How to add a collection to your preorder offer

STOQ supports three product types for preorder offers: Specific products, Collection, and All products. When you choose the Collection type, you link one Shopify collection to the offer. STOQ then monitors that collection and automatically adds products as preorders when their inventory drops to zero or below.

There are two tracking modes for collections:

• Track all collection products — STOQ automatically enables "Continue selling when out of stock" on variants and adds them as preorders. This is the hands-off option.
• Only track with "Continue selling" enabled — STOQ only tracks variants where you have already enabled "Continue selling when out of stock" in Shopify. This gives you selective control.

Before You Begin

Make sure the following are in place before linking a collection to a preorder offer.

• You have an active paid STOQ plan. Collection tracking is available on paid plans only.
• You have at least one preorder offer created. Go to Preorders and click Add new offer if you need one.
• Your offer targets All markets. Collection tracking is not available when specific markets are selected.
• You have a Shopify collection ready with the products you want to sell as preorders. You can use either a manual or a smart (automated) collection.

How to Add a Collection to a Preorder Offer

Follow these steps to link a Shopify collection to your preorder offer.

Step 1: Open Your Offer's Products Tab

1. In your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Go to Preorders.
3. Click on the offer you want to edit, or create a new offer.
4. Select the Products tab.

Step 2: Change the Product Type to Collection

1. Click the Change button on the product type summary card at the top of the Products tab.
2. The product type options expand, showing three radio buttons: Specific products, Collection, and All products.
3. Select Collection.
4. A Shopify collection picker opens. Search for and select the collection you want to link.
5. Click Select to confirm your choice.

Step 3: Choose a Tracking Mode

After selecting your collection, STOQ displays two tracking options. These control how STOQ decides which products in the collection become preorders.

Option A: Track all collection products

STOQ tracks every product in the collection. When a product goes out of stock, STOQ automatically enables "Continue selling when out of stock" on the variant and adds it to your preorder offer. This is the hands-off option — STOQ manages everything for you.

Option B: Only track products with "Continue selling" enabled

STOQ checks all products in the collection but only adds those where you have already enabled "Continue selling when out of stock" in your Shopify admin. This gives you full control over which products become preorders — STOQ will not enable "Continue selling" on any variant automatically.

Select your preferred tracking mode.

Step 4: Wait for STOQ to Process

STOQ scans the collection and begins adding qualifying products. A progress banner shows the percentage complete and how many products have been processed. This may take a few minutes for large collections.

Once complete, products that meet the tracking criteria appear in the products list below. You will see a live status indicator that reads "Checking products every 15 min" confirming STOQ is actively monitoring the collection.

How Products Are Automatically Added and Removed

When you link a collection to your preorder offer, STOQ runs an automatic check every 15 minutes. During each check, STOQ evaluates every product in the linked collection and updates your offer accordingly.

When a Product Is Added to the Offer

A product in your collection is added to the preorder offer when both of these conditions are true:

1. The product's inventory is 0 or below.
2. "Continue selling when out of stock" is enabled on the variant — either because STOQ turned it on (Track all collection products mode) or because you enabled it manually (Only track with Continue selling mode).

When a product is added, the "Preorder" button replaces the default "Add to cart" or "Sold out" button on that product's page.

When a Product Is Removed from the Offer

A product is removed from the preorder offer when:

• The product is removed from the Shopify collection. STOQ detects this during the next 15-minute check and removes it from the offer.
• The product becomes inactive (draft or archived) or is unpublished from the Online Store sales channel.

When a New Product Is Added to the Collection

If you add a new product to the linked Shopify collection, STOQ picks it up during the next 15-minute check. If the product meets the inventory criteria above, STOQ adds it to the preorder offer automatically.

Track All Collection Products vs. Only Track with Continue Selling Enabled

Both tracking modes are available when you use the Collection product type. Here is how they compare.

What Is "Continue Selling When Out of Stock"?

"Continue selling when out of stock" is a Shopify inventory setting on each product variant. When enabled, customers can still add the product to their cart even when inventory is at 0 or below. STOQ relies on this setting to show the "Preorder" button on out-of-stock products.

• In Track all collection products mode, STOQ automatically turns this setting on for variants when they go out of stock.
• In Only track with Continue selling enabled mode, you must enable this setting yourself in Shopify Admin > Products > select a product > Variants > Edit variant > check Continue selling when out of stock.

Changing the Linked Collection

You can switch to a different collection at any time without leaving Collection mode.

