Introduction
When running a pre-order campaign for your store's products, you have two options to receive cash.
Depending on your needs, cash can be collected upon the completion of the transaction, or the card information and charge can be delayed until set cash collection dates.
Auto collect not only can schedule your collection dates, the platform will send out automated reminder emails to customers two days prior to each collection attempt if the previous attempt failed.
Enabling Pre-orders on Products
To enable pre-orders for a product, enter into the specific product page for which you would like to update. Scroll down the product page to the Release Date & Pre-Order section.
By default, "Display a release date on storefront", "Enable Pre-orders", and "Enable back orders for this product" are set to "NO".
To enable pre-orders, select the "Enable pre-orders" switch to "Yes". Typically, pre-orders also need to have a future Release Date set.
Select the Release date field, and choose the date for when your product will be available for shipping to your customers. To "Display the release date on the storefront", switch the "No" option to "Yes".
After the "Enable pre-orders" has been switched to "Yes", more fields will display below:
- When to debit pre-orders? - Pre-orders can be debited upon purchase, to be determined, or at custom dates.
- When to ship products? - Pre-orders can be shipped out upon cash collection or at a custom date.
If you are unsure when the cash collection date will take place, under "When to debit pre-orders", select "To be determined".
Debiting Pre-Orders Upon Purchase
To debit the full amount of the pre-order product price at the time the order is placed, under "When to debit pre-orders", select "Upon Purchase".
Debiting Orders at Custom Dates
If you would like to debit pre-orders on specific dates, under "When to debit pre-orders", select "At a custom date".
When this radio button is selected, date fields will appear below.
The first date field is the original attempt to cash collect, the following fields are the second and third attempts. We recommend completing a minimum of three attempts in case there are customers who do not have the funds on the original and second attempts.
If you would like to schedule less attempts, select the trash icon on the far right side of the attempt date.
Guidelines for Collection Attempts
For best results, we recommend scheduling the cash collection attempts in the following timeline:
- Original debit date - Two weeks prior to product release.
- 2nd attempt date - One week prior to product release.
- 3rd attempt date - Two to four days before product release. This is the final attempt before orders which do not have funds are cancelled.
If you would like to add additional attempts, select the +Add attempt link below the final attempt.
A reminder email will be sent to the customers two days prior to collection attempts, if customers fail the attempt, they will be reminded and notified that the previous attempt failed for their order.
NOTE: The original debit date has to be set on a business day, no less than three days from the current date.
When to Ship Products
Select when the EDIs are sent to the fulfillment provider for product to be shipped to customers.
There are two options:
- Upon Collection - EDIs will be sent as soon a cash collects have been completed. If pre-orders are set to be debited upon purchase, the EDIs will be sent when the transaction is completed.
- At a custom date - If you would like to specify a date for when all EDIs will be sent for pre-orders, select this radio button and date fields will appear. Input a date that takes place after all scheduled cash collects and when the product will be inventory.
NOTE: Products cannot be sent without cash collects completed on orders.
Order Examples and Guidelines
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
- An order containing two or more pre-orders:
- When you chose only one shipment:
- Collect – will be determined by the product with the further collect dates. Orders will not be collected if one of the pre-order products have no collect dates set.
- Shipping – order will be sent once all the products are available.
- If the customer decides to debit now (before collect dates), the order can be charged but won´t be shipped until the last product available.
- An order containing two or more pre-orders:
- When you chose separate shipments:
- Collect – the whole order will be collected based on the dates set on the pre-order with the most recent dates.
- Shipping – products will be sent in different shipments depending on the availability.
- If the customer decides to debit now (before collect dates), the order can be charged but won´t be shipped until the products are available (separate shipments depending on availability).
- An order containing two or more products (pre-order + regular product):
- When you chose only one shipment:
- Collect – will be collected when placing the order.
- Shipping – order will be sent once all the products are available.
- If customer decides to debit now, the order can be charged but won´t be shipped until the last product is available.
- An order containing two or more products (pre-order + regular product):
- When you chose separate shipments:
- Collect – will be collected when placing the order.
- Shipping – products will be sent in different shipments depending on the availability.
- If customer decides to debit now, the order can be charged but won´t be shipped until the products are available (separate shipments depending on availability).
- Invisible products that will be sent as a gift when buying another product must not have pre-orders enabled, for this will block the auto-collect as it is sent in the same shipping.
Conclusion
When each of the fields that pertain to your pre-order have been filled out, be sure to click the Save button at the bottom of your product page.
Through the auto collect feature in your store's Back Office, it enables you to quickly and easily setup your products for pre-orders, and their cash collects. Depending on your store's and customer's needs, the flexibility to manage cash collections and fulfillment dates simplifies the whole process.
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