How to Notify Customers When a Product Becomes Available for Preorder

You can notify customers when a product becomes available for preorder by combining Timesact’s preorder settings with the Back In Stock notification feature. This setup gives you a simple and automated workflow that emails shoppers as soon as preorder availability opens. It is a great way to build interest, increase conversions, and keep customers informed without needing extra apps or manual steps.

How It Works

Back In Stock creates a Notify Me button on a product so customers can leave their email when the item is unavailable. When you add inventory back to that product, Back In Stock uses that inventory change as the trigger to send an email to everyone who signed up.

For this workflow, you set up a product where both Back In Stock and Preorder are enabled at the same time, and the preorder stock setting is set to Preorder when Inventory is Available.

When you restock that product:

• Back In Stock sees that inventory was added and sends the notification email.
• The preorder plan sees that inventory is available and allows the product to be preordered.

Once you customize the Back In Stock email template to say that the product is now available for preorder, customers who signed up will receive an email that guides them back to your store to place a preorder.

Steps to Set It Up

1. Select the product

Choose the product or variants you want to use for this workflow.

2. Set your preorder behavior

Configure your preorder settings as you normally would. For this workflow, make sure the inventory option is set to Preorder when Inventory is Available. This ensures preorder becomes active as soon as you add inventory.

3. Enable Back In Stock

Before saving your preorder setup, open the Back In Stock tab.

Enable Back In Stock on this product. Once enabled, you can save your configuration.

4. Customize the Back In Stock email template

Update the Back In Stock email so it informs customers that the product is now available for preorder.

To edit this template, go to Notifications > Back In Stock.

The default Back In Stock template mentions that the product is back in stock. Replace this text with messaging that clearly communicates the product is available for preorder instead.

5. Review your Back In Stock signups

Back In Stock collects emails from shoppers who requested updates. You can view the list of interested customers by going to App Menu > Back In Stock.

6. Restock the product to trigger the email

When you add inventory to the product, Back In Stock will automatically send your updated email to all collected subscribers. At the same time, your preorder settings will switch the product into preorder status.

Tips

• Use clear preorder wording in your Back In Stock email so customers understand they are placing a preorder.
• Restock only when you are ready to open preorders because the email will send as soon as inventory is added.
• If your product has multiple variants, make sure both Preorder and Back In Stock are enabled on the correct variants.
• You can test this workflow on a draft or hidden product to confirm everything works as expected before going live.

Need Help?

If you need assistance setting this up or have questions about how Back In Stock and Preorder work together, our support team is here to help. You can reach us anytime through live chat or email us at support@timesact.com.

Updated on: 12/01/2025