Best WooCommerce Pre-order Plugins for 2024 (Free and Premium)

When it comes to optimizing online stores for user experience, WooCommerce pre-order plugins play a crucial role as they allow customers to reserve products before they become available. For WooCommerce-powered stores, pre-order functionality is essential for boosting sales, managing inventory, and generating excitement around upcoming product launches. 

By offering pre-orders, businesses can also secure sales, gauge demand, and build anticipation, all the while ensuring a seamless shopping experience. In this blog, we’ll look at some of the best free and premium WooCommerce pre-order plugins, highlighting their features and benefits. 

How Pre-order Plugins in WooCommerce Can Help Businesses Manage Stock?

Pre-order plugins in WooCommerce offer a practical way for businesses to manage their stock and inventory levels. By enabling customers to reserve products before they are available, businesses can better predict demand. 

This might also help companies to avoid overstocking, which can lead to unsold inventory. Or understocking, which could result in missed sales opportunities. Furthermore, pre-ordering gives companies more control over production or order fulfillment schedules, as they know how many units are needed before the product launch.

Benefits of Offering the Pre-orders Option to Customers

Offering pre-orders brings several advantages to businesses. First, it allows businesses to secure sales before the product is released. This can provide them with immediate revenue and more accurate demand forecasting. All of this, in turn, can help to significantly improve cash flow, especially for new product launches.

Pre-orders also help generate buzz and excitement around upcoming products, which can lead to increased marketing exposure. Lastly, they enhance customer satisfaction by giving buyers the chance to reserve high-demand or limited-edition items, ensuring they won’t miss out.

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Types of Stores That Can Benefit from Pre-orders

Many types of stores can benefit from WooCommerce pre-order plugins. For instance:

• Fashion stores: Since they often release seasonal collections or limited-edition pieces that create high demand before launch.
  
• Electronics retailers: They can use pre-orders to gauge interest in the latest gadgets or devices.

Additionally, limited-edition items like collectibles or exclusive merchandise are ideal for pre-order strategies, as these items often sell out quickly. Whether a store sells physical products or digital goods, pre-orders are an excellent way to manage customer demand and inventory.

Read: Ultimate Guide to Building a Multi-Vendor Marketplace

Key Features to Look for in a WooCommerce Pre-order Plugin

Choosing the right WooCommerce pre-order plugin can greatly impact how you manage pre-orders and ensure customer satisfaction. Let’s explore in more detail the essential features to consider when selecting a pre-order plugin for your WooCommerce store.

Easy Setup and Integration

The ideal pre-order plugin should offer an easy installation process with minimal configuration required. It should seamlessly integrate with your existing WooCommerce store without needing extensive coding knowledge or complicated settings.

A straightforward setup allows you to quickly add pre-order functionality without interrupting your current operations. Additionally, the plugin should be compatible with your WooCommerce environment, including your theme and other plugins, ensuring a hassle-free experience from the get-go.

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Customizable Pre-order Options

A powerful plugin will offer a variety of flexible pre-order options, such as setting pre-order start and end dates, specifying when products will be available, and managing deposit options. This allows you to control the timeline for when customers can pre-order, including countdowns to product availability.

Moreover, it’s beneficial to have options for partial payments or deposits so customers can secure their orders while paying the balance when the product is ready.

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Email Notifications and Updates

Keeping your customers informed is critical for a successful pre-order system. The best pre-order plugins will offer automated email notifications that keep your customers updated on their orders. These notifications should include confirmations of the pre-order, expected release dates, shipping details, and any changes in the product’s availability. 

Regular updates not only reassure customers but also help reduce queries about their pre-orders. Also, look for a plugin that allows you to customize email templates for a more personalized communication experience.

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Reporting Tools for Tracking Pre-orders and Sales

Pre-order management also requires comprehensive reporting tools. A good pre-order plugin will provide detailed reports that help you track pre-order sales, customer information, and product performance. This data allows you to analyze demand, monitor how well pre-ordered products sell, and make informed decisions for future inventory management. 

In addition, the ability to export reports and integrate with external tools for further analysis is a valuable feature for growing businesses.

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Compatibility with WooCommerce Themes and Extensions

To ensure a smooth and consistent user experience, your pre-order plugin must be fully compatible with your existing WooCommerce theme and extensions. The plugin should work harmoniously with other extensions, such as payment gateways, shipping modules, and inventory management systems. 

Compatibility helps you avoid conflicts and ensures that your pre-order functionality does not disrupt your store’s overall performance. So, look for a plugin that is regularly updated to remain compatible with new WooCommerce versions and extensions.

