip: For a subtle, non-alarming look that doesn't hurt checkout conversion, we recommend keeping the default neutral gray. If you want slightly more visibility without creating urgency, try a light blue: background #EBF5FA, text #1A1A1A, icon #005BD3, border #B5D5E8.
Where the alert appears
The mixed cart alert appears in:
Cart drawer — The slide-out cart panel (if your theme uses one)
Cart page — The full cart page (
/cart)
The alert only shows when the cart contains both pre-order and in-stock items. If all items are the same type (all pre-order or all in-stock), no alert is shown.
What customers see
When the alert is active, customers see a banner near the bottom of their cart, above the checkout button. For example:
Shipping Notice Your order contains items with different delivery dates.
Pre-order items in the cart will also display a "Preorder" badge next to the product name, so customers can easily identify which items are pre-orders.
Frequently asked questions
Does this affect checkout or payment? No. The mixed cart alert is informational only. It doesn't block checkout or change any payment or shipping behavior.
Can I use this with the Split Mixed Orders feature? Yes. The mixed cart alert works independently from the Split Mixed Orders fulfillment setting. We recommend using both together — the alert informs customers before checkout, and the split fulfillment ensures proper handling on your end.
Which plans include this feature? The mixed cart alert is available on all paid plans (Starter and above).
Can I show the alert only for specific products? The alert is triggered automatically whenever the cart contains a mix of pre-order and in-stock items. It's not configurable per product — it applies globally to the cart.
Need help setting up your mixed cart alert? Contact our support team via the chat bubble in the app!
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