Test your preorder offer

Testing a preorder offer on your Shopify store ensures everything works smoothly before making it available to your customers. This guide walks you through preparing for testing, completing a test checkout, and verifying the order appears correctly in STOQ's reports. By testing thoroughly, you can identify and fix any issues before real customers encounter them.

Preparing for Testing

Before testing your preorder offer, you need a way to complete a checkout without processing a real payment. There are two recommended methods for test checkouts.

Method 1: Using a 100% Discount Code

This method allows you to complete a real checkout without paying by applying a full discount.

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Discounts.
2. Click Create discount and select Amount Off Order.
3. Enter a name for the code, such as TESTORDER.
4. Choose Percentage as the discount type and set it to 100%.
5. Under "Applies to," specify that the discount applies to all products or select specific preorder products.
6. Click Save to create the discount code.
7. Optionally, also create a free shipping rate in your shipping or a free shipping discount as well if needed.

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Method 2: Using Shopify's Bogus Gateway

This method uses Shopify's built-in test payment gateway to simulate transactions without processing real payments.

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
2. In the "Payment providers" section, click Choose provider.
3. Select Third party credit card provider.
4. Choose Bogus Gateway from the list.
5. Click Activate to enable the test gateway.

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When using the Bogus Gateway at checkout, enter these test payment details:

• Name on card: Any name
• Card number: Enter 1 for a successful transaction, 2 for a failed transaction, or 3 for an error
• CVV: Any 3 digits
• Expiration date: Any future date

Completing a Test Checkout

Once you have set up a testing method, follow these steps to complete a test preorder checkout.

Finding Your Preorder Product

1. Open your store's website as a customer would (use your store's public URL).
2. Navigate to the product page you set up for preorder.
3. Verify that the Preorder button is displayed instead of the regular "Add to Cart" button.

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If the Preorder button is not showing, check that:

• The preorder offer is enabled in STOQ.
• The product is correctly linked to the preorder offer.
• The "Continue selling when out of stock" setting is enabled for the product (if using out-of-stock preorders).

Adding to Cart and Checking Out

1. Click the Preorder button to add the product to your cart.
2. Proceed to the cart page and verify the preorder information is displayed correctly.
3. Click Checkout to proceed to the checkout page.

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Completing the Purchase

1. Enter your shipping and payment information (you can use test details).
2. Proceed to the payment step.
3. If using the 100% discount code method, enter your discount code in the discount field and apply it.
4. If using the Bogus Gateway method, enter the test payment details (card number 1 for success).
5. Complete the checkout by clicking Complete order or Pay now.

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Reviewing Order Confirmation

After completing the checkout:

1. You should see an order confirmation page.
2. Check your email for an order confirmation email.
3. If you have preorder confirmation emails enabled in STOQ, you should also receive a preorder-specific confirmation email.

Verifying the Order in STOQ Reports

After completing a test checkout, verify that the order appears correctly in STOQ's preorder reports.

Accessing the Preorders Report

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Click Reports in the left navigation menu.
3. Click Preorders to access the preorders report.

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Finding Your Test Order

1. In the preorders report, look for your test order.
2. You can use the search or filter options to find the order by order number, customer email, or product name.
3. Verify that the order appears in the list.

Checking Order Details

Click on the order to view its details and verify:

• The correct product and variant are listed.
• The customer information matches what you entered at checkout.
• The preorder status is correct (e.g., "Unfulfilled" or "Payment pending" depending on your payment settings).
• The payment information is recorded correctly.

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What to Test

When testing your preorder offer, verify the following aspects work correctly.

Product Page Display

• The Preorder button appears with the correct text.
• The disclaimer or description text is displayed correctly.
• Any shipping or fulfillment timeline information is shown.
• The payment widget shows the correct deposit or full payment information (if enabled).
• Preorder badges appear correctly (if enabled).

Cart and Checkout Flow

• The preorder product is added to the cart correctly.
• Cart properties show preorder information (if enabled in advanced settings).
• The checkout process completes without errors.
• Discount codes work correctly with preorder products. (Note: Buy X and get Y discounts are not supported on preorders by Shopify.)

Order Processing

• The order appears in Shopify's Orders section.
• The order appears in STOQ's Preorders report.
• Order details are recorded correctly.
• Confirmation emails are sent (if enabled).

Payment Collection (for Partial Payment Offers)

If your preorder offer uses partial payments (deposits):

• Verify the correct deposit amount is charged at checkout.
• Check that the remaining balance is recorded in STOQ.
• Test the payment collection process for the remaining balance.

Cleaning Up After Testing

After completing your tests, remember to clean up your test environment.

Removing Test Orders

1. In Shopify admin, go to Orders.
2. Find your test orders and cancel or archive them.
3. In STOQ, the cancelled orders will be updated accordingly.

Disabling Test Payment Methods

If you used the Bogus Gateway:

1. Go to Settings > Payments in Shopify admin.
2. Deactivate the Bogus Gateway.
3. Ensure your real payment provider is active.

Removing Test Discount Codes

If you created a 100% discount code:

1. Go to Discounts in Shopify admin.
2. Find your test discount code.
3. Delete or deactivate the discount.

Known Limitations

Testing preorder offers has some constraints to be aware of.

• Test orders using the Bogus Gateway will show as paid but no actual payment is processed.
• Some payment-related features (like collecting remaining payments) may behave differently with test orders.
• Email delivery for test orders depends on your email configuration and may go to spam folders.
• If testing on a development or password-protected store, some features may behave differently than on a live store.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues while testing your preorder offer, use this guide to identify and resolve common problems.

FAQs

Q: Do I need to use real payment details to test?

A: No, you can use either a 100% discount code or Shopify's Bogus Gateway to complete test checkouts without processing real payments. Both methods allow you to test the full checkout flow safely.

Q: Will test orders affect my store's analytics?

A: Yes, test orders will appear in your Shopify analytics and STOQ reports. You should cancel or archive test orders after testing to keep your data clean. Consider using a clearly identifiable test email address to easily find and remove test orders.

Q: Can I test on a password-protected store?

A: Yes, you can test preorder offers on a password-protected storefront. Simply enter the password to access your storefront and proceed with testing as normal.

Q: How do I test partial payment (deposit) preorders?

A: Use the same testing methods described above. The deposit amount will be shown at checkout. After the test order is placed, you can test the remaining payment collection process in STOQ's Reports section.

Q: Should I test in a development store or my live store?

A: If you have a development store, it's safer to test there first. However, you can also test on your live store using the methods described above. Just remember to clean up test orders and disable test payment methods afterward.

Q: How long does it take for test orders to appear in STOQ?

A: Test orders should appear in STOQ's reports within a few minutes of completing the checkout. If the order doesn't appear after 5-10 minutes, try refreshing the page or checking if the order was successfully placed in Shopify.

Updated on: 06/02/2026