Reorder Links vs Reorder Buttons: Why the Difference Matters
Every reorder app on Shopify does the same thing: puts a button on your customer's account page.
"Reorder" button. Click. Cart fills. Checkout.
Sounds fine. Except for one problem — your customer has to be on your website, logged in, looking at their account page. That's a lot of steps before the reorder even starts.
What if they're reading your email? Scrolling Instagram? Getting a text from you? The button can't help them there. It only exists inside your store.
A reorder link works everywhere a URL works. Email, SMS, social media, QR codes, even a PDF packing slip. One click. Cart pre-filled with their last order. Straight to checkout. No login required.
That's the difference. And it's bigger than it sounds.
The Reorder Button Problem
There are 15+ reorder apps on the Shopify App Store. Most cost between $3.99 and $6.99 per month. They all work roughly the same way:
- Customer visits your store
- Logs into their account
- Goes to order history
- Clicks "Reorder"
- Cart fills with previous items
- Proceeds to checkout Six steps. And step 1 — visiting your store — is the hardest part. You can't control when a customer decides to come back.
The button is reactive. It waits for customers who already decided to come back. It doesn't drive repeat purchases.
How Reorder Links Work
A reorder link is a URL that pre-fills the cart with a customer's previous order. When they click it, their last order loads automatically — same products, same quantities, same variants — and they land on checkout.
No login. No browsing. No account page. Just click and buy.
You put this link anywhere you'd put any URL:
- Email — "Time to restock? Reorder in one click"
- SMS — "Your coffee might be running low. Reorder here"
- Social media — "Loved it? Buy again"
- QR codes — Printed on packaging, packing slips, product inserts The link is proactive. You reach customers where they already are — their inbox, their phone, their social feed — and give them a one-click path back to checkout.
The Real Comparison
| Feature | Reorder Button | Reorder Link |
|---------|---------------|-------------|
| Works in email | No | Yes |
| Works in SMS | No | Yes |
| Works on social media | No | Yes |
| Works via QR code | No | Yes |
| Requires customer login | Yes | No |
| Requires store visit | Yes | No |
| Can add discounts | Usually no | Yes |
| A/B testing | No | Yes |
| Attribution tracking | No | Yes |
Where Reorder Links Win Big
Email Reorder Flows
A well-timed email with a one-click reorder link converts significantly better than a generic "come back and visit us" message. The email does the selling. The link removes the friction.
With a button app, the same email says "Log in to reorder." The customer has to leave their inbox, visit your store, log in, find their order history, and click reorder. Every step loses people.
Smart Timing With Shopify Flow
Connect Checkout Links to Shopify Flow, and the system analyzes each customer's purchase history. If Jessica reorders every 28 days and Mike reorders every 45 days, each gets their reminder when they're actually running low.
No reorder button app can do this. They sit on the account page and wait.
QR Code Reordering
Print a reorder QR code on your packaging: "Loved this? Scan to reorder." The customer scans, their cart fills, and they check out. They never visit your store. They never log in.
Button apps can't touch this channel. QR codes are URLs. Buttons aren't.
What About Pricing?
Most reorder button apps cost $3.99–$6.99/month. They add a button to the account page and that's it.
Checkout Links costs $25/month and includes reorder links plus tiered promotions, A/B testing, pre-checkout cart editing, analytics, attribution, Shopify Flow automation, and Klaviyo integration.
For context, enterprise reorder tools charge $200–$900/month. They do analytics and predictions, but still need something to create the actual reorder mechanism. That's what Checkout Links does — at $25/month.
The Bottom Line
Reorder buttons solve a real problem — making it easier for logged-in customers to reorder on your website. But they only work in one place.
Reorder links work everywhere. Email, SMS, social, QR, messenger. They don't require a login. They integrate with your existing marketing stack.
If your retention strategy is "hope customers come back and find the reorder button" — a $4 button app is fine.
If your retention strategy is "proactively remind customers at the right time with a one-click path to checkout" — you need reorder links.
Your customers want to buy from you again. Meet them where they are.