--- title: "Preorders on Shopify POS" description: "Use STOQ's Shopify POS tile to take preorders at the register at your physical retail locations." url: https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorders-on-shopify-pos/ product: "Preorders" section: "Notifications and integrations / Apps and automation" last_updated: 2026-09-29 --- # Preorders on Shopify POS > Use STOQ's Shopify POS tile to take preorders at the register at your physical retail locations. Use this guide to add STOQ's **Add preorder to cart** tile to your Shopify POS devices so staff can take a preorder at the register. It adds a preorder item to the POS cart with all its preorder details attached, so staff complete checkout as normal. It works entirely on the POS device, with no extra configuration in the Shopify admin beyond adding the tile. > **Note** > > STOQ has a separate POS tile for signing customers up for back-in-stock alerts in person. For that, see [Register back in stock signups on Shopify POS](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-on-shopify-pos/). ## Before you begin | Prerequisite | Details | |---|---| | Shopify POS app | Shopify POS must be installed on your device. Get it from [apps.shopify.com/shopify-pos](https://apps.shopify.com/shopify-pos). | | STOQ installed | Restock Rocket (STOQ) must be installed on your Shopify store. | | Active preorder offer (for preorders) | You must have at least one enabled preorder offer before the preorder tile can add products to a POS cart. See [Set up preorders](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/set-up-preorders/). | | Offer POS setting enabled (for preorders) | Each preorder offer has a per-offer **Sell preorders on POS** toggle (enabled by default). Confirm it is on for the offers whose products you want to sell at POS. See [Preorders on POS, B2B, and with Bundles](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-pos-b2b-bundles/). | ## What customers will see | Situation | What happens | |---|---| | Preorder line item | If the offer has a shipping or delivery timeline configured, that text appears on the order's line item details, visible in the order receipt. | | No native selling plan | Shopify POS doesn't support selling plans at checkout, so a POS preorder never shows the subscription-style selling plan block customers see on an online preorder. STOQ still tracks and manages the order as a preorder internally. | | Deposit at checkout | Not available. POS always collects full payment; see Limitations. | ## Set it up ### Add the preorder tile to your POS device 1. **Open the Shopify POS app** On your POS device, open the Shopify POS app so you're on the home screen (the smart grid of tiles). 2. **Tap Add tile** Tap **Add tile** on the POS home screen. [Image: The Shopify POS home screen (smart grid) with the Add tile tile in the bottom right](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-1.png) 3. **Choose App, then STOQ** 1. Tap **App**. 2. Choose **STOQ** from the app list. [Image: The POS Add tile menu with options Action, App, Collection, Discount, Fee, Link, and Product](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-2.png) [Image: The POS Add app list showing installed apps including STOQ](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-3.png) 4. **Add the 'Add preorder to cart' tile** Tap **Add** next to **Add preorder to cart**, then tap **Save**. [Image: The STOQ POS app extensions list with Register for back in stock alert and Add preorder to cart, each with an Add button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-5.png) 5. **Confirm the tile is on your POS home screen** The **Add preorder to cart** tile now appears on your POS home screen and is ready to use. [Image: The POS home screen in edit mode showing the Add preorder to cart tile now added, with Save at the top](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-6.png) ### Enable POS selling on the offer Before staff can add an offer's products to a POS cart, the offer itself must allow POS selling. Open the offer editor (**Preorders** in the left menu, the **Offers** tab, open the offer, then **Customize**), and in the editor sidebar click **POS, B2B & Bundles**. Under **Point of Sale** you'll find two settings: - **Sell preorders on POS**: on by default. Leave it checked so this offer's products can be sold at the register. When it's off, POS treats the variant as having no preorder offer and can't add it to the cart. - **Do not check inventory**: click **Customize** under **Sell preorders on POS** to reveal it. By default (unchecked), a variant can be preordered at POS only when it's out of stock and set to continue selling when out of stock, the same rule as your online store. Check it to let staff take a POS preorder even when the variant still shows stock, which is useful when inventory is shared across your Online Store and POS. Click **Save changes** after changing either setting. [Image: The Preorder 46 offer Overview tab with marker 1 on the Customize button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-7.png) [Image: The offer editor sidebar with marker 1 on the More settings expander that reveals the Advanced group](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-8.png) [Image: The offer editor sidebar with marker 1 on the POS, B2B & Bundles item under Advanced](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-9.png) [Image: The POS, B2B & Bundles panel with marker 1 on Sell preorders on POS, marker 2 on Do not check inventory, and marker 3 on Save changes](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-10.png) ### Take a preorder at POS Once the tile is installed and the offer allows POS selling, any staff member can take a preorder at the register. 1. **Tap 'Add preorder to cart'** On the POS home screen, tap the **Add preorder to cart** tile. The **Select a product** screen opens. 2. **Search for and select the product** 1. Type the product name in **Search products**. Results appear once you pause typing. 2. Tap the product to continue. 3. **Select the variant** If the product has options such as size or color, the **Select variant** screen opens. Tap the correct variant. If you picked the wrong product, tap **Choose a different product** at the bottom of the screen. Products without options skip this screen and go straight to the **Confirm Preorder** screen. 