Control Panel Overview

After PreOrder is enabled, you can start configuring the module settings. The first field lets you set the Out-of-Stock statuses that will show the pre-order button instead of the Add to Cart button.

Enable for the following Out-of-Stock statuses

This field allows you to select which products will display the PreOrder button. These products will also be regarded as available for preordering so that customers can checkout with them.

PreOrder works only with products that are not in stock (with quantity of 0 or less), and with an Out-of-Stock status among the ones selected in the admin panel of the module.

For example, if you have a product with quantity of 0 or less, which has an ‘2-3 days’ Out of Stock status, selecting ‘2-3 days’ from the Control Panel of PreOrder will make the product available for preordering.

This goes for any other Out of Stock product status. If the product quantity is at 0, and the product status matches the status in the PreOrder Control Panel, the module will work and the Add to Cart button will be replaced with Pre-Order.

Settings and Customization

The settings tab contains options for the appearance of the PreOrder button and the email notifications you will receive when a customer preorders one of your products.

Button Name and Note

Pre-Order Button Name

This field allows you to customize the text in the button. It will notify customers that the product can be preordered, so make it clear.

Add Note on the PreOrder Product Page

If you want to leave some extra information for your customers, use this field. It lets you add a custom note that will notify people about the shipping date or some other type of information related to the availability of the product.

Using this field requires the short codes shown in the admin panel – {preorder_date} and {preorder_note}. The information for the date and note is taken from the settings of the product that will be up for preorder (Catalog > Products).

For example:

This product can be preordered and will be available on: {preorder_date}.  

Color Customization and Email Notifications

PreOrder Note Custom Colors

Choose the colors for the Text, Background and Border. You can customize the design of the PreOrder note in any way you decide.

Admin Notification by Email

PreOrder has an option to send you an email to your admin email address whenever a customer preorders a product. With this option, you can enable or disable the email notifications.

Email Text

This is the template for the emails that your customers will receive whenever they preorder a product from your store. PreOrder lets you customize the email subject, and the rich text editor lets you design an email template that you find appropriate for your customers.

Use the short codes for mentioning your customers’ names and preordered products.

Pre-Orders and Notified Customers

Pre-Orders

The Pre-Orders tab lets you track all the orders your customers have submitted.

Here, you will see the email address and name of each customer, as well as the product they have preordered. This will be paired with the date when this happened.

You have a single action to Remove the log. This helps if you want to keep the tab clean and more organized. You can also Remove All submissions.

Notified Customers

This tab contains all the customers that you have notified about their orders.

The information we have highlighted is important. The Notified Customers tab requires you to leave the module settings to notify customers about their order status.

The Notified Customers are the ones that have been notified once their order has changed its status to Completed. In order to notify your customers, you need to go to Sales > Orders and then click View on the order that has [Pre-Order] in red under the Order ID.

Scroll down to the Order History, change the Order Status, click on Notify Customer and then Add History.

Track and Analyze Your Data with Statistics

Keep track of how your product performance.

The Statistics tab in the PreOrder administration panel give a chart that visualizes which products are preordered the most and how many customers have been notified about their order status.

You can use the Statistics tab to have a broader perspective on your most successful products and make conclusions about what stock levels to keep up.

You will also see the customers that have been notified about their order status so you can track the progress you have made.