Preorders on Google, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook
Use this guide if you sell through Shopify's Google & YouTube or Facebook & Instagram sales channels and also run STOQ preorders. Whether a preorder works on these channels comes down to one thing: where the buyer completes checkout. The preorder button and its payment options never appear on the channel surface itself, so what matters is whether the channel sends the buyer to your Online Store to pay, or uses its own checkout.
Why the preorder widget doesn't show on these channels
STOQ adds the preorder button, badge, disclaimer, payment options, countdown, and progress bar through a theme app extension that runs only on your Online Store (and custom storefronts built on it). The Google, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook channels render your products on their own surfaces, where that extension doesn't run, so none of the STOQ preorder elements appear there.
Preorders also rely on Shopify selling plans (the deferred or partial-payment purchase option). Channel checkouts that aren't your Online Store don't support selling plans, so a preorder can't be created through them. This is the same platform limitation that stops preorders working in the Shop app.
What decides whether a preorder happens
It depends entirely on where the buyer checks out:
- If the channel sends buyers to your Online Store to complete the purchase, the order goes through as a preorder, whether or not the Shopify purchase option (selling plan) is enabled, exactly like any other Online Store order.
- If the channel uses its own checkout, separate from your store, the preorder context doesn't apply. The buyer sees the regular Shopify price with no preorder button, deposit, or partial payment, and can place a normal order at full price.
How checkout works is set per channel in your Shopify admin, so check each channel's settings to confirm which applies to your store.
Channel support at a glance
| Channel | Preorders |
|---|---|
| Online Store | Yes |
| Custom Storefront | Yes |
| Google & YouTube | Only if the channel sends buyers to your Online Store to check out |
| Facebook & Instagram | Only if the channel sends buyers to your Online Store to check out |
| Shop app | No, see Do STOQ preorders work with the Shop app? |
| Shopify POS | Through STOQ's POS integration, see Preorders on Shopify POS |
What customers see on the channel
On the channel listing itself, a preorder product looks like a normal product:
- No preorder button or "Notify me" button, just the channel's standard buy or checkout action.
- The regular Shopify price, not your preorder discount. Preorder discounts and deposits are applied through STOQ on the Online Store, so they don't show on the channel.
- No preorder disclaimer or shipping timeline.
If that channel uses its own checkout, an order placed there is a normal order: it won't carry your preorder tag, deposit or partial payment, or fulfillment hold.
Keep preorder products out of channels that use their own checkout
If a channel checks out on its own surface and you don't want preorder products sold there without preorder context, remove those products from that channel while the campaign runs.
Open the product's publishing settings
In Shopify admin, open the preorder product and find the Publishing section.
Remove the channel
Uncheck the Google & YouTube or Facebook & Instagram channel and save. To do many at once, select the products in your product list, use bulk edit, and exclude the channel.
When the preorder campaign ends and the product sells normally again (no selling plan), you can re-add it to the channel the same way.
FAQ
Why doesn't the preorder button show on my Instagram or Facebook shop?
STOQ's preorder button is part of a theme app extension that only runs on your Online Store. The Instagram and Facebook surfaces render products themselves, so the button, disclaimer, and payment options don't appear there.
Can customers still buy a sold-out preorder product from these channels?
Only if the channel routes checkout to your Online Store, where the preorder purchase option applies. If the channel uses its own checkout, a sold-out product either can't be bought or is sold as a normal order without preorder terms, depending on its inventory settings.
Will my preorder discount or deposit apply to a channel sale?
Not on a channel that uses its own checkout. Preorder discounts and deposits are applied by STOQ through the Online Store, so a sale completed on the channel's own checkout is charged the regular full price with no deposit.
How do I know whether a channel uses its own checkout or my Online Store?
It's configured per channel in your Shopify admin. Open the channel's settings and check how checkout is handled, or place a test purchase and see whether it sends you to your store's checkout.
Does removing a product from a channel affect its Online Store preorders?
No. Channel publishing is separate from your Online Store. Removing a product from Google & YouTube or Facebook & Instagram only stops it showing on that channel; its Online Store preorder offer is unaffected.
Related guides
Do STOQ preorders work with the Shop app?
The same channel limitation on Shopify's Shop app, and how to exclude products.
Preorders on Shopify POS
Take preorders in person through STOQ's POS integration.
Show the preorder button on store pages
Control where the preorder button appears on your Online Store.
Set up payment for preorders
Configure full payment, deposits, and partial payments.
