Do you have an online business? And have you ever launched a pre-order campaign? If the answer is ‘no’ to the second question, this article will tell you more about why you should incorporate a pre-order campaign in your strategy & what benefits it can bring. 

For an e-commerce business, it is extremely important to give your consumers the best possible shopping experience, to sell as much as possible and to get products out the door as quickly as possible. Pre-orders can be a powerful tool to achieve these goals. 

Thanks to a pre-order campaign, it is possible to create hype around a product. The most successful online businesses (B2C) build up a hype among their existing customers about new products before they are actually available. This leads to enthusiasm & excitement around the product. 

Main advantages of pre-orders 

• More sales
  

  Because of e-commerce, consumers have more options than ever before. Every product is available within a single click. This means that there is a lot of competition for sellers. If a product is out of stock in your webshop, chances are that the potential customer will simply go to one of your competitors and buy the product there. That is why it is good to offer products in pre-order.
  Pre-orders help you to capture sales already, regardless of the fact that the products are ready to ship.
  In addition, with pre-orders you also have the free choice of receiving payment in the form of a deposit, paying in advance or only once the item is shipped. This choice also depends on your cash flow needs.

• Build a stronger bond with your customer

You can also first launch the pre-order campaign to your loyal database via e-mail or via a loyalty program (also take a look at our article on the importance of a loyalty program). This not only increases the chance of converting returning visitors but also builds brand loyalty and shows that you are aware of the wishes of your core customer.

• Certainty: sales and demand better-predicted

Thanks to pre-orders, it is possible to turn uncertainty into insight: insight into the actual demand for your product. 

Selling a physical product involves a lot of risks: investments in research, design, production, and buying your stock. Therefore, understanding the demand for each of your products can only benefit you financially.

In recent years, many companies have faced problems with their supply chain. Reduce risks of insecure supply chains and store inactive stock through pre-orders. This way, you can effectively predict the minimum production quantities you will need to fulfill orders. 

• Customers can already look forward to their new favourite product

Capturing the attention of your audience is harder than ever today, let alone creating enthusiasm for a new product launch/return of a favorite.

This is where pre-orders can create the hype as a movie trailer can for a new film. 

A successful pre-order campaign therefore certainly contains the following ingredients: 

• Professional images of your product + clear CTA ‘pre-order’. Use factory samples or professional photo editing services to create product photos for a product that does not yet exist.
• Offer pre-order incentives: A temporary discount, early bird access or free extras are ideal means to encourage pre-order sales and generate enthusiasm at the same time. 
• Promote pre-order sales through advertising and social media: spread your pre-order message on the platforms where your target groups are most active. 

Set up pre-order 

Convinced of the advantages of pre-orders? Here we give you an overview of the best pre-order apps per platform. 

Shopify 

Ready to offer pre-orders through your Shopify shop? Then we recommend one of the following pre-order apps in the Shopify App Store: 

1. PreProduct
2. Pre-Order Manager
3. Purple Dot

The apps listed above are reliable apps that can be fully integrated with Shopify. 

WooCommerce 

Ready to offer pre-orders but you have a WooCommerce shop? Then we recommend you to follow this link and go through these steps: WooCommerce Pre-Orders

If you would like further support and tips & tricks for implementing pre-orders in your strategy, please do not hesitate to contact us!