Pre-Order (PO) Feature

Introduction: What is Pre-Order ?

What is the pre-order feature?
Pre-Order is a listing option available for all products that are exclusive or limited edition, not released on the market yet, and shipped at a later time.
Sellers can use the 'Pre-Order' checkbox and set a 'Product release date' - 3 to 60 calendar days from current day to enable the listing as a pre-order.

What are the benefits？

1. Generate more sales: Grow excitement and sales by offering pre-order opportunities on exclusive or limited-edition items, while gaining valuable shopper insights for future sales opportunities
2. Build shopper relationships: By offering pre-orders, you can engage with shoppers early, build anticipation for the product, and foster loyalty that encourages repeat business
3. Grow your brand: Pre-orders can be used as a marketing tool to create buzz, generate media coverage, and amplify your brand to your community

Pre-order feature guidelines

The pre-order feature does have some usage restrictions:

• Only new product listings are eligible for the pre-order feature
• Product release dates cannot be modified once a listing is published
• Once a release date is set for pre-order, products cannot be shipped before that date
• Once a release date has passed, the product and corresponding SKUs will no longer be eligible for pre-order in the future

Who is eligible？

To enable the pre-order feature, the eligibility criteria below need to be met:

• Graduate from the Shop Probation program
• Have an active Account Manager
• Achieve and maintain a Shop Performance Score (SPS) ≥ 4
• Maintain a pre-order Late Dispatch Rate (LDR) < 10% over the last 7 evaluation days

When a seller meets all eligibility requirements, they can enable the feature on the Fulfillment Performance page in Seller Center. If a seller no longer meets the above criteria, access to the feature may be removed.
To learn more about eligibility and requirements, please refer to the Custom Order Requirements.

How to enable the pre-order feature

Before creating a Pre-Order listing, you must first enable Pre-Order at the shop level in Seller Center.

1. Log into Seller Center
2. Navigate to Fulfillment Performance page
3. Review the feature requirements and turn on Pre-Order for your shop

Once activation is complete, you can create new listings with Pre-Order handling time. If the option is not available, your shop may not currently meet the eligibility requirements.

How to set up a pre-order listing

1. Confirm your time zone is accurate.

In your profile settings, confirm if the 'Time zone' is accurate. The '3 to 60 days' handling time available for pre-order listings is calculated based on your local time zone.

2. Add new products as pre-order.

To start using the pre-order feature, log into Seller Center, and click Products on the left-hand navigation bar. Select Manage Products, and click on Add new product. While the pre-order feature checkbox is available for all products, only new product listings can be listed as pre-order.

3. Fill in Basic Information and Product Details. Then, under Sales Information, check the 'Pre-order' checkbox

4. Set the Product release date accurately.

The Product release date marks the day the product becomes available for purchase, starting at 12:00 AM based on the time zone specified in your profile settings (as mentioned in Step #1). Sellers can set the Product release date as one of the 3 to 60 calendar days available from today.
Important:

• Once the product listing is published, the product release date cannot be modified for this listing. We highly recommend you enter this date carefully to avoid issues in the future.
• Pre-order products must be updated to the In Transit status by 2 business days after the pre-order release date to meet our dispatch SLA. Refer to our Fulfillment Policy for more information.

5. Set a Product release date for specific SKUs

• Turn on the Enable Variations toggle and add relevant SKUs to the listing.
• Set a Product release date for each SKU added by clicking the Pre-Order edit link under the Selling column.
• Sellers can also disable the Pre-Order option by clicking Pre-Order under the Selling column for that SKU, and selecting Regular as the selling option.

Important: Once the product listing is published, SKUs set as pre-order cannot be changed to regular and vice-versa.

How do pre-orders work

'Awaiting release' phase

Pre-order products' orders will maintain 'Awaiting release' status until their release date. To check a pre-order release date, you can follow the steps below.

1. Click Orders on the left navigation bar.
2. Select Manage Orders to check the status of all your orders.
3. Pre-order product orders can be seen under the Pending tab with Order status as Awaiting release until the product release date set for that product SKU.

Once the release date has passed, this status will change to 'Awaiting shipment' as per regular orders and move to To ship tab.

'Product release date' phase

Once the 'Product release date' has passed, the listing will automatically change to normal sales mode and will follow the standard 2-day dispatch SLA.
IMPORTANT: Once a release date has passed, the product and corresponding SKUs will no longer be eligible for pre-order in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When is payment collected for a pre-order?Payments for pre-order products are pre-authorized during order placement. When the product is ready to ship, the payment is re-authorized and collected.
If for any reason, payment processing fails during re-authorization, the order is canceled by TikTok Shop.
Are customers notified when a product is on pre-order?Yes. Customers are notified of pre-order products and kept updated on the release
Where does a customer see shipping details for pre-order products?In the Shipping & returns section of the product detail page (PDP). Customers can see a callout stating "Pre-order product, ships after: release date".
The estimated delivery time will also automatically reflect the product's specific handling time.
Are there any alerts for customers that they are placing a pre-order instead of a standard order?During checkout, customers will see a callout in the Shipping method section that states the order is 'Pre-order' along with the estimated delivery date.
On the Order details page, customers will also see their pre-order product's order status as 'Pending release date' until the product's specific release date mentioned in the listing.