This guide walks you through creating your first preorder or backorder plan — from naming it and selecting products to setting limits, choosing payment options, and customizing the storefront view. No prior experience needed.
After installing the Dibs app from the Shopify app store, open the app on your Shopify admin and get onboarded by creating a preorder or backorder plan.
This onboarding page appears only when you create a plan for the first time.
1. Basic Setup
Start by naming your plan and selecting the type of orders it supports
i) Plan Name
Enter a name that helps you identify this plan easily. It will appear in your plans list and be tagged to all related orders in Shopify. (Max 60 characters)
ii) Plan Category
Choose the type of order this plan supports:
- Preorder – for products that are not yet in stock but will be available soon.
- Backorder – for products that are currently out of stock but will be restocked.
Not sure which to choose? Use the “Learn more” link for a quick comparison.
Click Next to proceed to product selection.
2. Select Products or Variants
Choose which products or variants this plan should apply to.
You can apply the plan to an entire product (all variants) or to specific variants only.
i) Product vs. Variant
- Products – Applies to all variants (e.g., all sizes or colors).
- Variants – Targets specific options (e.g., only “Red - Medium”).
Use the dropdown to switch between the three.
ii) Use filters to find products faster
Click Browse to open your product list. You can filter by:
- Category
- Collection
- Type
- Tag
- Vendor
Combine filters or search by name to quickly find what you need.
You can select up to 100 items. Click Next to continue.
iii) Associated products
You can view the products associated with this plan here. A sort option is available to arrange the products from A–Z or Z–A.
You will also find a filter that lets you identify products with errors such as Draft, Already in use, and Inventory not eligible. This helps you quickly find products that are not eligible for this plan and fix the issues accordingly.
3. Set Availability & Limits
Control when your plan is active and how many units can be preordered or backordered.
i) Availability Schedule (Preorders only)
Set when customers can start (and optionally stop) placing preorders.
- Start date & time – Choose when the plan becomes active on your store.
• End date & time (optional) – Automatically stops accepting preorders after this point.
- Turn off the toggle to skip scheduling — the plan starts immediately and runs indefinitely.
This option is only available for preorder plans and will be hidden for backorders.
When both an end date and a quantity limit (next field) are set, the plan will end as soon as either condition is met. Learn how availability and quantity settings work together to decide when the preorder ends.
ii) Preorder Quantity Limits
Limit how many units can be sold under this plan — helpful for controlling supply, creating urgency, or running limited-time campaigns.
- Enter a number in the Custom limit field (e.g., 100) — this applies per product or variant in the plan.
Note: If the plan is associated at the product level, the limit is checked against the total number of units ordered across all variants of that product.
If it's associated at the variant level, the limit is enforced separately for each variant.
- Turn off the toggle to allow unlimited preorders or backorders.
Click Next to continue to shipment and payment setup.
4. Shipment & Payment
Define when the product will ship and how customers can pay — in full or partially.
i) Shipping Schedule
Choose when the product is expected to ship:
- Ship immediately – Use when products are ready for immediate dispatch.
- Ship on exact date – Select a specific date when all orders under this plan will ship.
- Shipping date to be finalized – Use this when the exact date is unknown; lets you confirm with customers later.
This info appears on the product page, cart, and checkout to set the right expectation for customers.
Learn how this field impacts the order's fulfillment status.
ii) Payment Options
Offer full, partial, or both payment options. Let customers choose how they want to pay.
Each option has a toggle, allowing you to enable or disable it based on your preference.
At least one payment method must remain enabled to proceed.
a. Full Payment
Collect the entire amount upfront at checkout.
Enter a purchase option name — this name appears on the cart, checkout, and order page during the customer’s journey.
Tip: A recommended format is combining your Dibs Plan name with the payment type — for example:
Plan name + Payment type → “Preorder - Full payment”
Set a payment discount
Choose either a percentage of the total value (eg:10%) or a fixed amount and enter the value.
b. Partial Payment
Let customers pay an initial amount now, and the balance later.
Enter a purchase option name (e.g., “Preorder – Partial payment”)— shown throughout the purchase experience.
Select initial payment
- Choose either a fixed amount (e.g., $50) or a percentage of the product price (e.g., 25%).
Set balance due date
Exact due date
– Choose a specific calendar date.
Use when:
- You're running a fixed-date preorder campaign (e.g., All balances due by July 15).
- Shipments or production begin on a specific date regardless of order timing.
- You want a uniform follow-up schedule for all customers.
No. of days from checkout
– Automatically calculate based on when the order is placed.
Use when:
- Your shipping timelines are flexible or rolling.
- You want to give each customer a consistent payment window (e.g., Pay remaining within 14 days).
- You're handling made-to-order or custom production.
On fulfillment
– Balance due is collected when the product is fulfilled.
Use when:
- You want to charge customers only when the product is ready to ship.
- You aim to increase customer trust for high-value orders.
- Automate balance collection and reduce manual follow-ups by collecting the remaining payment at the time of fulfilment.
Set a payment discount
Choose either a percentage of the total value (eg:10%) or a fixed amount and enter the value.
Press Create to complete the setup process.
You have successfully created your preorder or backorder plan using Dibs.
Disclaimer: Partial payments works only with Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Stripe, and select gateways. Confirm the compatibility with your payment provider.
5. Test in store
Once the plan is created, Dibs will automatically validate the plan.
Check if your plan meets all criteria and click on View in store to test if it's visible in your store.
6. Storefront Customization
Following that, the storefront customization option will be added to your plan flow.
Customize how your preorder or backorder plan appears on the product page.
This step lets you personalize the widget content that customers will see — helping build clarity, urgency, and trust.
Note: These fields are optional.
i) Badge Label
A short label shown near the product title (e.g., Preorder Now, Ships July 1).
Helps customers immediately recognize that the product is part of a special offer or future shipment.
ii) Plan Details
Use this field to explain key plan info like expected ship date, limited quantity, or payment terms (e.g., Ships in August. Pay 30% now, rest before delivery.).
Up to 250 characters.
iii) Call to Action Label
Replaces the standard Buy Now or Add to Cart button.
Examples: Preorder Today, Reserve Now, Pay Deposit.
Press Save to add the changes.
7. Summary
Review your plan details, including the basic setup, products, availability & limits, shipping & payment, and customizations, all in one place.
You can go back and make the necessary changes if any.