How to Schedule a Preorder Offer

STOQ lets you schedule when your preorder offers become available and when they end. Instead of manually enabling and disabling offers, you can set specific dates and times for your preorders to automatically start and stop. This is perfect for product launches, limited-time campaigns, or seasonal preorders. STOQ also automatically manages the "Continue selling when out of stock" setting for your products based on your schedule.


Understanding Offer Status Options


STOQ provides five status options for controlling when your preorder offer is available.


Available Now


  • The offer is immediately active and stays active indefinitely
  • Customers can preorder right away
  • The offer remains enabled until you manually disable it
  • Best for: Ongoing preorders with no specific end date


Available from Start Date


  • The offer is currently disabled but will automatically enable on your chosen date
  • Customers cannot preorder until the start date arrives
  • Once started, the offer continues indefinitely until you manually disable it
  • Best for: Product launches, announcements, or timed releases


Available Now & Until End Date


  • The offer is immediately active but will automatically disable on your chosen date
  • Customers can preorder now, but the window closes at the end date
  • Best for: Limited-time preorder campaigns or flash sales


Available Between Start and End Date


  • The offer is currently disabled and will only be active during your chosen date range
  • Customers can only preorder between the start and end dates
  • Outside this window, the offer is automatically disabled
  • Best for: Seasonal campaigns, event-based preorders, or strictly timed releases


Not Available


  • The offer is completely disabled
  • Customers cannot preorder products in this offer
  • Use this to pause an offer without deleting it
  • Best for: Temporarily stopping preorders or preparing offers before launch



Accessing Schedule Settings


The schedule settings are located in the offer editor's Status section.


Navigating to Schedule Settings


  1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
  2. Click Preorders in the left navigation menu.
  3. Click Offers to view your preorder offers.
  4. Click on an offer to open the editor.
  5. In the offer summary, click on the Status section (or look for the status indicator).




The Status Panel


The Status panel shows:


  • Current offer status (enabled, disabled, scheduled)
  • Available status options
  • Date and time pickers (when scheduling is selected)



Setting Up a Scheduled Start Date


To have your offer automatically start on a specific date.


Configuring Start Date


  1. In the Status panel, select Available from start date.
  2. The date picker appears below.
  3. Click Change next to the start date field.
  4. Select your desired start date from the calendar.
  5. Choose the start time from the dropdown (30-minute intervals).
  6. Click Save changes to apply.



What Happens at Start Time


When the scheduled start time arrives:


  1. STOQ automatically enables the offer.
  2. Products in the offer show the preorder button.
  3. "Continue selling when out of stock" is automatically enabled for products (if managed by STOQ).
  4. Customers can begin placing preorders.


Note: The offer starts at the exact time you set, based on your store's time zone.



Setting Up a Scheduled End Date


To have your offer automatically stop on a specific date.


Configuring End Date


  1. In the Status panel, select Available now & until end date.
  2. The date picker appears below.
  3. Click Change next to the end date field.
  4. Select your desired end date from the calendar.
  5. Choose the end time from the dropdown (30-minute intervals).
  6. Click Save changes to apply.



What Happens at End Time


When the scheduled end time arrives:


  1. STOQ automatically disables the offer.
  2. Products no longer show the preorder button.
  3. "Continue selling when out of stock" is automatically disabled for products (if managed by STOQ).
  4. Products return to their normal state (Add to Cart or Out of Stock).



Setting Up a Date Range


To have your offer active only during a specific window.


Configuring Date Range


  1. In the Status panel, select Available between start and end date.
  2. Both date pickers appear.
  3. Set your start date and time (when preorders begin).
  4. Set your end date and time (when preorders stop).
  5. Click Save changes to apply.



Date Range Behavior


  • Before start date: Offer is disabled, products show normal state
  • During date range: Offer is active, products show preorder button
  • After end date: Offer is disabled, products return to normal state


Tip: The end date must be after the start date. STOQ prevents you from selecting an end date before your start date.



Understanding Continue Selling Behavior


STOQ automatically manages the "Continue selling when out of stock" setting based on your schedule.


What is Continue Selling?


"Continue selling when out of stock" is a Shopify setting that allows customers to purchase products even when inventory is zero. This is required for preorders to work on out-of-stock products.


Automatic Management


When you schedule an offer, STOQ handles Continue Selling automatically:


When offer starts:

  • STOQ enables "Continue selling when out of stock" for products in the offer
  • This allows customers to preorder even if inventory is zero


When offer ends:

  • STOQ disables "Continue selling when out of stock" for products
  • Products return to showing "Out of Stock" when inventory is zero
  • This prevents customers from purchasing unavailable products



Important Note


The automatic Continue Selling management only applies when:

  • STOQ is managing inventory for the offer (inventory provider is STOQ)
  • Products are assigned to the scheduled offer

If you're managing Continue Selling manually or through another system, be aware that STOQ's scheduling may change these settings.



