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Understanding how to set up pre-orders with Wix eCommerce gives you a direct way to generate revenue and validate demand before a single product ships. Customers can purchase before the item is in stock and you collect payment at checkout.
Whether you're learning how to make an eCommerce website or scaling an established store, pre-orders help you manage cash flow and reduce inventory risk. They also keep customers engaged around launches and restocks.
Wix eCommerce combines tools like automated abandoned cart recovery, back-in-stock alerts and loyalty programs, they become part of a broader system for capturing demand at every stage of the customer journey.
Wix supports this end-to-end by combining ease of use with advanced retail capabilities designed to support businesses from small online stores to high-revenue brands. Pre-orders are just one of the ways Wix helps merchants manage complex inventory, optimize conversions and scale across multiple sales channels while keeping setup straightforward.
This guide shows you how to set up pre-orders in Wix, manage your messaging and pricing and promote your listing across channels.
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TL;DR: how to set up pre-orders with Wix eCommerce
Pre-orders in Wix eCommerce allow you to sell products before they are available, helping you capture demand and generate revenue ahead of fulfillment. You can enable pre-orders directly at the product level, customize how they appear to customers and collect payment at checkout.
Once enabled, pre-orders work alongside Wix’s inventory management tools, allowing you to manage availability, communicate clearly with buyers and support demand across launches and restocks.
Here’s a quick overview of how pre-orders work in Wix:
Setting | Description |
Where to enable | Product page under Inventory & Shipping settings |
Payment timing | Charged at checkout (configurable) |
Button customization | Custom label supported |
Inventory tracking | Available alongside regular stock settings |
Notification to buyer | Automated order confirmation on purchase |
Promotions | Supports discounts, badges and product ribbons |
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How to set up pre-orders with Wix eCommerce
Pre-orders give merchants the ability to start selling before stock arrives, before a launch date or during a limited availability window. Wix eCommerce allows merchants to enable pre-orders at the product level, with built-in controls for availability, messaging and pricing. The setup process is intuitive, but understanding each step fully ensures your pre-order products are configured to convert and communicate clearly to customers.
Here's everything covered in this section:
01. Access your Wix eCommerce dashboard
The first step to enabling pre-orders is navigating to the right area of your Wix site. Log in to your Wix account and open the dashboard for the site connected to your online store. From the left-hand navigation panel, select Catalog and then click on Products.
This is your product management hub, the place where you control everything from product descriptions and images to inventory levels and fulfillment settings.
Wix eCommerce supports merchants in managing complex product catalogs, optimizing conversion and scaling across multiple sales channels, all from a single backend. Once you're in the Products area, you'll see your full catalog. You can enable pre-orders for both new products you create and existing products already live in your store.
If you haven't set up your store yet, Wix Harmony integrates the full Stores vertical natively, enabling merchants to launch a complete, business-ready online store from a single prompt with all store functionality wired in from the start. Aria, Wix Harmony's built-in AI agent, can guide you through store setup, offer web design expertise and execute tasks directly on the canvas so you're never starting from zero.
02. Open the Wix product you want to enable for pre-order
Click on the product you want to configure as a pre-order item or create a new product by clicking the + Add Product button. If you're creating a new product specifically for a launch or upcoming drop, fill in the product name, description, images and pricing before moving on to the pre-order settings.
For existing products that are out of stock or not yet available, open the product and navigate to the inventory and fulfillment settings. This is where you'll prepare the item for pre-orders.
Wix eCommerce enables merchants to organize products across multiple category levels with variant-level pricing and inventory control per variant, giving you precise control over how each product is structured before it goes live.
Before enabling pre-orders, take a moment to strengthen your product page. Since customers are committing to a purchase without immediate delivery, clear and compelling product pages are essential for building trust.
Wix supports up to 50 images per product, giving you room to tell a rich visual story around an upcoming item. For merchants who want studio-quality visuals without a professional shoot, Wix uses AI to transform phone photos into studio-quality packshots in one click, helping you present pre-order products with confidence from day one. The built-in content editor also lets you add formatted text, media and tables to your product description for greater clarity and depth.
Start your free online store with Wix and get ready to launch your first pre-order.
03. Enable the pre-order setting in Wix eCommerce
Inside the product editor, scroll down to the Inventory & Shipping section. This is where you'll find the pre-order toggle. Click to enable pre-orders for the product, which will make the product purchasable even when inventory is set to zero or when you've intentionally held it from standard availability.
