Conquer the Holiday Rush: How To Use Pre-orders to Supercharge Your Sales

November 1, 2024

•

3 min read

Stockouts still wreck holiday sales. Baymard Institute puts the average online cart abandonment rate at 70.22% in 2025, and Salesforce's 2026 holiday outlook projects that rate climbing to 82% this holiday season. Every shopper who hits an “out of stock” label and leaves is a sale you already earned and then lost.

Share of online shoppers unable to purchase products due to out-of-stock as of June 2022 by country. (Source: Statista)

That is exactly the gap Pre-order closes. Instead of watching demand walk away, you capture it, generate revenue before inventory lands, and walk into BFCM 2026 with real data on what your customers actually want. Let's get into how Boost's Pre-order feature works, why it matters more this year than ever, and how to run a campaign that pays off before the season even starts.

Summary

Why cart abandonment and stockouts are getting worse heading into the 2026 holiday season, not better.
How Boost's Pre-order feature works, from flexible payment options to storefront placement.
The measurable benefits of pre-orders for both merchants and shoppers.
Why agentic AI shopping is changing how pre-order availability needs to be presented in 2026.
A practical checklist for launching a pre-order campaign ahead of BFCM, powered by Boost Commerce.

Never lose a sale
to a stockout again.

Book your Boost demo

What is Pre-order, and how does Boost make it magic?

Pre-orders let customers reserve products that are not yet available or are temporarily out of stock. It is a bridge between demand and supply, so you keep revenue flowing even when inventory has not landed yet.

What sets Boost's Pre-order feature apart is strategic, flexible placement. You control exactly where the “Pre-order” button appears: on product pages, in the cart, during checkout, and in post-purchase confirmation emails. That means customers meet the option wherever they are in their buying journey, instead of hitting a dead end at “sold out.”

Boost's Pre-order campaign setup also gives you granular control over the details that make or break a campaign:

Setting	What you control
Payment options	Full payment, partial payment, or no payment in advance
Discounts	An incentive to encourage customers to commit early
Deposit amounts	Set an upfront value for partial payment campaigns
Estimated delivery dates	As soon as possible, after a set number of days, or on a specific date

In General settings, you can also adjust button text and tailor delivery messaging so customers stay informed. That level of control keeps the pre-order experience on-brand, builds excitement, and converts more of the interest you already have.

Why Pre-order is your holiday hero

Pre-orders help on both sides of the transaction: they protect your revenue, and they protect your customers' holiday plans.

For merchants, pre-orders build buzz around launches, generate early cash flow before peak season hits, and reduce the risk of overstocking or understocking. Offering a pre-order option instead of a dead-end stockout page also keeps customers in the funnel, rather than losing them to a competitor. Boost merchants using Pre-order have seen launch-day revenue climb by 28% with strategic pre-order campaigns, a meaningful lift when every day of BFCM week counts.

For customers, pre-orders offer peace of mind. They can secure a high-demand gift without the stress of refreshing a product page, unlock early-access perks and bundles, and check “done” off their holiday list in a few clicks. A smoother experience for them means fewer abandoned carts for you.

“Pre-order is one of the few holiday tools that helps your cash flow and your customer relationship at the same time. It turns a stockout from a lost sale into a reservation, and reservations are where your most loyal, highest-intent shoppers live.” - Nancy Vu, Senior Product Manager, Boost Commerce

The 2026 shift: pre-orders in an agentic shopping world

BFCM planning looks different this year. Shopify merchants broke records over BFCM 2025 with $14.6 billion in sales (up 27% YoY) and a $114.70 average cart price. Expectations for 2026 are higher, and the path to checkout is changing fast.

Salesforce's 2026 holiday outlook predicts AI chat agents will drive 20% of all holiday eCommerce traffic, while social commerce will grow nine times faster than traditional eCommerce. Free shipping is now the top purchase factor across all income levels, driving retailers to spend $3 billion more globally on shipping subsidies this year.

This matters for pre-orders because autonomous shopping agents rely on structured product data, live inventory status, and pricing feeds. If a product's pre-order details are missing from your data, AI agents will skip it as a stockout. Optimizing your product feeds is no longer optional; it keeps your inventory visible to both human shoppers and AI agents.

