Ever wondered how you can keep your customers excited about upcoming products while generating early revenue? The answer lies in pre-orders! Adding pre-orders to your WooCommerce store can revolutionize how you handle new product launches and out-of-stock items. Let’s dive into the world of pre-orders and back-orders in WooCommerce and explore how you can implement them easily.
What is a Pre Order and Back Order in WooCommerce?
A pre-order allows customers to purchase products that have not yet been released. This strategy creates anticipation and ensures that your customers are first in line to receive the new products as soon as they become available.
Back-orders, on the other hand, allow customers to order products that are currently out of stock but will be available soon. This feature ensures you don’t lose sales due to temporary unavailability of products.
Differences between Pre-orders and Back-orders:
While pre-orders are for new, unreleased products, back-orders are for products that have gone out of stock. Both strategies help in maintaining customer interest and sales, but they cater to different scenarios.
Why Use WooCommerce Pre Order?
Benefits of Pre-orders for Businesses:
Pre-orders can significantly benefit businesses by generating hype and ensuring steady sales even before the product is available. This approach is particularly useful for new product launches.
Enhancing Customer Experience:
Offering pre-orders enhances the customer experience by providing them with an exclusive opportunity to be among the first to receive new products. This creates a sense of priority and exclusivity.
Generating Early Revenue:
One of the biggest advantages of pre-orders is that they allow you to generate revenue upfront. This can be particularly beneficial for managing cash flow and production costs.
Adding a Pre-Order in WooCommerce Using Plugin
There are several plugins to add pre-orders in WooCommerce. But in this blog, we have chosen a WooCommerce pre-order Plugin by Addify.
1: WooCommerce Pre-Order Plugin by Addify
Before we dive into the installation and activation of this plugin, let’s quickly describe to you what the plugin has to offer:
Creating FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is crucial for boosting sales, and the WooCommerce Pre-Order plugin helps achieve this by allowing you to offer anticipated products on pre-order, generating revenue before their release. This extension is a comprehensive solution for pre-launching products. Additionally, it includes a “Back Orders” feature to help manage out-of-stock products more efficiently.
Key Features
Pre-Orders:
- Offer pre-orders on unreleased products
- Customize pre-order badges and buttons
- Offer discounts or charge extra for pre-orders
- Restrict pre-orders by user roles
Back Orders:
- Automatically enable backorders when stock is low
- Offer discounts on backorders
- Customize back-order button text and color
- Allow pay later options
This plugin provides a complete solution to pre-launch products and manage inventory.
Now, let’s explore the detailed configuration, after which you will be able to implement it in your WooCommerce store.
Step 1. Installation
- Download the .zip file for the pre order plugin from the Addify store.
- Go to your WordPress Admin Panel > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
- Choose the downloaded plugin file, click Install Now, and then Activate.
Step 2. Activation Guide
Once activated, navigate to Products in the WP Admin Panel > Select any product > Click Edit.
In the Product Data section, go to Pre-Order Setting for pre-order management or Inventory > Backorder settings for backorder management.
Step 3. Set Products as Pre Orders
Configure the following settings:
Set as Pre-Order: Check this box to enable pre-orders.
User Roles: Select specific user roles allowed to pre-order (leave empty to allow all customers).
Product Release Date & Time: Set the date and time for when the pre-order will be available.
Button Label: Customize the pre-order button text (e.g., “Pre-Order Now”).
Availability Text: Display custom text showing product availability dates and times.
Price Adjustment: Choose how to adjust prices for pre-orders (manually set, markup, or discount).
Pay Later: Set the payment method to “Pay Later” for pre-orders.
Step 4. Manage Backorders in Your Store
Configure the following settings:
SKU: Add a unique identifier for each product.
Stock Management: Enable stock management for backorders.
Quantity: Set the stock quantity.
Allow Backorders: Choose if backorders are allowed (options: Do Not Allow, Allow But Notify Customer, Allow).
Low Stock Threshold: Set the minimum stock level before backorders are enabled.
Backorder Message: Add custom text for backorders (e.g., “Backorder Now”).
Availability Date & Time: Set the date and time for backorder availability.
Add to Cart Text: Customize the text for the add-to-cart button for backorders.
Maximum Quantity: Set the maximum quantity available for backorders.
Step 5. Configure Pre Orders and Back Orders
Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Pre-Order and Backorder Manager > General settings.
Configure the following:
Remove Pre-Order Status: Enable to remove pre-order status after the release.
Prevent Mixing Products: Avoid mixing pre-order and in-stock products in the cart.
Prevent Pay Later Mixing: Avoid mixing pay-later products with others in the cart.
Warning Messages: Customize warning messages for mixing products or adding multiple pre-order products.
Pre-Order Notifications: Customize notifications on the checkout page.
Step 6. Stock Settings
Automatically manage the pre-order status of products using these stock settings:
Automatic Pre Orders (Out of Stock): Enable this setting to automatically assign pre-order status to out-of-stock products, which will revert to regular status once restocked.
Quantity Above Zero: Disable pre-order status for products that have a stock quantity above zero.
Step 7: Badge Settings
Go to Badge Settings. Customize the appearance and location of badges for pre-order products on listing and product pages.
Step 8: Customize Labels
Go to Label Settings. Customize add-to-cart text, availability text, and message locations for pre-order products on shop, product, and cart pages.
Step 9: Personalize Email Notifications
Go to Email Settings. Customize email notifications for both admin and customers regarding pre-order status, product availability, and end of pre-orders.
Step 10: View All Pre-Order Products
Check the Pre-Order log to track details like:
- Order
- Order Status
- Order Date
- Pre-Order Products
- Total
Creating FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) with Pre-orders
Importance of FOMO in Sales:
FOMO is a powerful psychological trigger that can boost sales by creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Pre-orders are a great way to leverage FOMO.
How Pre-orders Help Create FOMO:
By offering pre-orders, you create a buzz around your upcoming products. Customers don’t want to miss out on being the first to get their hands on new products, which drives early sales.
Conclusion
Incorporating pre-orders and back-orders into your WooCommerce store can significantly enhance customer experience and boost your sales. Whether you choose to use any WooCommerce Extensions the key is to manage them efficiently and keep your customers informed.
FAQs
Q1. What is the difference between a pre-order and a back-order in WooCommerce?
Ans. A pre-order is for new, unreleased products, while a back order is for out-of-stock products that will be available soon.
Q2. How can I offer discounts on pre-orders in WooCommerce?
Ans. You can offer discounts on pre-orders by using plugins like the WooCommerce Pre-order Plugin by Addify, which allows you to set special pricing for pre-ordered items.
Q3. Can I customize the pre-order button text and color?
Ans. Yes, most pre-order plugins, including the WooCommerce Pre-order Plugin by Addify, allow you to customize the pre-order button text and color.
Q4. Is it possible to restrict pre-orders by user roles?
Ans. Yes, the WooCommerce Pre-order Plugin by Addify allows you to restrict pre-orders based on user roles, which gives you control over who can place pre-orders.
Q5. How do I manage pre-orders and back-orders?
Ans. Using plugins designed for pre-orders and back-orders, keeping clear communication with customers, and regularly updating product availability can help manage pre-orders and back-orders efficiently.