When pre-orders are enabled, Wix will display the product as available for purchase but signal to buyers (through your configured messaging) that the item is a pre-order. This distinction is important: customers know upfront that their order will ship at a later date, which sets accurate expectations and reduces post-purchase friction.
Wix's rebuilt product catalog supports variant-level management including individual pricing, inventory and SKU control per variant, meaning you can enable pre-orders at the product level while still managing individual SKUs, sizes or colorways separately. This is particularly useful for product launches where certain variants may be available immediately while others are on pre-order.
04. Configure your pre-order details and messaging
Once the pre-order toggle is enabled, you'll have options to customize the pre-order experience for your customers. This includes setting a custom button label, such as "Pre-Order Now" or "Reserve Yours," and adding a pre-order message that will appear on the product page to inform buyers about expected shipping timelines or availability dates.
Wix allows businesses to customize the eCommerce checkout experience and extend checkout functionality with custom logic, giving merchants full control over how pre-orders are presented and processed from the moment a shopper lands on the page.
Clear, confident messaging is essential for pre-order conversion. Buyers want to know exactly what they're agreeing to, so use the pre-order message field to communicate the estimated ship date, any relevant caveats and what happens next after they place their order. An automated order confirmation is sent to the buyer at checkout, reinforcing that their pre-order has been received.
You can also apply promotional tools to pre-order products, including discount ribbons, promotional badges and gallery labels. Wix eCommerce enables merchants to display promotional badges and offers directly within the product gallery, so even before a shopper clicks through to the product page, they can see that a pre-order option is available.
Variant-specific discount pricing is also supported, so if you're offering an early-bird price for pre-order customers, you can surface that price transparently across the storefront. Wix's built-in discount logic allows these promotions to be applied automatically at checkout, so there's no manual work required for each transaction.
05. Set inventory and pricing for your Wix pre-order products
Pre-order products on Wix work in tandem with the platform's inventory management settings. You can choose to set a limited pre-order quantity, which creates urgency and prevents overselling or leave inventory open-ended if you're using pre-orders as a demand-testing mechanism before committing to a production run.
If you're offering a pre-order price, set this in the pricing section. Wix eCommerce supports both a regular price and a sale price at the product and variant level, so you can clearly communicate any early-access savings. Make sure your pricing reflects your fulfillment timeline. If there's a meaningful gap between purchase and delivery, a compelling pre-order price can offset hesitation and increase conversion.
When a customer adds your product to their online shopping cart and checks out, payment is collected immediately, giving you confirmed revenue and cash flow before the product ships. This is one of the most valuable aspects of running pre-orders strategically, you're essentially funding production, procurement or even a custom merch run with customer demand, rather than carrying unsold inventory risk.
Wix supports a wide range of payment methods at checkout, including shop now pay later options and the checkout experience itself is performance-optimized to reduce drop-off at the point of purchase. Merchants can also customize checkout workflows to match their sales strategy, adding logic that fits the specific needs of a pre-order or limited-release campaign.
According to Iana Paim, owner of Terê Pra Ser Feliz:
“While Wix takes care of the store and payments, I get to focus on what I love most: creating, managing and putting all the care each piece deserves"
06. Publish and promote your Wix pre-order product
Before going live, preview your pre-order product page to make sure everything looks and reads correctly. Check that the pre-order button label is displaying as intended, the pre-order message is clear and visible and the pricing reflects any promotions or early-bird offers you've set up.
Once published, your pre-order product will appear in your catalog and can be promoted across multiple channels supported by Wix, including social platforms and marketplace listings. Wix enables omnichannel eCommerce by connecting your store to marketplaces like Amazon, eBay and Google and social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, all managed from a single dashboard.
Wix also offers a sticky Add-to-Cart button on mobile that keeps the purchase action visible as shoppers scroll, helping reduce friction during browsing.
After launch, monitor your pre-order performance directly from the Wix dashboard. You'll be able to track orders, manage fulfillment timelines and communicate with customers as their products prepare to ship.
Expert insight from Bruno Carvalho, Online Payments Product Manager at Mercado Pago:
"Ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the product or service purchased is essential for them to become an influencer and promoter of your brand."
Learn more:
How to use Wix pre-orders as part of a broader retention and revenue strategy
Pre-orders don't exist in isolation. When used effectively, they become part of a broader system for managing demand, optimizing conversion and scaling across multiple sales channels.
Wix supports this approach by combining ease of use with advanced eCommerce capabilities such as automation, AI-driven features and tools for managing promotions and customer engagement, while maintaining a streamlined setup experience.
