Sell preorders based on location filters

Overview

If your store has inventory spread across multiple locations and you sell in a single market, STOQ's location filter feature helps ensure the preorder button displays correctly on non-product pages like Collection, Home, and Search pages. By selecting which locations are tied to your online store, STOQ uses inventory from only those locations to determine whether to show the preorder button.

When to Use Location Filters

Location filters are designed for a specific scenario. Use this feature if:

• You sell in a single market (one country or region).
• You have multiple inventory locations (warehouses, stores, fulfillment centers).
• You want to show preorders on non-product pages (Collection, Home, Search, or Custom pages).
• Only some locations are tied to your online store for fulfillment.

When NOT to Use Location Filters

Do not enable location filters if:

• You only use preorders on product pages (not on Collection, Home, or Search pages).
• You sell in multiple markets with different locations per market (use the "Multiple markets" setup instead).
• All your locations serve your online store equally.

Setting Up Location Filters

Follow these steps to configure location filters for your preorders.

Accessing Location Settings

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Click Preorders in the left navigation menu.
3. Click Settings in the top bar.
4. Click Pages to access page settings and click customize.
5. Look for the Locations & Markets section or click Locations to open the settings panel.

Screenshot: Preorders Pages with Locations option

Selecting Single Market Setup

Before enabling location filters, ensure you're using the "Single market" setup:

1. In the Locations & Markets panel, find the Market setup section.
2. Select Single market if it's not already selected.
3. This option is for stores that sell in one country or market using one or more locations.

Enabling Location Filters

1. In the Locations & Markets panel, find the Filter locations toggle.
2. Turn on the toggle to enable location filtering.
3. A list of your store's locations will appear below the toggle.

Screenshot:

Selecting Locations

After enabling location filters:

1. Review the list of available locations.
2. Each location shows its name and address for easy identification.
3. Select the checkbox next to each location that is tied to your online store.
4. Only inventory from selected locations will be used to determine preorder availability.

Saving Your Settings

1. After selecting your locations, click Save to apply the changes.
2. STOQ will now use inventory from only the selected locations when determining whether to show the preorder button on non-product pages.

How Location Filters Work

Understanding how location filters affect preorder display helps you configure them correctly.

Without Location Filters

When location filters are disabled, STOQ considers inventory across all your locations. This can cause issues on non-product pages:

• If any location has inventory, the product may not show as available for preorder.
• This is problematic if some locations don't serve your online store.

With Location Filters

When location filters are enabled and locations are selected:

• STOQ only checks inventory at the selected locations.
• If selected locations have zero inventory, the preorder button appears.
• Inventory at non-selected locations is ignored for preorder purposes.

Example Scenario

Consider a store with three locations:

• Main Warehouse (serves online store) - 0 units of Product A
• Retail Store 1 (in-store only) - 50 units of Product A
• Retail Store 2 (in-store only) - 30 units of Product A

Without location filters: Product A might show as "in stock" on Collection pages because total inventory is 80 units.

With location filters (only Main Warehouse selected): Product A shows the preorder button on Collection pages because the Main Warehouse has 0 units.

Pages Affected by Location Filters

Location filters affect how preorders display on non-product pages. You can enable preorders on the following page types:

Product Page

Product pages use the standard inventory check and are not affected by location filters in the same way. The preorder button on product pages works based on the product's overall availability settings.

Collection Page

When enabled, preorder badges and buttons appear on product cards within collection pages. Location filters determine which products show as available for preorder based on selected location inventory.

Home Page

If you display products on your home page (featured products, new arrivals, etc.), location filters affect which products show preorder options.

Search Page

When customers search for products, location filters determine which search results show preorder availability based on selected location inventory.

Custom Pages

If you have custom pages that display products, location filters apply to those as well.

Best Practices

Follow these recommendations for effective use of location filters.

Select Only Relevant Locations

• Only select locations that actually fulfill online orders.
• Don't select retail-only locations or locations that don't ship to customers.
• Review your location selection when you add new locations to your store.

Keep Settings Updated

• Update location filters when you add or remove fulfillment locations.
• Review settings if you change which locations serve your online store.
• Test preorder display after making changes.

Verify Page Settings

• Ensure preorders are enabled on the page types where you want them to appear.
• Check that your preorder offers include the products you want to show.
• Test the customer experience on different page types.

Test After Configuration

After setting up location filters:

1. Visit your store's Collection, Home, and Search pages.
2. Verify that products with zero inventory at selected locations show the preorder button.
3. Confirm that products with inventory at selected locations show as in stock.

Known Limitations

Location filters have some constraints to be aware of.

• Location filters only apply to non-product pages (Collection, Home, Search, Custom). Product pages use standard inventory checks.
• This feature is only available when using the "Single market" setup. For multiple markets, use the market-location linking feature instead.
• Due to Shopify API limitations, there may be slight delays in inventory updates reflecting on non-product pages.
• All selected locations are treated as a group. If any selected location has inventory, the product shows as in stock.
• Location filters affect all preorder offers globally. You cannot set different location filters for different offers.

Troubleshooting

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

FAQs

Here are answers to common questions about location filters for preorders.

Q: Do I need location filters if I only use preorders on product pages?

A: No, if you only use preorders on product pages and not on Collection, Home, or Search pages, you don't need to enable location filters. This feature is specifically designed to handle inventory checks on non-product pages.

Q: What happens if I select multiple locations?

A: When multiple locations are selected, STOQ combines the inventory from all selected locations. If the total inventory across selected locations is zero, the preorder button appears. If any selected location has inventory, the product shows as in stock.

Q: Can I use different location filters for different preorder offers?

A: No, location filters are a global setting that applies to all preorder offers. If you need different location behavior for different products, consider using the "Multiple markets" setup with market-specific location linking.

Q: Why do I need this feature? Why doesn't STOQ just check all locations?

A: Due to Shopify API limitations, checking inventory on non-product pages works differently than on product pages. Without location filters, STOQ may not correctly determine which locations are relevant for your online store, leading to incorrect preorder display.

Q: What's the difference between location filters and market-location settings?

A: Location filters are for single-market stores with multiple locations. They determine which locations' inventory is checked for preorder availability. Market-location settings are for multi-market stores and link specific locations to specific markets, so each market checks inventory from its own locations.

Q: Do location filters affect inventory tracking or fulfillment?

A: No, location filters only affect how STOQ determines whether to show the preorder button on non-product pages. They don't change your actual inventory levels, fulfillment settings, or how Shopify processes orders.

Updated on: 21/02/2026