How to set up preorders on Shopify POS

STOQ lets you set up preorders on Shopify POS so you can sell upcoming or out-of-stock products directly from your retail locations. When a staff member adds a preorder to the cart on POS, STOQ attaches line item properties to the order so both you and the customer can see that the purchase is a preorder. POS preorders do not support partial payments, discounts, or fulfillment settings like scheduled and on-hold — they use a simplified checkout flow designed for in-person sales.

Prerequisites

• Shopify POS: You must have Shopify Point of Sale installed and configured
• STOQ app: STOQ must be installed on your Shopify store
• Active preorder offers: At least one preorder offer must be set up and enabled in STOQ
• Products in offers: Products you want to sell as preorders must be added to your preorder offers

Supported Devices

STOQ's POS extension works on:

• Shopify POS on iPad
• Shopify POS on iPhone
• Shopify POS on Android devices

How to setup and complete checkout

Step 1: Enable POS for Your Preorder Offer

1. Open the STOQ app and go to Preorders.
2. Click the preorder offer you want to enable for POS.
3. In the offer editor, open the POS, B2B & POS option under "Integrations" section
4. Enable the Sell preorders on POS checkbox.
5. Click Save changes on top right.

Skip Inventory Check (Optional)

By default, STOQ checks whether a product is out of stock before allowing a POS preorder. If your inventory is shared between your online store and POS locations, you may want to skip this check so staff can always add preorders regardless of current stock levels.

1. After enabling Sell preorders on POS, click Customize.
2. Check Do not check inventory.
3. Click Save.

When this setting is enabled, STOQ only checks preorder quantity limits (if you have set a maximum). It does not check the current inventory level.

Step 2: Install the POS app and add the STOQ tile

If you haven't already, install Shopify POS on your device:

1. Download the Shopify POS app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android).
2. Sign in with your Shopify account credentials.
3. Complete the initial POS setup for your store.

Add STOQ Tile to POS

Add STOQ's preorder extension to your POS smart grid:

1. Open the Shopify POS app on your device.
2. Tap the menu icon (three lines) to access settings.
3. Go to Settings > Add tile to smart grid (or similar option depending on your POS version).
4. Find and select STOQ from the list of available apps.
5. The STOQ tile will be added to your POS smart grid.

Step 3: Add preorder to cart

Once the extension is set up, here's how to sell preorders in your retail store.

Taking a Preorder

1. On your POS device, tap the STOQ tile named  "Add preorder to cart" on the smart grid.
2. Search for the product by name using the search bar.
3. Select the product from the results.
4. Select the specific variant (size, color, etc.).
5. On the confirmation screen, review the product details and preorder eligibility.
6. Tap Add to cart.

STOQ shows a confirmation screen before adding the item. This screen displays:

• The product name and variant
• The product image
• Preorder availability (if a quantity limit is set, for example "5 units available for preorder")
• Line item properties that will appear on the customer's receipt (if shipping details are enabled)

Step 4: Complete checkout

After adding preorder items to the cart, complete the sale as you normally would on POS.

1. Review the cart. Preorder items display the line item property Purchase Type: Preorder.
2. If shipping details are enabled for the offer, additional properties like estimated shipping dates appear on the line item.
3. Tap Checkout and process payment as usual.

The customer receives a receipt that includes the preorder line item properties, so they can see their purchase is a preorder.

How POS Preorders Appear in STOQ

Preorders placed through POS are tracked in STOQ just like online preorders.

Viewing POS Preorders

1. Go to Preorders > Reports in STOQ.
2. POS preorders appear alongside online preorders.
3. You can filter or search to find specific orders.

Best Practices for POS Preorders

Train Your Staff

• Ensure all staff know how to use the STOQ POS extension
• Explain preorder terms so they can communicate with customers
• Practice the workflow before going live

Communicate with Customers

• Clearly explain what a preorder means (product not yet available)
• Provide expected ship or pickup dates
• Give customers a receipt with preorder details

Capture Customer Information

• Always capture customer email for order updates
• Collect phone number for SMS notifications if enabled
• Ensure shipping address is correct for delivery orders

Manage Expectations

• Be clear about estimated availability dates
• Explain your cancellation policy for preorders
• Let customers know how they'll be notified when the product is ready

Notifying Customers

• Use STOQ's notification features to email customers when products are ready
• Send shipping update emails with pickup instructions
• Consider SMS notifications for faster communication

Troubleshooting

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

FAQs

Q: Do I need a special Shopify plan to use POS preorders?

A: You need Shopify POS, which is available on most Shopify plans. The basic POS Lite is included with all Shopify plans, while POS Pro requires an additional subscription. STOQ's POS extension works with both versions.

Q: Can I take preorders for products that aren't in a preorder offer?

A: No. Products must be added to an active preorder offer in STOQ before they can be sold as preorders through POS. The STOQ extension only shows products that are in active preorder offers.

Q: Will customers receive confirmation emails for POS preorders?

A: Yes, if you've enabled preorder confirmation emails in STOQ and captured the customer's email at checkout. The same notification settings apply to both online and POS preorders.

Q: Can I offer different preorder terms in-store vs. online?

A: No. Preorder offers apply to all sales channels. If you need different terms, you would need to create separate products or manage expectations through staff training and customer communication.

Q: What happens if a customer wants to cancel a POS preorder?

A: Handle cancellations the same way as online preorders. If you've enabled the cancellation link in confirmation emails, customers can cancel themselves. Otherwise, cancel the order through Shopify admin and process any refunds as needed.

Q: Does partial payment in the preorder offer work on POS?

A: Shopify POS does not support selling plan-based checkout flows like deposits or deferred payments. POS preorders always charge the full amount at checkout. If you need deposit-based preorders, use your online store instead.

Q: Does the "do not check inventory" setting affect my online store?

A: No, the Do not check inventory setting only applies to POS. Your online store continues to use the standard inventory checks configured in the offer.

Q: Can i use POS preorders with the back in stock alert tile at the same time?

A: Yes. STOQ provides two separate POS tiles: Add preorder to cart for preorders and Register for back in stock alert for back-in-stock signups. Both can be added to your POS home screen and used independently.

Updated on: 10/04/2026