Do Shopify pre-orders work with Shop Promise?

If your store is enrolled in Shop Promise and you're running pre-orders or back-orders through Early Bird, you need to know that Shopify pre-orders and back-orders are not eligible for Shop Promise and are automatically excluded from the program.

This is a Shopify platform restriction - it applies regardless of which pre-order app you use, not just Early Bird. The same restriction applies to back-orders. Products with zero available inventory are also excluded from Shop Promise, since back-orders involve selling products that can't be shipped immediately from existing stock.

Why this happens

Shop Promise works by guaranteeing customers a delivery date based on your store's fulfillment capability. To display the Shop Promise badge, Shopify requires that a product has tracked inventory with at least one unit in stock at a fulfillment location that offers shipping.

Pre-orders and back-orders, by definition, involve products that can't be shipped immediately - so Shopify automatically excludes them from the program.

Important note: If you sell a mix of regular and pre-order products: if a cart contains both regular in-stock products and a pre-order item, the entire order becomes ineligible for Shop Promise. The badge won't appear even for the in-stock items in that cart.

What you can do instead

You can't override Shopify's Shop Promise exclusion, but you can still give customers the confidence they need to complete a pre-order. Here are a few ways to do that.

1. Display your expected fulfillment date clearly

Early Bird automatically shows your expected fulfillment date throughout the purchase journey - on your product page, in the cart, and at checkout (e.g. "Ships in 2–3 weeks" or "Expected by 15 March"). The text is customisable per campaign if needed.

This gives customers a clear delivery expectation upfront, which is often what Shop Promise does for in-stock products anyway.

Best for: Any store running pre-orders where customer trust is a concern.

Cart drawer on a Shopify store showing a pre-order item with purchase option labelled — Early Bird displays the purchase option and expected ship date directly in the cart drawer and on the cart page, so customers know what they're ordering before they check out.

Shopify checkout showing a pre-order item with a 50% deposit, expected ship date of 15 November 2024, and a split payment breakdown showing total due today and total due on the ship date — Early Bird also shows the expected ship date and payment breakdown at checkout (if you're capturing deposits) - giving customers clear delivery and payment expectations before they confirm their order.

Important note: Make sure your expected fulfillment dates are realistic and kept up to date. Vague or outdated dates are one of the most common causes of pre-order complaints and cancellations.

2. Use Early Bird's pre-order email notifications to set expectations

Early Bird lets you send pre-order shipping update emails and back-in-stock emails to customers. These touchpoints keep customers informed across the pre-order lifecycle - similar to how Shop Promise keeps buyers confident after placing an order.

Best for: Stores with longer pre-order timelines (4+ weeks) where customers may need reassurance between purchase and shipment.

Early Bird's email templates screen showing the — Early Bird's built-in email templates let you notify all relevant customers with just one click when your fulfillment date changes - keeping them informed without any manual outreach.

Check out our help article on sending pre-order shipping update emails here.

3. Keep pre-order products in a separate purchase from in-stock products

If your store relies heavily on Shop Promise for in-stock products, consider whether your pre-order items are regularly being added to the same cart as in-stock items. Because a mixed cart removes Shop Promise from the entire order, you may want to guide customers to purchase pre-order items separately.

Best for: Stores where both in-stock and pre-order products appear on the same collection pages or bundles.

Important note: This isn't something Early Bird controls - it's a customer behaviour and store design consideration. Adding clear pre-order labelling to product listings can help customers understand what they're ordering before they add it to their cart.

Need help?

If you have questions about how Early Bird works with your store's setup, email us at support@shopside.com.au. We're happy to walk through your specific situation.