4. **Review eligibility and confirm** The **Confirm Preorder** screen shows: - The product name and variant - Remaining preorder availability (if a preorder limit is set on the offer) - Line item details that will be visible to the customer on their order receipt (such as estimated shipping text, if configured on the offer) If the variant is not eligible, an error message is shown and the **Add to cart** button is disabled. The most common reasons are: the variant is in stock and **Do not check inventory** is off (standard behavior requires the variant to be out of stock and allow orders when out of stock), or all preorder slots are taken. Tap **Add to cart** to add the preorder item to the POS cart. A **Preorder added to cart** toast confirms it. To take another preorder, tap **Add another** to go back to product search, or tap **Close** to close the tile. [Image: The POS Confirm Preorder screen for Pant new XS with the Add to cart, Add another, and Close buttons and the On the receipt details](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-12.png) [Image: The POS Confirm Preorder screen with a Preorder added to cart toast after tapping Add to cart](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-13.png) 5. **Complete checkout normally** The preorder item now appears in the POS cart. Complete the sale through Shopify POS as you would any other order. Shopify controls payment processing, receipts, and taxes. STOQ adds the preorder designation and details to the line item. [Image: The POS Cart with the Pant new preorder item (Purchase type: Preorder, Shipping: To be confirmed) and the Checkout button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/preorders-on-shopify-pos-14.png) #### What STOQ attaches to the cart When the item is added to the cart, STOQ sets a **Purchase type: Preorder** property on the line item, plus the shipping text if the offer has one configured, and its own internal tracking properties so it can identify the the order as a preorder and where it came from. These carry through to the completed order, where STOQ uses them to track and manage the preorder, and they're what you'll see in the order details in Shopify admin. If the offer has a custom cart attribute, POS shows that text instead of **Purchase type: Preorder**. POS fills in only the `{{ name }}`, `{{ date }}`, and `{{ disclaimer }}` variables; if the attribute uses any other variable, POS keeps **Purchase type: Preorder**. See [Change or translate the "Purchase type: Preorder" cart text](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/translate-purchase-type-cart-text/). ## Check your setup After taking a POS preorder, go to **Orders** in Shopify admin. The new order should appear with the line item properties STOQ attached (Purchase type: Preorder, etc.) visible in the order details. Then in STOQ, go to **Reports → Preorders → Orders**. The order should appear there as a tracked preorder order. To check a single offer, open **Preorders** in the left menu, click the **Offers** tab, open the offer, and go to its **Orders** tab. ## Troubleshooting ### The Confirm Preorder screen says the variant has no preorder offer The tile searches your whole catalog, so it can find products that aren't in a POS-ready offer. Check these: 1. The variant is in a preorder offer. 2. The offer is active. See [Schedule when an offer runs](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-offer-status-and-schedule/). 3. **Sell preorders on POS** is turned on for the offer. See [Preorders on POS, B2B, and with Bundles](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-pos-b2b-bundles/). ### Search results don't appear while typing Results appear once you stop typing for a moment. The list shows up to 20 products, so if the one you want isn't there, type more of its name. If the line under **Search products** says **Could not search products**, change the search text to try again, or close the tile and open it again. ### The Add to cart button is disabled, or the confirmation screen shows the variant as not eligible Check these: 1. The variant is out of stock and set to allow orders when out of stock (unless the offer's **Do not check inventory** setting is on). 2. The offer hasn't reached its total or per-variant preorder limit. 3. The offer is active and not paused. See [Preorder order limits](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-order-limits/) and [Schedule when an offer runs](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-offer-status-and-schedule/). ### The customer doesn't get a preorder confirmation email or SMS Confirm you have a preorder confirmation notification configured in STOQ and that it triggers on order creation. Place a POS test order to verify. See [Preorder confirmation notification](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-confirmation-notification/). ## Limitations POS preorders don't support a deposit or partial payment: Shopify POS always collects the full payment at checkout, since STOQ's deposit option relies on Shopify selling plans, which POS checkout doesn't support natively. ## FAQ ### Where do I find the STOQ preorder tile in the POS app? On the POS home screen, tap **Add tile**, tap **App**, then choose **STOQ**. Tap **Add** next to **Add preorder to cart**, then **Save** to add it to your POS home screen. ### Does the POS preorder charge the customer a deposit at checkout? No. Shopify POS always collects the full payment at checkout; see Limitations above. Plan accordingly if your offer has a deposit option: POS customers always pay in full. ### Can I add more than one preorder to the same sale? Yes. After you tap **Add to cart**, tap **Add another**, search for the next product, and tap **Add to cart** again. Each preorder goes into the same POS cart, so you check out once. ### Do I need to do anything in STOQ after taking a POS preorder order? No extra STOQ-side steps are needed for a standard POS preorder. Once the Shopify order is created, STOQ processes it automatically and the order appears in your STOQ preorders list. You then manage it the same way as any other preorder: releasing fulfillment holds, communicating with the customer, etc. See [Handle orders after receiving preorder inventory](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/handle-orders-after-receiving-preorder-inventory/). ## Related guides - [Preorders on POS, B2B, and with Bundles](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-pos-b2b-bundles/): Configure per-offer POS settings including the inventory check bypass and B2B and bundle options. - [Set up preorders](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/set-up-preorders/): Create your first preorder offer and get products ready to sell on any channel. - [Preorder order limits](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-order-limits/): Set per-variant or total quantity caps that apply across Online Store and POS. - [Handle orders after receiving preorder inventory](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/handle-orders-after-receiving-preorder-inventory/): Fulfill and release POS preorders once your inventory arrives. - [Preorder confirmation notification](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-confirmation-notification/): Set up the email or SMS confirmation customers receive after placing a preorder. - [Register back in stock signups on Shopify POS](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-on-shopify-pos/): STOQ's other POS tile, for signing customers up for a back-in-stock alert in person.