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Top WooCommerce Pre-order Plugins (Free + Premium)

Now, let’s look at the best WooCommerce pre-order plugins that you can consider for your online store. Most of these are available in both free and premium versions.

ShopLentor WooCommerce Pre-Order

ShopLentor WooCommerce Pre-Order is a powerful plugin that allows WooCommerce store owners to easily enable pre-orders for products that are not yet available. This plugin helps businesses generate early sales and manage stock by letting customers reserve products in advance.

✅ Key Features

• It allows flexible pre-order options, including customizable start and end dates.
• This plugin supports both partial and full payments for pre-orders.
• It provides automatic email notifications to keep customers updated.
• It offers detailed reports for tracking pre-orders and sales performance.

🏷️ Price: This WooCommerce pre-order plugin is available as part of the premium ShopLentor Pro package, priced at $99/year for 1 site.

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Pre-order for WooCommerce by Bright Plugins

With over 7,000 active installations, this Pre-order for WooCommerce plugin offers a straightforward way to manage pre-orders in your WooCommerce store. This plugin lets you easily set up pre-order statuses for both simple and variable products, allowing customers to reserve items in advance.

✅Key Features

• Manage all pre-orders through a specialized section.
• Create an expiration date for pre-order periods.
• Filter and manage orders that include pre-order products.
• Automatically make products available when the pre-order period ends.
• Prevent mixing pre-order and already-available items in the same cart.

🏷️ Price: The plugin offers a free version with essential features. The premium version, with more advanced options, starts at $99/year for 1 site.

Further reading: Best WooCommerce Payment Gateways

WooCommerce Pre-Orders

The WooCommerce Pre-Orders extension allows you to set up pre-orders in your WooCommerce store. It offers flexibility in managing pre-orders by allowing you to automatically or manually release and fulfill orders when you’re ready.

✅Key Features

• Set a specific date and time for when products will be available.
• Automatically charge customers when the product is available.
• Change the release date if needed and notify customers accordingly.
• Cancel pre-orders if a product is no longer available.
• Option to charge a pre-order fee.

🏷️Price: The WooCommerce Pre-Orders plugin costs $14.92 per month (billed annually at $179) and offers a fully customizable and seamless pre-order experience.

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Product Pre-Orders for WooCommerce

This is a free WooCommerce pre-order plugin that allows store owners to set up and manage pre-orders for their products. This plugin provides basic yet essential features to help customers reserve items, making it a convenient option for small businesses.

✅Key Features

• Set pre-order status for both simple and variable products.
• Customize the “Add to Cart” button to reflect pre-order availability.
• Manage pre-orders through the WooCommerce dashboard.
• Automatically notify customers when products are available.
• Set an availability date for pre-ordered items.

🏷️Price: The plugin is completely free, offering a budget-friendly solution for enabling pre-orders in your WooCommerce store.

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WooCommerce Pre Order Plugin

The WooCommerce Pre Order Plugin from CodeCanyon provides store owners with a seamless way to handle pre-order sales, helping businesses boost revenue and manage inventory efficiently.

✅Key Features

• Admin can control when pre-orders are released and fulfilled.
• Set release dates for products and manage pre-order availability.
• Customizable messages and pre-order buttons for customers.
• Supports both full and partial payments for pre-ordered products.
• Automatically notify customers when the product becomes available.
• Multilingual is also supported

🏷️Price: The plugin is available for $45 with 6 months of support included, making it an affordable and feature-rich option for WooCommerce stores. Check out the preview.

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YITH Pre-Order for WooCommerce

This plugin helps businesses build an effective pre-order strategy, allowing customers to place orders for products before their official release. This plugin is perfect for generating excitement around new products and securing early sales, giving businesses cash flow before launch.

✅Key Features

• Enable or disable pre-order mode for specific products.
• Set custom pre-order pricing to attract customers.
• Manage flexible payment options, including upfront or later payments.
• Send automatic email notifications to keep customers informed.
• Customize pre-order messages and buttons to match your store’s branding.
• Access advanced options for controlling pre-order availability and settings.

🏷️Price: The YITH Pre-Order for WooCommerce plugin is $139.99/year and includes one year of updates and support. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Here’s the demo.

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SUMO WooCommerce Pre-orders 

This comprehensive plugin enables customers to pre-order products before they are released. With a variety of customization options, store owners can choose whether to charge customers upfront or upon product release. The plugin also allows setting release dates, controlling the maximum quantity of pre-orders, and enabling customers to cancel their pre-orders if needed.

✅Key Features

• Limit the maximum quantity available for pre-order.
• Customers can cancel pre-orders if necessary.
• WPML compatible and Translation ready.
• Countdown timer is also available.
• Compatible with SUMO WooCommerce Payment Plans and Memberships.