Viewing Schedule Status


You can see the current schedule status at a glance in the offer editor and offers list.


In the Offer Editor


The status section displays:


  • Starts [date]: For offers scheduled to start in the future
  • Ends [date]: For active offers with an end date
  • Scheduled: [start] - [end]: For date range offers
  • Ended [date]: For offers that have already ended



In the Offers List


The offers list shows schedule information:


  • Scheduled offers display their status (upcoming, active, ended)
  • You can quickly identify which offers are time-limited



Modifying a Schedule


You can change schedule settings at any time.


Changing Dates


  1. Open the offer editor.
  2. Go to the Status section.
  3. Click Change next to the date you want to modify.
  4. Select a new date and time.
  5. Click Save changes.


Removing a Schedule


To remove scheduling and make an offer always available:


  1. Open the offer editor.
  2. Go to the Status section.
  3. Select Available now to enable immediately without scheduling.
  4. Or select Not available to disable without scheduling.
  5. Click Save changes.


Extending an Active Offer


If your offer is about to end but you want to extend it:


  1. Open the offer editor before the end date.
  2. Go to the Status section.
  3. Click Change next to the end date.
  4. Select a later date.
  5. Click Save changes.



Best Practices


Follow these recommendations for successful offer scheduling.


Plan Ahead


  • Set up scheduled offers at least a day before the start date
  • Test your offer settings before the scheduled start
  • Communicate launch dates to your team


Consider Time Zones


  • Schedule times are based on your store's time zone
  • Account for customers in different time zones
  • Consider starting at midnight or a time that works globally


Coordinate Marketing


  • Align email campaigns with offer start dates
  • Update product pages to mention preorder availability
  • Prepare social media announcements


Monitor Scheduled Offers


  • Check the offers list regularly to see upcoming schedules
  • Verify offers started and ended as expected
  • Review analytics after scheduled campaigns


Use Date Ranges for Campaigns


  • Limited-time offers create urgency
  • Date ranges work well for product launches
  • Consider countdown timers to build excitement



Scheduling and Countdown Timers


STOQ's countdown timer feature can work with your schedule.


Using Schedule Dates for Countdown


When you enable a countdown timer, you can choose to:


  • Use your schedule dates automatically
  • Set custom countdown dates independent of the schedule


Countdown Timer Reset


When you change the offer status or schedule:


  • The countdown timer settings may be reset
  • You may need to reconfigure the countdown timer after changing schedules



Known Limitations


The scheduling feature has some constraints to be aware of.


  • Scheduling requires a paid STOQ plan
  • Times are in 30-minute intervals (you cannot set exact minutes like 10:15)
  • Schedule changes take effect immediately when saved, not at a future time
  • If you change from scheduled to "Available now," any countdown timer settings are reset
  • STOQ's automatic Continue Selling management may conflict with other apps or manual settings
  • Past dates cannot be selected for start dates



Troubleshooting


If you encounter issues with scheduled offers, use this guide to identify and resolve common problems.


Symptom

Likely Cause

Fix

Offer didn't start at scheduled time

Time zone mismatch

Verify your store's timezone in Shopify settings

Products still showing preorder after end date

Cache or delay

Wait a few minutes and refresh; clear browser cache

Can't select scheduling options

Not on paid plan

Upgrade to a paid STOQ plan

Continue Selling not changing

Manual override or other app

Check if another app is managing this setting

Schedule status not updating

Page not refreshed

Refresh the page to see current status

End date before start date error

Invalid date selection

Ensure end date is after start date



FAQs


Q : Can I schedule multiple offers to start at the same time?

A : Yes. You can schedule as many offers as you want with the same start date and time. Each offer operates independently.


Q : What happens to existing preorders when an offer ends?

A : Existing preorders are not affected. Orders already placed remain in your system and should be fulfilled normally. Only new preorders are prevented after the end date.


Q : Can I edit an offer while it's scheduled but not yet started?

A : Yes. You can modify all offer settings (button text, payment options, products, etc.) before the scheduled start date. Changes are saved immediately but the offer remains disabled until the start date.


Q : What if I need to end an offer early?

A : You can change the end date to an earlier time, or simply change the status to "Not available" to disable the offer immediately.


Q : Does scheduling work with all offer types?

A : Yes. Scheduling works with all preorder configurations including full payment, partial payment, and different fulfillment timelines.


Q : Will customers see that an offer is scheduled to start?

A : By default, no. Products simply show their normal state (Add to Cart or Out of Stock) until the offer starts. You can use countdown timers or update product descriptions to communicate upcoming preorder availability.



Updated on: 10/02/2026

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