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Pre-order email template

A pre-order date the shopper can plan around.

Give the expected ship date from the product page, and say whether the rest of the cart waits for it.Updated · By Ziyad Basheer
Use this template freeSee the template

Short answer

A pre-order reply needs the expected ship date, whether in-stock items in the same order wait or ship first, and when the card is charged. If the date has moved, say so before the shopper asks.

The templates

Fills in from Shopify, with a fallbackYours to fill in
EmailExpected ship date
Subject: When your pre-order ships
Hi customer.first_name, Thanks for asking. Product is on pre-order and is expected to ship in the week of date. If you order it with items that are in stock, the whole order ships together when it arrives / the in-stock items ship first and the pre-order follows. Your card is charged at checkout / charged when it ships. We will email a tracking link the moment it ships, and write straight away if the date changes.
ChatShort reply
Product is expected to ship in the week of date. Ordered with in-stock items, everything ships together when it arrives / the rest ships first. You will get tracking by email the day it leaves us.
StepsProcedure steps
Give the expected ship date shown on the product page for the pre-order item. Say whether the rest of the order waits for it or ships separately, as our policy says. If no date is listed, say it is not confirmed yet. Never estimate one.

When to use

A shopper asks when a pre-order item will ship, or what happens to the rest of the cart. Not when they ask when a sold-out item will be back in stock.Aide picks a procedure from its When to use. Paste this into your procedure, then edit it for your store.

Only if

They ask about a pre-orderYour pre-order topic is detected, for example “When will this ship?”
Already paid for itOptional: add order exists, and give customers a version with their order number.

Example conversation

Customer
If I pre-order the stoneware teapot now, when will it actually ship?
Aide
The stoneware teapot is expected to ship in the week of March 9. If you order it with items that are in stock, the whole order ships together once the teapot arrives. You will get a tracking link by email the day it leaves us.
Customer
Good to know, thanks.
✓Ship date read from the product page

Frequently asked questions

Either works if you say which up front. Holding the order keeps it to one parcel; shipping in-stock items first gets the customer something sooner but costs a second label.

Some charge at checkout and say so on the product page; others take payment when the item ships. Whichever you use, put it in the reply so the charge is never a surprise.

From the product page and your synced Shopify products. When no date is listed, Aide says the date is not confirmed rather than guessing one.

Email everyone waiting on that item before they ask, with the new date and the option to cancel. Once they have an order number, the order delayed template fits better.

Related templates

Back in stock dateAnswer when a sold-out item returns, without guessing a date.Chat · EmailEstimated shipping timeAnswer how long shipping takes.ChatOrder delayedLate before shipping, or late in transit.Email · Chat · Internal noteCancel orderConfirm a cancellation, or explain it already shipped.Email · Chat · Internal note

Related

Send this with the order filled in

Aide fills in the Shopify order and tracking, then drafts or sends the reply, as you choose.

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