Step-by-step instructions on how to add preorders, coming soon labels, and back in stock alerts to your Shopify products

In this article, I will walk you through how to set up Shopify preorder sales, coming soon products, and back in stock alerts with the Fortescue Preorder Pro + Back in Stock app on your Shopify Store.

Please note that these instructions are for the older version of the Magical Preorder app, Fortescue Preorder Pro, available if you installed before July 23, 2024. If you’d like to upgrade for free, see “Installed the app before July 23, 2024?” below.

As someone without a ton of technical developer experience, I can tell you that the installation process for this app is very simple. I tested it myself and found it to be super beginner-friendly. I’m confident most Shopify merchants will be comfortable setting up preorders on their own.

Once the app is installed you’ll:

  1. Have access to a suite of features that will let you enable preorders for products that are not in stock. 
  2. Be able to set up coming soon labels and badges for products that are not available for preorder. 
  3. Have the option to enable back in stock alerts.

The first step is to install the app which I’ll go over first below.

Table of contents

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.

Read setup instructions for Magical Preorder here.

If you find anything missing, please get in touch with our team.

App Install Instructions

Installing the app in Shopify is easy.

Visit the Preorder Pro + Back in Stock listing and click “Install”.

App Setup Instructions

After completing the app installation,  complete the following:

Initial App Setup

Setup Instructions

For assistance with setup, contact the Magical Apps team once the app is installed.

The guided setup process will give you a tour of the app and show you where important features are located, such as toggles to enable Preorders, Coming Soon, and Notify Me features, where to set arrival dates, and where to locate filters, variants, and additional settings.

Enable App Embed

Once the tour is complete you’ll need to ensure the App Embed feature is enabled.

To check this, Go to Online Store > Themes. Click “Customize”.

On the far left, click “App Embeds” and ensure the Fortescue Preorder App toggle is on. 

Once that’s done, you’re ready to set up your first preorder, coming soon product, or back in stock alert. Use the instructions below which correspond to the option you’d like to enable.

App Setup Instruction Library

How to setup preorder sales

Below I’ll go over how to set up preorders for one product. Instructions for bulk settings are outlined later in this article.

Setting up your first preorder is easy with the product dashboard. 

Setting up Preorders for One Product
  1. Click “Home” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Find the product you’d like to set up a Preorder for:
  1. To view more products at once you can change the number of entries on the top left of the products dashboard to show up to 500 products.
  2. Or if you’re looking for something specific you can search for a product in the search field.
  1. Simply select the toggle for Preorder to enable preorders.
  2. Optionally select a Product Availability Date. This date will let customers know when they expect the product to be shipped.
  3. Click “Save” on the top right hand corner of the dashboard.
Updating Preorder Settings

The app comes with features to customize your preorder, including customization for messaging, branding, and management of the preorder period. I’ll go through some of these custom settings below:

Set a Preorder Quantity Limit

To set the max quantity you can sell on pre-order for a particular product:

  1. Click “Home” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Find the product you’d like to manage.
  3. Click the gear/cog on the right hand side of the product
  4. Toggle “Pre-Order Quantity Limit” and choose the number of preorders you’re willing to sell.
  5. Click “Save”.
Automatically Enable Pre-Order

To automatically turn on pre-order when inventory reaches 0 for a particular product:

  1. Click “Home” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Find the product you’d like to manage.
  3. Click the gear/cog on the right hand side of the product
  4. Toggle “Automatically Enable Pre-Order”.
  5. Click “Save”.
Customize the Preorder Button

To customize the function and look and feel of the Preorder button that displays on your products:

  1. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Preorders” in the dropdown.
  3. Edit the button settings here, including the text and colour of the button.
  4. Scroll down and click “Save” in the bottom right-hand corner.
Customize the Pre-Order Message 

To customize the message that displays under the Preorder button on each product page:

  1. First, ensure that your preorders have an availability date if you know when they’ll be back in stock. (This is optional – otherwise, skip to Step 2):
    1. Search for the product in the dashboard.
    2. Click the calendar on the right-hand side of the dashboard and select the date the product will be back in stock.
  2. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  3. Click “Preorders” in the dropdown.
  4. Customize the message in the Pre-Order Message field. If you did not choose a date on the product from the dashboard, no date will be displayed on the product.
  5. Scroll down and click “Save” in the bottom right-hand corner.
Enable & Customize Preorder Badges

Please note that you must be on the Starter Plan to enable and customize preorder badges.

To enable and customize the badges that appear on product images:

  1. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Preorders” in the dropdown.
  3. Under the Product Badges section, click the toggle on the right-hand side “Enable Badges” to turn this feature on.
  4. Customize the fields for the badge text, colour, and font.
  5. Scroll down and click “Save” in the bottom right-hand corner.
Customize the Email Sent to Customers When a Preorder is Placed
  1. Click “Emails” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Preorders” in the dropdown.
  3. Update the fields for the title, greeting, and email body. 
  4. Scroll down and click “Save” in the bottom right-hand corner.

How to set up back in stock alerts (Notify Me)

Please note that you’ll need to be on the Premium Plan to access Notify Me features.

Below I’ll go over how to set up back in stock alerts (Notify Me) for one product. Instructions for bulk settings are outlined later in this article.

