What Is the Pre-Order Feature?
The Pre-Order feature lets customers buy products that are currently out of stock. Instead of seeing an “Add to Cart” button, customers will see a “Pre-Order” button, allowing them to place an order now and receive the item later.
Why Use Pre-Orders?
✅ Continuous Sales
Sell even when items are out of stock — don’t miss out on revenue.
✅ Customer Retention
Show customers the product is coming back soon to reduce lost sales.
✅ Demand Forecasting
Use pre-order data to plan restocking more accurately.
✅ Cash Flow Boost
Collect revenue upfront to support manufacturing or restock expenses.
How to Enable Pre-Order in Shopify
*Follow these steps for each product or variant you want to make available for pre-order:
1. Log in to Shopify Admin
Go to Products and open the desired product.
2. Update Inventory Settings
✅ Check Track Quantity
✅ Enable Continue selling when out of stock
✅ Set Inventory quantity to 0 or less
3. Save Your Changes
Click Save to apply the settings.
Once enabled, the product will display a “Pre-Order” button instead of “Add to Cart.”
Behavior of the Pre-Order Button
The Pre-Order button updates automatically based on product conditions:
If inventory increases above 0, the button reverts to “Add to Cart”
If “Track Quantity” is disabled, the Pre-Order function is also disabled
If both tracking and out-of-stock sales are disabled, it changes to “Sold Out”
This ensures accurate visibility and avoids confusion for customers based on real-time inventory status.
Troubleshooting: Pre-Order Not Showing?
Check the following:
✅ “Track Quantity” is enabled.
✅ “Continue Selling When Out of Stock” is turned on.
✅ Inventory is set to 0 or below.
✅ All variants meet the same conditions.
🔁 No recent theme or app changes reset settings.
💡 Tip: Double-check each variant — one misconfigured variant can hide the Pre-Order button.
Note: For more details, read this article.