How to Create Pre-Order Links on Shopify (Launch Products With Guaranteed Sales)
Launching a new product is a gamble. You order inventory based on a guess, build hype for weeks, and then hope the first day's sales justify the investment.
Pre-orders flip this. You sell before you stock. Revenue comes in before inventory costs. And you launch to a list of customers who've already paid — not a list of people who "might buy."
But pre-orders on Shopify are awkward. The native options — "Continue selling when out of stock" or draft orders — are clunky. Dedicated pre-order apps ($20-100/mo) add a "Pre-Order" button to your product page and manage fulfillment delays, which works but adds complexity and cost.
For many launches, you don't need all that. You need a link you can share — in emails, on social, to your waitlist — that takes customers straight to checkout with early-bird pricing. No browsing the store. No hunting for the product. Click, buy, done.
The Shopify Pre-Order Problem
Shopify doesn't have a native pre-order feature. The workarounds all have trade-offs:
"Continue selling when out of stock." You flip a toggle and customers can buy a product with zero inventory. Simple — but there's no indication it's a pre-order. The customer expects normal shipping. You have to manually email them about the delay. Chargebacks and complaints follow.
Draft orders. You create manual orders for each pre-order customer. Tedious for more than a handful of buyers, and you're back to the draft order problems: no analytics, no branding, no automation.
Pre-order apps. Apps like PreOrder Now ($20-50/mo) or Timesact ($30-100/mo) add a "Pre-Order" button to your product page. They handle the customer messaging and fulfillment flow. But they require shoppers to visit your product page first, and the setup takes time.
None of these solve the core launch problem: getting a link into the hands of interested buyers and making the purchase instant.
Pre-Order Links: The Simple Approach
A pre-order link is a scheduled checkout URL with early-bird pricing. You create it before launch, share it with your audience, and it handles the rest.
- Before launch: Create the link with the product, early-bird discount, and a schedule
- Announcement: Share the link everywhere — email list, social media, SMS, ads
- Pre-order window: Customers click the link and check out at the early-bird price
- Launch day: The link expires automatically. Regular-priced product goes live on your store
- After launch: You have revenue, order data, and a customer list — all before the first unit ships No pre-order app required. No "Pre-Order" button to configure. Just a link with a deadline.
Setting Up Pre-Order Links in Checkout Links
Step 1: Create the Product Link
Add your new product to a Checkout Links link. Select the specific variant(s) you're pre-selling. Set a slug that communicates pre-order energy: /early-bird, /launch-special, or /[product-name]-preorder.
Step 2: Add Early-Bird Pricing
The pre-order discount is your incentive for buying before the product exists. Simple approach: 15-20% off launch price + free shipping. Or use tiered pricing to reward bigger pre-orders: 1 unit gets 15% off, 2-3 units gets 20% off, 4+ units gets 25% off + free accessory.
Step 3: Schedule the Pre-Order Window
Set a start date (when you announce the product) and an end date (launch day, or a few days before to create urgency). Before the start date, the link doesn't work. After the end date, it expires automatically. The countdown creates real urgency: "Pre-order pricing ends February 28th."
Step 4: Add Usage Limits (Optional)
For extra urgency, cap the number of pre-orders. "First 100 pre-orders get 25% off" creates scarcity. Once 100 orders come through, the link deactivates. "One per customer" prevents resellers from buying your entire pre-order allocation.
Step 5: Set Up the Pre-Checkout Page
Use the pre-checkout page to communicate pre-order details: expected ship date (be specific), what they're getting (product details), and the deal (show the savings clearly). This answers "wait, is this a pre-order?" before the customer enters payment. Transparency prevents chargebacks.
5 Pre-Order Launch Strategies
1. The Email-First Launch
Share the pre-order link exclusively with your email list for 48-72 hours before posting it publicly. Your most engaged customers get first access. This generates initial sales you can reference in your public launch ("200 pre-orders in the first 48 hours").
2. The Tiered Countdown
Create 3 links with decreasing discounts: Week 1 at 25% off (super early bird), Week 2-3 at 20% off (early bird), Week 4 at 15% off (last chance). Each link has its own schedule. When one expires, the next activates. This drives faster decisions.
3. The Influencer Pre-Order
Give each influencer a unique pre-order link with their own slug: yourstore.com/preorder-jessica. Same early-bird pricing, but now you know exactly which influencer drives pre-order revenue. Pay commissions based on real pre-order data instead of vanity metrics.
4. The Bundle Pre-Order
Launch a product individually AND as part of an exclusive bundle. Two links: one for the new product alone at 15% off, one for the new product + 2 bestsellers at 25% off. The bundle link has a higher AOV and moves existing inventory alongside the new launch.
5. The Crowdfunding Alternative
Use pre-order links as a lightweight alternative to Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Create a link with a minimum pre-order threshold: "If we reach 500 pre-orders by March 1, we'll produce the run." Same concept as crowdfunding, but you keep the customer relationship and the data.
The Pre-Order Checklist
- Product added with correct variants and images
- Early-bird discount set (percentage or tiered)
- Schedule configured (start and end dates)
- Usage limits set if using scarcity
- Pre-checkout page shows expected ship date
- Link slug is clean and shareable
- Test the link yourself
- Email draft ready with the link prominently featured
- Social posts queued with the link
Launch With Revenue Already in the Bank
The best product launches aren't gambles. They're confirmations. Pre-order links let you validate demand before committing to inventory. They let your best customers buy first. And they compress the entire pre-order experience into a single click.
Create the link. Set the schedule. Share it. By launch day, you already know the product is a hit.