MenuStart a projectStart

Online shop

Shopify pre-order allocation and customer updates

Pre-order allocation automation shares out incoming stock across waiting Shopify pre-orders in the order they were placed. It releases orders that can be filled for packing and sends everyone else an update, so nobody is left wondering.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From a stock delivery to pre-orders released in the right order.

  1. Step 01

    Stock arrives

    Shopify reports an inventory change for a product that has pre-orders waiting.

  2. Step 02

    Queue built

    List open pre-orders for that product, oldest first, skipping cancelled and refunded orders.

  3. Step 03

    Stock allocated

    Allocate the delivery down the queue, holding orders with several items until each one is available, if that is your rule.

  4. Step 04

    Orders released

    Release the fulfilment hold on each allocated order, so it appears in the packing queue.

  5. Step 05

    Customers updated

    Send approved Klaviyo messages to customers whose orders are being packed and to those still waiting.

The result

Pre-order customers served in the order they bought, and kept informed.

Stock is allocated once per order line, so a repeated stock event cannot allocate twice. Each customer gets one message per delivery, using wording you have approved.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for makers, small-batch brands and independent publishers who take pre-orders for limited runs and allocate deliveries by hand from a spreadsheet. A sensible first version handles single-item pre-orders for one launch, with a person reviewing the allocation before orders are released.

What we need to connect

  1. 01Shopify access to orders, inventory levels and fulfilment holds, with pre-order products clearly tagged.
  2. 02A Klaviyo account set up to send order updates, with approved wording for being-packed and still-waiting messages.
  3. 03Your allocation rules, such as oldest first or priority for subscribers, and how orders that mix products should ship.

What needs careful handling

Deliveries are often smaller than expected or arrive in batches, so allocation runs per delivery and never promises stock that hasn’t been counted in. Orders that mix pre-order and in-stock items need a rule: ship together when complete, or ship what is available now. Where payment is collected later rather than at checkout, taking it stays a separate step a person checks, because a failed payment shouldn’t release an order.

Questions people ask.

Doesn’t a pre-order app already do this?

Pre-order apps handle taking the order well, and some include allocation. A custom flow helps when your rules are particular to you, such as partial deliveries, priority customers or orders that span several products.

What if a delivery is short?

The queue is filled as far as the stock goes, and everyone after that point gets a still-waiting update. Nobody is moved ahead of someone who ordered earlier unless your rules say so.

Stock level dropped → Sent on approval
Automation 50

Shopify low-stock reorder automation

Label created → Delivery reminder
Automation 51

Shopify dispatch updates by WhatsApp

All automation examples