Pre-orders and back orders serve different purposes: pre-orders capture demand for a product not yet in stock (before launch or next season), while back orders capture sales for a product that's temporarily out of stock but will be replenished. WooCommerce handles both through the "back orders allowed" setting on each product. Shopify's native handling is simpler — continue selling when out of stock — but apps add the messaging and payment features needed for proper pre-order management.

WooCommerce pre-order and back order options

WooCommerce built-in settings per product:

"Do not allow" back orders — standard out-of-stock behaviour
"Allow, but notify customer" — item ordered but customer told it may be delayed
"Allow" — item ordered with no notification

For more advanced pre-order functionality (deposit payments, launch date countdown, pre-order labelling), WooCommerce stores typically add a plugin: Pre-Orders for WooCommerce (Woo extension), YITH Pre-Order, or a custom implementation.

Shopify's native back order handling

Shopify's equivalent of WooCommerce's "allow back orders" is the "Continue selling when out of stock" checkbox, set per product variant:

Product editor → Inventory section → enable "Continue selling when out of stock"
With this enabled, variants can be added to cart and ordered even when inventory quantity is zero or negative
Shopify does not add any automatic "back order" label or messaging — the product appears normal to customers

This works for simple back orders where you want to accept orders without adding friction. For pre-orders with expected delivery dates and pre-order labelling, add a pre-order app.

Pre-order apps for Shopify

App	Key features	Price
Pre-Order Now by Website on Demand	Pre-order button replace, expected ship date, email notifications, back-in-stock alerts	Free / $19.95/mo+
Timify Pre‑Order & Back Order	Partial payment (deposit), pre-order badge, automated email when item ships	$9.99/mo+
Crowdfunder — Pre‑Sales	Crowdfunding-style pre-orders with progress bar, minimum order threshold before production	$19/mo+
Appikon Back In Stock	Email/SMS alerts when a product comes back in stock; manages back order intent	Free / $10/mo+

Pre-order messaging and expected delivery

The most important element of a pre-order product page is clear communication about when the item ships. In Shopify, add this as:

A metafield containing the expected dispatch date: product.metafields.inventory.expected_dispatch_date = "March 2026"
Pre-order apps display this date automatically on the product page and in checkout
Without an app: add the expected date to the product description and a sticky banner on the product page (via theme customisation)

Deposit/partial payment pre-orders

Some stores take a deposit on pre-orders (e.g. 50% deposit, balance due on dispatch). This requires a pre-order app — Shopify's native checkout does not support split payments:

Timify and some others support partial payment: customer pays a deposit amount at checkout, remainder charged automatically or manually when the item ships
Partial payment pre-orders are more complex to manage and communicate — only worth the complexity for high-value items (furniture, limited edition products)

UK consumer rights for pre-orders

Under UK consumer law:

Delivery time estimate given at point of sale is a contract term — if significantly delayed, customers have the right to a refund
Pre-order customers must be notified promptly of material delays
If you cannot fulfil a pre-order, you must refund the customer without them having to request it
Distance Selling Regulations: customers have 14-day right to cancel a pre-order that hasn't shipped yet

Build a pre-order cancellation process into your workflow — pre-orders require active management, not just a set-and-forget configuration.

Post-migration pre-order and back order checklist

WooCommerce products with "allow back orders" identified and set to "continue selling when out of stock" in Shopify
Pre-order app installed if pre-order labelling or expected delivery messaging required
Expected dispatch metafield populated for pre-order products
Pre-order button text customised ("Pre-order" not "Add to cart")
Customer notification email configured for when pre-order items ship
Back-in-stock alert app configured (Appikon or similar) for products that go out of stock regularly
Pre-order cancellation process documented for customer service team

Shopify pre-orders and back orders after migrating from WooCommerce (2026)