Step-by-step instructions on how to set up preorders for your Shopify products

In this article, I will walk you through how to set up Magical Preorder on your Shopify store.

I’ll go through the two steps of the initial setup build which include setting up your first rule and activating the app embed block. You can start accepting preorders from your Shopify store in minutes.

To put these instructions together, I worked with our team of developers and support agents. I found the setup process thorough, logical, and easy to understand.

If you installed the app before July 23, 2024 and have not contacted the Magical Apps team to upgrade to the newest Magical Preorder app, your store is using Fortescue Preorder Pro, the previous version of the app.

Please note that some features available in the previous version are not currently available in Magical Preorder. New features will be added over time.

View feature comparison.

To upgrade to the Magical Preorder app for free, please contact the Magical Apps team.

Installed before July 23, 2024? Upgrade to the latest version for free.

If you installed the app before July 23, 2024 and have not contacted the Magical Apps team to upgrade to the newest Magical Preorder app, your store is using Fortescue Preorder Pro, the previous version of the app.

Please note that some features available in the previous version are not currently available in Magical Preorder. New features will be added over time.

View feature comparison.

To upgrade to the Magical Preorder app for free, please contact the Magical Apps team.

App install instructions

Installing the app in Shopify is easy.

Visit the Magical Preorder listing and click “Install”.

App setup instructions

After completing the app installation, complete the following:

Initial app setup

It is important to complete the initial setup process first as certain features will not be available until the setup is complete.

Under Apps section on the left hand side of your Shopify admin, click ‘Magical Preorder’. You should see a notice to “Finish setting up Magical Preorder”. Click Continue Setup.

There will be 2 steps to complete:

1. Create a rule. 

You must add a rule to be available on the online store.

  1. Click the View Rules button to go to the Rules page.
  2. Click the Create Rule button to create a new preorder rule.
  3. In the first section titled “Essentials”, enter a title for your rule. This title will later be displayed in a list of rules you’ve created and it may also be displayed in preorder emails you send to customers, so choose a title that will help you and customers easily identify the preorder. For example, “Blue Snowboard July 10 Launch”.
  4. Choose the product(s) that you would like to set a rule for.

Under that, you’ll be able to configure the settings for the rule. The settings are categorized into 3 stages of product availability. 

To complete the setup, at least one stage must be enabled for the rule you are creating.

You’ll see these 3 sections below for each stage:

  1. Active Stage: During the active stage, customers can purchase your latest preorder products, which are now officially available for sale.
  2. Preview Stage: During the preview stage, customers have the opportunity to view your latest products before they are officially available for purchase.
  3. Closed Stage: During the closed stage, the preorder period has ended, and products are no longer available for purchase. Choose how you would like your preorder to end.

Under each stage, you have the option to enable or disable each setting using the button on the top right hand corner of each section. So for example, if you are only interested in creating an active preorder with a set end date right now, you would make sure that the Active and Closed stages are enabled, and the Preview stage is disabled.

Below I’ll go over how to configure your settings for each stage.

Configure Active Stage

In the Active stage customers can purchase your latest preorder products, which are now officially available for sale.

To configure the settings for this rule:

  1. Click the Enable button in the top-right corner, if the section is not already expanded. 
  2. Select when your active stage should start and end using the following options:
    1. Choose one of two options under Start when:
      1. Select Schedule and choose the start date and time.
      2. Select Product variant out of stock to automatically enable the active stage and start a preorder when stock falls to zero.
    2. Choose one of four options under End when:
      1. Select Do not end to run the active stage indefinitely.
      2. Select Schedule and choose the end date and time.
      3. Select Product variant back in stock to automatically disable the active stage and end the preorder when the product comes back in stock.
      4. Select Preorder variant sold out to automatically disable the active stage and end the preorder when the preorder limit has been reached.
  3. Optionally set a Preorder limit by entering the number of items you’re willing to sell on preorder. Leave blank if there is no limit.
  4. Add a custom Message that will be displayed on the product page. Use it to communicate important details or expectations with customers, such as estimated shipping date or a return policy.
Configure Preview Stage

In the Preview stage, ​​customers have the opportunity to view your latest products before they are officially available for purchase. They will see a coming soon label and you have the option to let customers sign up to know when a preorder begins. 

To configure the settings for this rule:

  1. Click the Enable button in the top-right corner, if the section is not already expanded. 
  2. Select when your preview stage should start and end using the following options:
    1. Choose one of three options under Start when:
      1. Select Schedule and choose the start date and time.
      2. Select Product variant out of stock to automatically enable the preview stage and apply a coming soon label when stock falls to zero.
      3. Select Preorder variant sold out to automatically add a coming soon label when your preorder limit has been reached.
    2. Choose one of three options under End when:
      1. Select Do not end if you want the preview stage to run indefinitely.
      2. Select Schedule and choose the end date and time.
      3. Select Product variant back in stock to automatically disable the preview stage and remove the coming soon label when the product is back-in-stock.
  3. You can choose to enable Email Signup. This will capture email addresses from customers who want to be notified when a preorder starts.
  4. Add a custom Message that will be displayed on the product page, such as when the customer can expect the product to be back in stock, or product alternatives.
Configure Closed Stage

In the Closed stage, the preorder period has ended, and products are no longer available for purchase. If this is left disabled, then products will continue to be available for immediate purchase when a preorder period ends. You’ll want to enable this stage if the product will no longer be available after the preorder period.

To configure the setting for this rule:

  1. Click the Enable button in the top-right corner, if the section is not already expanded. 
  2. Select when your closed stage should start. These two options will only be available if the respective stage is enabled:
    1. Select Active ended to start the closed stage when your active stage has ended.
    2. Select Preview ended to start the closed stage when your preview stage has ended.
  3. Select when your closed stage should end:
    1. Select Do not end if you want it to continue indefinitely.
    2. Select Schedule and choose a date and time.
    3. Select Product variant back in stock to end the closed stage once the product is back in stock.
  4. Add a Message that will be displayed on the product page, such as when the customer can expect the product to be back in stock, or product alternatives.

Once you’ve completed the set up for your first rule, click Save at the top of the admin. 

You’ve just finished configuring your first rule. This was the first step in the Initial App Setup, and there is one more step to complete the setup.

There will be a warning on this page that says: “Finish setting up Magical Preorder”. Click Continue Setup to proceed to Step 2.

2. Activate app embed block

This app uses an app embed block to enable the display of the preorder button and other elements.

The app embed block must be activated on your store. To activate it:

  1. Click the Activate App Embed Block button. This will take you directly to your Online Store theme editor.
  2. Under the Theme Settings panel in the App Embeds tab, make sure the Magical Preorder toggle is on. 
  3. Click Save in the top right hand corner of the editor.

Once complete, you can return to the app and you should see “Setup complete. Congratulations! Your first rule is now live and the app setup is complete. Customers will now be able to place preorders on your Online Store.”

This marks the completion of the setup. You should now have access to the app’s remaining features.

Need Help or Have Questions?

Visit our Help Center for additional setup instructions, troubleshooting tips, and answers to frequently asked questions about Magical Product Fees.

Magical Preorder

Everything you need to add preorder sales to your shop. Forecast demand. Build hype. Boost sales.

View App on Shopify