Pre-Orders and Back-in-Stock Alerts: When to Recommend Them to Your Clients

If you build Shopify stores for clients, you know the drill: most projects stop once the store is live, products are imported, and payments are set up. But the reality is that merchants don’t just need a website; they need ways to actually sell through uncertainty. That’s where pre-orders and back-in-stock alerts come in.

These aren’t “nice-to-have” extras. In many cases, they’re the difference between clients who keep their cash flow healthy and clients who get stuck with frustrated shoppers or empty shelves. So when should you actually bring these tools up in conversations with clients?

Let’s say your client is a new brand working with overseas suppliers. Their first big collection is scheduled to arrive in six weeks, but they’ve already got buzz from Instagram. Do they wait until boxes arrive to start selling? If they do, they lose momentum.

Pre-orders solve that problem. Instead of sending people away, you set up a pre-order button and start collecting sales (or at least commitments) right away. Even partial deposits help the brand secure early cash, which matters a lot for small businesses trying to cover manufacturing costs.

👉 Tools like Timesact make this setup straightforward in Shopify, with options for either full payments or small deposits. That flexibility is key when clients are just starting out.

We’ve all seen this: a client launches a product, it goes better than expected, and within days they’re out of stock. No one wins if the “sold out” sign sits there for two months.

Back-in-stock alerts are simple but powerful here. Shoppers who actually want the item leave their email, and the client has a list of hot leads to reach out to the moment inventory is replenished.

I’ve seen cases where 30–40% of those who signed up actually converted when the product came back. That’s not a “maybe we should do it” feature; it’s a safety net.

Not every idea deserves a full production run. A lot of brands waste money producing too much of something that nobody wants. Pre-orders let them “test the water” without making that mistake.

For example, if a client wants to launch a new colorway or limited edition, you can suggest they run it as a pre-order first. If it sells, great – they commit to production. If it doesn’t, they’ve saved thousands on unsold stock. You, as their developer or consultant, look smart because you helped them avoid a costly gamble.

This one is less glamorous but maybe the most important. Cash flow kills small businesses faster than bad design or poor marketing. A preorder system can give your clients upfront revenue before the products even land.

Think about a small skincare brand ordering their next batch from the manufacturer. If they collect 100 pre-orders with deposits, they suddenly have funds to cover production without taking on debt. That’s a huge relief for them.

👉 Timesact’s partial payment feature makes this easy to implement. Instead of asking customers to commit to 100% upfront, brands can set smaller deposits and reduce friction.

The tricky part is not making it sound like you’re pushing “just another app.” Instead, frame it as part of being a trusted partner:

• If demand is high and stock is low → back-in-stock alerts keep customers close.
• If inventory isn’t ready yet → pre-orders keep sales moving.
• If budgets are tight → pre-orders ease cash flow.
• If ideas are untested → pre-orders act as validation.

Clients don’t always know these options exist, and many freelancers stop after the basic setup. If you’re the one who introduces smarter selling tools, you’ll stand out.

Pre-orders and back-in-stock alerts aren’t about fancy features. They’re practical tools that protect clients from lost revenue and disappointed customers. As a freelancer, recommending them shows you’re thinking beyond design and setup – you’re thinking like a partner who wants their store to succeed.

And the best part? Merchants remember the people who helped them make money, not just the ones who uploaded their product catalog.