🏷️Price: This plugin is available for $39 with 6 months of support.

Which to Choose: Shopify or WordPress

Woostify Pre Order Addon

This Pre Order addon allows customers to place pre-orders and receive their items as soon as they are available. Designed to attract new customers and engage existing ones, this addon simplifies the pre-order process, ensuring a smooth experience for both store owners and shoppers.

✅Key Features

• 1-click activation to easily enable the pre-order functionality.
• Simple setup and customization of pre-order settings.
• Ability to set custom elements for pre-order products.
• Apply pre-order options to products individually for more control.

🏷️Price: The Woostify Pre Order addon is included in the Woostify Personal plan, priced at $49/year. This plan covers 1 site and offers 1 year of support and updates.

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WooCommerce Pre-sale, Time offer & Expiring System

This is an all-in-one WooCommerce plugin that adds several new features to WooCommerce for managing pre-sales and time-limited offers. It allows store owners to plan and schedule pre-sales, limited-time promotions, and countdowns for their products, thus driving urgency and boosting sales.

✅Key Features

• Plan and schedule pre-sales for upcoming products.
• Create time-limited offers with countdown timers.
• Expiring system to automatically end promotions.
• Manage pre-sales and promotions for all WooCommerce products.

🏷️Price: This plugin is priced at $25, offering an affordable solution for creating pre-sales and time-sensitive promotions.

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How to Install and Set Up a WooCommerce Pre-order Plugin?

Setting up a WooCommerce pre-order plugin is a straightforward process that can help you start accepting pre-orders quickly. Using WooCommerce Pre-orders by WooCommerce as an example, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to install and configure the plugin for your store.

Step 1: Purchase and Download the Plugin

First, head over to the WooCommerce Marketplace and search for “WooCommerce Pre-orders.” Once you locate the plugin, purchase it and download the zip file. Keep this file handy, as you will need it in the next steps.

Step 2: Install the Plugin on Your WooCommerce Store

Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins ⟶ Add New. At the top, you’ll see an option to Upload Plugin. Click on it, select the downloaded zip file, and hit Install Now. Once the plugin is installed, click Activate to enable the pre-order functionality on your store.

Step 3: Configure General Settings

After activating the plugin, go to WooCommerce ⟶ Settings ⟶ Pre-orders. This will bring you to the main configuration page for the pre-order plugin. Here, you can customize global settings, such as enabling or disabling pre-orders for all products, setting a global pre-order release date, and configuring email notifications.

You can also define how pre-order payments should be handled, whether you want to collect full payment upfront or allow customers to pay later when the product is released.

Step 4: Enable Pre-orders for Specific Products

To enable pre-orders for individual products, go to Products ⟶ All Products in your dashboard and select the product you want to set up for pre-order. In the product editing page, scroll down to the Product Data section. Here, you will find a Pre-order option that you can check to enable it.

Once you’ve enabled pre-orders, you can specify the pre-order availability date (the date when the product will be available). You can also add a custom message for customers who view the product, such as “Pre-order now, available on [date].”

Step 5: Customize the Pre-order Button and Messages

The plugin allows you to customize the text for your pre-order button, such as changing “Add to Cart” to “Pre-order Now.” To do this, go to WooCommerce ⟶ Settings ⟶ Pre-orders, and navigate to the customization options for buttons and notifications. Personalizing these buttons and messages helps create a consistent customer shopping experience.

Step 6: Test the Pre-order Functionality

Once you’ve configured your settings, it’s important to test the pre-order functionality before going live. Visit your store as a customer and go through the pre-order process, checking for any issues with payment processing, email notifications, or button displays.

Step 7: Managing Pre-orders

After your pre-order products are live, you can manage them by going to WooCommerce ⟶ Pre-orders in the dashboard. Here, you can view all active pre-orders, update release dates, and send notifications to customers. You can also monitor how many pre-orders have been placed for each product, giving you valuable insight into demand.

By following these steps, you can easily install and set up the WooCommerce Pre-orders plugin, enabling pre-order functionality in your store.

Final Thoughts

Incorporating pre-order functionality into your WooCommerce store can significantly boost your sales and improve customer engagement by allowing shoppers to reserve products before they become available. With a wide variety of premium and free WooCommerce pre-order plugins available, you can choose the one that best suits your business needs. 

From simple pre-order setups to advanced customization options, each plugin offers unique features to help you manage pre-orders effectively. Whether you’re launching new products or managing inventory, these plugins provide the tools you need to create excitement and secure early sales for your store.