KEY TAKEAWAY:

Pre-order is not just a stockout fix anymore. It is a forecasting tool, a cash-flow tool, and increasingly, a data feed that keeps your products visible to the AI agents now doing a growing share of holiday shopping.

How to make the most of your 2026 holiday pre-orders

Transparent communication. Spell out shipping estimates and payment terms clearly. Try phrasing like “Pre-order now, ships by Dec 15” so customers know exactly what they are getting.

Optimized storefront visibility. Place the pre-order button consistently across product pages, cart, and checkout so customers encounter it naturally, wherever they land.

Strategic marketing. Promote your campaign across your site, social channels, and email. Consistent messaging plus an early-bird discount or free shipping offer drives meaningfully more pre-order volume.

Flexible payment options. Offering full payment, a partial deposit, or no payment upfront lowers the financial barrier and makes it easier for hesitant shoppers to commit.

Seamless checkout. Test the pre-order checkout flow the same way you would test any other path to purchase. Friction anywhere in that flow costs you the sale you just worked to capture.

Feed the agents. Make sure pre-order status, delivery estimates, and pricing are represented in your structured product data and feeds, not just on the product page. That is how AI shopping assistants and comparison agents keep your pre-order items in consideration this season.

Use cases for your 2026 pre-order campaigns

Limited edition launches. Tap into demand for exclusive, must-have items with early-bird pricing that rewards fast decisions.

Early access for loyal customers. Give your best customers first pick on hot holiday items, deepening loyalty while driving early revenue.

Demand testing. Gauge appetite for a new product before committing to a large production run, reducing financial risk.

Managing inventory shortages. Keep selling popular items even when they are temporarily out of stock, instead of losing that customer to a competitor.

Subscription and bundle launches. Let subscribers lock in upcoming collections or bundles ahead of time for a smoother, more predictable renewal cycle.

“The merchants who win BFCM this year will be the ones who started their pre-order strategy in the fall, not the ones scrambling in November. Pre-order gives you a forecast, a cash cushion, and a happier customer, all from the same feature.” -Jennifer Leuer, CEO, Clearer.io

Checklist: BFCM pre-order readiness

Delivery estimates and payment terms are written in plain, specific language.

The Pre-order button appears consistently on product pages, cart, and checkout.

Marketing is scheduled across email, social, and site placements ahead of peak week.

Payment options (full, partial, or deferred) are configured and tested.

The pre-order checkout flow has been tested end to end.

Pre-order status and delivery data are reflected in your product feeds for AI shopping agents.

A back-in-stock plan is ready for items that sell through without a pre-order campaign attached.

Wrapping up your holiday success

Boost's Pre-order feature helps merchants navigate the complexity of holiday shopping on their own terms. Run a strategic pre-order campaign and you forecast demand accurately, generate revenue before products ship, and keep customers happy even when inventory is tight, all while staying visible to the AI agents increasingly shaping how shoppers decide.

So what are you waiting for? Start your pre-order campaign now, well ahead of BFCM, and turn the holiday rush into your best season yet.

Start your Pre-order
campaign today.

Book your Boost demo

Frequently asked questions about Boost's Pre-order feature

Why can't I create a Pre-order campaign on Boost's app dashboard?

Pre-order is available on select paid plans of Boost Commerce. Check which app version you're using and review our current plans, then upgrade if needed. You will also need to grant data access permissions for the feature to function correctly.

How many Pre-order campaigns can I run at once?

There is no limit. You can create and run as many pre-order campaigns as your holiday strategy needs.

Can a product or collection be part of two different Pre-order campaigns?

Yes, but check each campaign's settings carefully for conflicts, especially around payment dates, so customers purchasing under different campaigns are not confused.

When should I launch my Pre-order campaign for BFCM?

Start well before Black Friday. Giving yourself several weeks of lead time lets you build marketing momentum, test your checkout flow, and gather early demand signals in time to adjust inventory before peak week hits.

Ellie Ho

•

Content Marketing Specialist

November 1, 2024

•

3 min read

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Conquer the Holiday Rush: How To Use Pre-orders to Supercharge Your Sales

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