Setting up Back in stock Alerts for One Product
  1. Click “Home” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Find the product you’d like to set up a back in stock alert for:
    1. To view more products at once you can change the number of entries on the top left of the products dashboard to show up to 500 products.
    2. Or if you’re looking for something specific you can search for a product in the search field.
  3. Simply select the toggle for “Notify Me” to enable back in stock alert. You can also select a Product Availability Date but this isn’t required. This date will let customers know when they expect the product to be back in stock.
  4. Click “Save” on the top right hand corner of the dashboard.
Updating Notify Me Settings

You can customize Notify Me settings with options to change branding, messaging, and management of the Notify Me availability. I’ll go through some of these custom settings below:

Customize the Notify Me Button and Message

To customize the look and feel of the Notify Me button and message::

  1. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Notify Me” in the dropdown.
  3. Under “Button Display” you can update the fields for text, colour, message position, and the message that is displayed on the button.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save” on the right hand side.
Customize the Notify Me Email Request Pop-up Modal

When customers click “Notify Me” on your store, a pop-up modal will collect their information for you. You can customize the message that is shown:

  1. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Notify Me” in the dropdown.
  3. Scroll down to the “Notify Me Request” section and update the fields for the title of the modal, the text in the Notify Me button, and the message that displays.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save” on the right hand side.
Update the Email Template to Notify Customers When an Item is Back in Stock

When the product is back in stock, you can customize the email customers will receive that notifies them:

  1. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Notify Me” in the dropdown.
  3. Scroll down to the “Email Design” section.
  4. Here you can update the title of the email, your logo and business name, and the body of the email that lets customers know items are available for purchase.
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save” on the right hand side.

How to set up coming soon products

Below I’ll go over how to set up coming soon labels for one product. Instructions for bulk settings are outlined later in this article.

Setting up Coming Soon for One Product
  1. Click “Home” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Find the product you’d like to set up a Coming Soon message for:
    1. To view more products at once you can change the number of entries on the top left of the products dashboard to show up to 500 products.
    2. Or if you’re looking for something specific you can search for a product in the search field.
  3. Simply select the toggle for “Coming Soon” to enable the coming soon label. You can also select a Product Availability Date but this isn’t required. This date will let customers know when they expect the product to be back in stock.
Updating Coming Soon Settings

You can customize Coming Soon label settings with options to change look-and-feel and messaging. I’ll go through some of these custom settings below:

Customize the Coming Soon Button Display

You can customize the look-and-feel of the Coming Soon label including the message, text of the button, and colours:

  1. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Coming Soon” in the dropdown.
  3. Update fields you would like to customize under “Button Display”.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save” on the right hand side.
Customize Coming Soon Badges

You can customize the look-and-feel of the Coming Soon badges, including text, colour, and font:

  1. Click “Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Coming Soon” in the dropdown.
  3. Update fields you would like to customize under “Product Badges”.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save” on the right hand side.

How to use analytics

The Analytics tab will help you track important metrics from within the app for your Preorders and Notify Me list. To access Analytics:

Preorder Analytics
  1. Click “Analytics” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Choose “Preorder” from the dropdown menu.
  3. Here you can view Preorders Sold, Emails Sent, and Total Revenue.
  4. Click the calendar in the top left of the dashboard to change the period for your analytics.
Notify Me Analytics
  1. Click “Analytics” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Choose “Notify Me” from the dropdown menu.
  3. Here you can view Active Notify Me requests, Emails Sent, and Total Revenue.
  4. Click the calendar in the top left of the dashboard to change the period for your analytics.

Setting up Preorders, Coming Soon labels, or Notify Me Buttons in Bulk

  1. Click “Bulk Settings” in the navigation menu on the left.
  2. Click “Add New Bulk Setting” on the top right hand side of the product dashboard.
  3. A new modal will display all of your products. Choose Start Now or select a specific period for this bulk edit.
  4. Search for the products you would like to edit. Toggle preorders, coming soon labels, or notify me buttons for each product you’d like to edit.
  5. Once your products are selected, click “Schedule Now”.

Troubleshooting

Below are some common issues that merchants may encounter when setting up or using Preorder Pro + Back in Stock. 

If you’re still having trouble, please contact the Magical Apps team for assistance.

When I toggle on Preorders, Notify Me, or Back In Stock for a particular product, the settings are not updating on my product pages.

Have you enabled the app embed feature? This is the first step after you’ve completed the tour during the initial setup. You’ll want to make sure the App Embed is toggled on.

To check this, Go to Online Store > Themes. Click “Customize”.

On the far left, click “App Embeds” and make sure the Fortescue Preorder App toggle is On. 

Refresh your store and then check the product page again.

When I add new products to my store, they sometimes don’t show up right away.



If you find the products are not synced you can log into the app through your store and add /import-products to the end of the URL, ie. visit https://yourdomain.com/apps/import-products. That will resync the products for you.

My pre-order is on but when customers add to cart, it says their cart is empty.

Ensure that your ‘Continue selling when out of stock’ is enabled. 

  1. Go to the product in the Shopify Admin, 
  2. Click ‘Edit’ on the variant you want to update. 
  3. In the Inventory section check the ‘Continue selling when out of stock’ option.
  4. Click ‘Save’.

It may take a few minutes after you turn on pre-order for the checkout to recognize the product is set to continue selling when out of stock. Your customers may need to make sure the cart is empty before trying again.

My “Pre-Order” button is showing up twice on my product page.

You may have another pre-order app set up on your website theme. Try uninstalling it – this will allow Pre-Order Sales to integrate properly with your website theme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Discover answers to common questions about the Preorder Pro + Back in Stock for Shopify.

Read FAQs

Magical Preorder

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