HKD stores/Hong Kong-based merchants who wish to use this feature have to purchase the
"Advanced Pre-Order" module or subscribe to "All-in-one OMO" plan or above.
Merchants who don't have the aforementioned module/plan but need to supply with negative inventory, please refer to: Accept Orders When Out of Stock.
Upon enabling Preorder Limit, the product details, shopping cart, and other pages on the storefront will all display "Preorder Product Note." This allows customers to understand the availability status of the product, e.g. only X item left in stock, whether one's purchase includes preorder products, and so on. Customers can then make an informed decision on whether to preorder and assess the estimated arrival time before placing their orders.
⚠️ Before you start, please be reminded:
- The system will sell in-stock items (i.e. Online Stock) first by default. Preorders are only allowed when there is no stock available.
- This feature currently does not support Retail POS plans (excluding the O2O plan and ONE Omni Channel).
This article will cover the following:
1. The "Buy" button for preorders
The system defaults to displaying the "Buy" button based on the product's inventory status. When there is available stock, it shows "Add to Cart," and when there is no stock, it displays "Preorder Now."
If you wish to modify the button text, please go to [Settings] > [Product Settings] > [Online Store] > Storefront Extension Features. Find the "Display Style of Showing the Preorder Button in the Store" section where three display options are available for you to choose from:
i. Display by availability: Show "Add to Cart" when the item is in stock; show "Preorder Now" if it is out of stock
When customers are browsing the product and it is in stock, the system will display "Add to Cart." If the product is out of stock, it will show "Preorder Now." This is the Admin's default option.
ii. Always show "Add to Cart" when available
Regardless of whether the product is in stock or not, as long as it has not exceeded the preorder limit or been unpublished, the "Add to Cart" button will be displayed when the product can be purchased.
iii. Always show "Preorder Now" when available
Regardless of whether the product is in stock or not, as long as it has not exceeded the preorder limit or been unpublished, the "Preorder Now" button will be displayed as the product can be purchased.
2. Products
Based on the "Buy" button to which the system defaults, as the Preorder Feature is enabled, regardless of whether you have set product variation or not, the feature displayed on the storefront of the online store is as follows.
| Online stock | Preorder limit | The total available for sale in the online store | Maximum negative inventory |
| 1 | 3 | 1 + 3 = 4 | -3 |
To learn more about the rules for calculating the total available for sale in the online store, please refer to [Coming Soon] Enable Preorder Feature｜Preorder Limit.
i. Purchase 1 item
When the online stock is 1 item and the preorder limit is 3, the system will prioritize selling the in-stock items (i.e. online stock). Therefore, purchasing 1 item is equivalent to buying 1 in-stock item, and the button text is "ADD TO CART."
*Note: To disable the inventory reminder indicated above, go to the SHOPLINE Admin > [Settings] > [Product Settings] > [Online Store] > Inventory Extension Features, and switch on the "Show Low Inventory Reminder in the Store" toggle for further setup.
ii. Purchase 2 items
When the online stock is 1 item, and the preorder limit is 3, the system will prioritize selling the in-stock items (i.e. online stock). Therefore, purchasing 2 items is equivalent to buying 1 in-stock item + 1 preordered item, and the button text is "Preorder Now." The shopping cart reminder will show "Insufficient stock. The purchase quantity includes preordered items."
*Note: "PREORDER WILL BE SHIPPED AFTER 30 DAYS" is a customizable preorder reminder. Should you wish to learn about the setup steps, please refer to the "Preorder Product Note" part in this article.
iii. Purchase 5 items
When the online stock is 1 item, and the preorder limit is 3, purchasing 5 items will exceed the total available for sale in the online store (1 + 3). Therefore, the button text will be "Preorder Now," and the shopping cart reminder will show "Out of stock/preorder quantity" and the customer cannot proceed to checkout.
3. Product Set
Since the Preorder Feature currently does not support Product Set, the reminder will only appear on the child product page via [Build your product set] > [Add to set] with the Preorder Feature enabled. The reminder messages include: "Only X item(s) left," "Insufficient stock. The purchase quantity includes preordered items.", and "Out of stock/preorder quantity."
*Notes:
- To disable the inventory reminder indicated above, please go to the SHOPLINE Admin > [Settings] > [Product Settings] > [Online Store] > Inventory Extension Features, and switch on the "Show Low Inventory Reminder in the Store" toggle for further setup.
- For more information related to Product Set, please refer to [Coming Soon] Product Set.
Based on the "Buy" button to which the system defaults, after the Preorder Feature is enabled, an example of a Product Set being displayed on the storefront is as follows:
4. Express Checkout Page
When the online stock is 1 item, and the preorder limit is 3, the system will prioritize selling the in-stock items (i.e. online stock). Therefore, purchasing 2 items is equivalent to buying 1 in-stock item + 1 preordered item, and the button text is "Preorder Now." The shopping cart reminder will show "Insufficient stock. The purchase quantity includes preordered items."
*Notes:
- The position of the reminder message varies depending on whether the variations are expanded or not.
- For more information related to Product Set, please refer to Express Checkout Page.
Based on the "Buy" button to which the system defaults, after the Preorder Feature is enabled, an example of an Express Checkout Page being displayed on the storefront is as follows:
5. Notes
- The "Preorder Product Note" is NOT supported in the following scenarios:
- Apply Buy X Get Y Promotion
- Wishlist page
- Fast Checkout page
- The "Preorder Product Note" will not appear on pages of certain product categories, promotions, and apps that are not supported by the Preorder Feature. If you wish to learn more about the restrictions on enabling the Preorder Feature, please refer to Enable Preorder Feature.
- The order confirmation email received by customers will display a preorder notification, but it will not show the quantity of the preordered item.
- The system does NOT support the existing orders placed before this feature is enabled, and the existing orders will not display any preorder notifications or related changes that ensue.
Read more
- [Coming Soon] Enable Preorder Feature｜Preorder Limit
- [Coming Soon] In-stock/ Preorder Products Shipped Separately｜Preorder Limit
- Product Variation and Variant | Products
Comments