1. On the Products tab, click Change on the product type summary card.
2. Under the Collection section, click the Change button next to the current collection name.
3. Select a new collection from the Shopify collection picker.
4. If the offer already has products, STOQ shows a confirmation dialog asking whether to keep or turn off "Continue selling" for the products being removed.
5. STOQ updates the offer to track the new collection. Products from the previous collection that are not in the new collection are removed.

Switching Away from Collection Mode

If you decide to stop using a collection and switch to a different product type (Specific products or All products), STOQ asks what to do with the existing products.

1. Click Change on the product type summary card.
2. Select a different product type (Specific products or All products).
3. A confirmation dialog appears because the current products will be removed.
4. After confirming, STOQ shows an inventory policy dialog with two options:

• Turn off "Continue selling when out of stock" — Reverts the inventory policy to "Deny" for removed products so they show as "Sold out" (default).
• Keep "Continue selling when out of stock" enabled — Leaves the inventory policy unchanged.

5. Confirm your choice. STOQ removes the existing products and applies your selected inventory policy.

Advanced Tips

These tips help you get the most out of collection-based preorder offers.

• Use smart collections for automatic inventory-based tracking. Create a smart collection with rules like "inventory is less than 1" so products automatically enter and leave the collection based on stock levels.
• Create separate offers for different collections. Since each offer supports one collection, create multiple offers if you need to track products from several collections with different settings.
• Check the "Status" column. After STOQ adds products, the products table shows a Status column. Look for variants flagged with inventory or "Continue selling" issues and use the Update 'Continue selling' button in the warning banner to fix them.
• Inventory provider is set to STOQ automatically. When you switch to Collection mode, STOQ sets the inventory provider to "STOQ" (out-of-stock tracking). You cannot change this while using Collection mode.

Known Limitations

Keep these constraints in mind when using collection tracking.

• Paid plan required — Collection tracking is only available on paid STOQ plans.
• 15-minute check interval — STOQ checks for inventory changes every 15 minutes. Products may take up to 15 minutes to appear in or be removed from the offer after a collection or inventory change.
• One collection per offer — Each preorder offer can be linked to only one Shopify collection. To track multiple collections, create separate offers for each.
• No manual add or remove — When using Collection mode, you cannot manually add or remove individual products. Product membership is controlled entirely by the linked collection and inventory status.
• Requires "All markets" — Collection tracking is not available when your offer targets specific markets. Switch to "All markets" in the offer's market settings to enable this option.
• Product must be active and published — STOQ only tracks products with an "Active" status that are published to your Online Store sales channel.
• Temporary "Add to cart" display — When STOQ is enabling "Continue selling" for variants (in Track all collection products mode), customers may briefly see "Add to cart" instead of "Preorder." This resolves automatically within a few minutes.

Troubleshooting

Use this table to resolve common issues when using collection tracking for preorder offers.

FAQs

Q : Can I use a smart (automated) collection with STOQ?

A : Yes. STOQ works with both manual and smart (automated) Shopify collections. Smart collections are especially useful because products automatically enter and leave the collection based on your rules — and STOQ tracks those changes every 15 minutes.

Q : What happens when I add a product to my Shopify collection?

A : STOQ picks up the new product during the next 15-minute check. If the product's inventory is 0 or below and "Continue selling" is enabled (or you are using "Track all collection products" mode), STOQ adds it to the preorder offer automatically.

Q : What happens when I remove a product from my Shopify collection?

A : STOQ removes the product from the preorder offer during the next 15-minute check. The "Preorder" button will no longer appear on that product's page.

Q : Can I link multiple collections to one offer?

A : No. Each preorder offer supports one collection at a time. If you need to track products from multiple collections, create a separate preorder offer for each collection.

Q : Will STOQ turn off "Continue selling" when I switch away from Collection mode?

A : STOQ asks you when you switch modes. You can choose to turn off "Continue selling" (so products show as "Sold out") or keep it enabled. The choice is yours at the time of the switch.

Q : Can I manually add or remove products while using Collection mode?

A : No. In Collection mode, STOQ controls product membership automatically based on the linked collection and inventory status. To add or remove specific products, either update the Shopify collection membership or switch to a different product type.

Q : Does STOQ track products that are in stock in the collection?

A : STOQ monitors all products in the collection, but only adds them to the preorder offer when their inventory reaches 0 or below. In-stock products remain in the collection without the "Preorder" button until they sell out.

Q : What is the difference between "Track all collection products" and "Only track with Continue selling enabled"?

A : With "Track all collection products," STOQ automatically enables "Continue selling when out of stock" for any variant that goes out of stock and adds it as a preorder. With "Only track with Continue selling enabled," STOQ only adds variants where you have already turned on "Continue selling" manually in Shopify admin — giving you full control over which products become preorders.

Updated on: 23/04/2026