When configured thoughtfully, pre-orders help merchants capture demand at every stage of the customer journey, whether that's before a product is available, during a restock or in the lead-up to a seasonal launch.
Wix eCommerce supports a suite of inventory engagement tools designed to keep customers connected to your store even when you can't immediately fulfill their interest. Back-in-stock alerts allow shoppers to opt in to notifications when a sold-out item becomes available again, creating a warm, high-intent list of buyers ready to convert the moment inventory returns. When used alongside pre-orders, these two features give merchants near-complete coverage of demand capture.
Loyalty programs further extend the value of pre-order customers by rewarding early purchases and encouraging repeat orders, helping turn one-time buyers into long-term customers.
Selling subscriptions alongside your pre-order strategy and offering digital gift cards can support recurring revenue and seasonal demand, adding flexibility to how your store grows over time.
Wix also uses AI-driven product recommendations to surface relevant items based on shopper behavior, helping increase average order value beyond the initial pre-order purchase.
Learn more:
Promoting your Wix pre-order across channels
Setting up a pre-order is only half the equation. Getting the right customers to see it and converting that visibility into orders requires a promotion strategy across multiple touchpoints.
Key channels to focus on include:
Social commerce integrations
Marketplace distribution
On-site merchandising
Email marketing automation
Mobile push notifications
Wix makes it straightforward to syndicate your pre-order product across multiple channels from a single platform. Social integrations allow your listing to be shoppable directly from content, while marketplace connections help you reach buyers who are actively searching for products like yours.
On-site merchandising is equally important. Wix enables you to display promotional badges and offer information directly within the product gallery, so pre-order items stand out in category views and search results. Features like ribbons and Quick Buy help reduce friction by allowing shoppers to take action without leaving the browsing flow.
Email marketing is another high-impact channel. Wix’s abandoned cart recovery automation can re-engage shoppers who didn’t complete their purchase, while automated workflows can send updates, countdowns and shipping notifications to keep buyers informed.
For businesses with a branded mobile app, push notifications provide a direct way to announce pre-order availability to your most engaged customers, making them ideal for early access campaigns and exclusive drops.
Learn more about the benefits of creating mobile app.
How to set up pre-orders with Wix eCommerce FAQ
Can I set up pre-orders on Wix without a paid plan?
Wix requires an eCommerce-enabled plan to sell products, including pre-order items. Once your store is active, pre-order functionality is built directly into the product catalog and does not require any additional apps or paid add-ons to enable. You can explore current Wix plan options on the pricing page to find the right fit for your business.
How does Wix handle payment for pre-orders?
By default, Wix collects payment at the time of checkout for pre-order purchases, just as it would for any standard order. This means you receive confirmed revenue before the product ships, which can be especially valuable for managing cash flow or funding production. The checkout experience is performance-optimized to minimize drop-off and buyers receive an automated order confirmation immediately after purchase so they know their pre-order is secured.
Can I limit the number of pre-orders available for a product?
Yes. Inside the product editor under the Inventory & Shipping section, you can set a specific quantity limit for your pre-order. This creates urgency for buyers and prevents you from overselling beyond your planned production or procurement capacity. If you sell out of your pre-order allocation, Wix can also be configured to display a sold-out state or redirect buyers to a back-in-stock notification signup.
Can pre-orders be applied to specific product variants only?
Wix's product catalog supports variant-level management, including individual pricing and inventory control per variant. While the pre-order toggle is applied at the product level, you can manage inventory quantities at the variant level to effectively control which sizes, colors or configurations are available as pre-orders. This is particularly useful for launches where certain options are available immediately and others are not yet in stock.
Can I apply discounts or promotions to pre-order products?
Yes. Wix supports promotional badges, ribbon labels and discount pricing at both the product and variant level and these can be applied to pre-order items just like any other product. This makes it straightforward to offer early-bird pricing, launch discounts or "Pre-Order Special" ribbons that surface directly in the product gallery. Wix's built-in discount logic allows these promotions to be applied automatically at checkout, so there's no manual work required for each transaction
What happens when my pre-order product becomes available?
When your pre-order window closes or your product is ready to ship, you can update the product settings in your Wix dashboard to switch from pre-order mode to standard fulfillment. Orders placed during the pre-order period will be visible in your order management panel with all customer and payment details ready for processing. If you have remaining demand beyond your pre-order supply, Wix's back-in-stock alert tool can capture interest from shoppers who missed the pre-order window, giving you a ready-made audience for your next restock or drop.
