Palo Alto, one of Shopify's popular themes, comes with a built-in pre-order feature. Using this feature, you can run pre-orders at no extra cost. This article explains in detail how to set up the pre-order feature in the Palo Alto theme, along with its features and limitations.
The blog article below covers whether popular Shopify themes, including Palo Alto, have a pre-order feature. Please use it as a reference.
What Is the Palo Alto Theme?
The Palo Alto theme is a Shopify theme provided by developer Presidio. It's easy to set up and, compared to free themes, offers a wealth of design components, allowing for flexible design customization. On the other hand, its documentation is in English, and it's a one-time purchase costing $360.
The blog article below introduces the types of Shopify themes and recommended themes. Please use it as a reference.
How to Run Pre-Orders with the Palo Alto Theme
This section introduces how to use the pre-order feature built into the Palo Alto theme.
Output
By following the method introduced in this article, the cart button text will change to "PRE-ORDER" as shown in the attached image below.
Palo Alto Theme During Pre-Order
Palo Alto Theme During Regular Sale
How to Set Up Pre-Orders
(1) Access product management from the Shopify admin
(2) Select the product you want to run as a pre-order
(3) Add the "_preorder" tag in the tags section
(4) Click "Save"
That completes the pre-order setup.
Advantages of the Palo Alto Theme's Pre-Order Feature
Easy Setup
Setup is very simple — just add the "_preorder" product tag to the product you want to run as a pre-order.
No Additional Cost
Since the pre-order feature is built into the Palo Alto theme itself, no additional cost is incurred to run a pre-order.
Disadvantages of the Palo Alto Theme's Pre-Order Feature
Cannot Run Pre-Orders by Variant
If a product comes in sizes S, M, and L, you cannot run a pre-order for only size S.
Cannot Run Pre-Orders Under Conditions Such as Out-of-Stock
Since the Palo Alto theme's pre-order feature simply activates a pre-order once a product tag is applied, you cannot use it if you want to run a pre-order only when stock runs out, or only for a limited time.
No Deferred Payment or Messaging Feature
Pre-order products are more likely to ship later than regular products. However, there is no feature to display a message to customers indicating the expected shipping timing. There is also no deferred payment feature to delay when payment is collected.
Manuals Are in English
Palo Alto's manuals, support center, and default settings are all in English. This means that those who aren't comfortable with English may need more time for initial setup or when dealing with issues.
Recommended Pre-Order Apps for Shopify
RuffRuff 予約販売
RuffRuff 予約販売 is a Shopify app developed by a Japanese company. It solves all of the challenges of the Palo Alto theme's built-in feature — the inability to run pre-orders by variant, the inability to run pre-orders under various conditions, the lack of deferred payment or messaging features, and English-only manuals. Beyond pre-orders, this single app can also achieve limited-time sales, member-exclusive sales, bundling controls, recurring sales, and more.
In Closing
The Palo Alto theme's pre-order feature can be used with a simple setup — just adding a product tag — but it does come with several limitations.
The specific limitations are as follows:
- Cannot run pre-orders by variant
- Cannot set up pre-orders when out of stock or for a limited time
- No display of shipping timing or deferred payment feature
- Manuals are in English only
If you need a more flexible pre-order feature, we recommend considering a dedicated app such as RuffRuff 予約販売. This will resolve the limitations above and allow for more detailed pre-order management.
Finally, the blog article below thoroughly compares the features and pricing of popular pre-order apps for Shopify. If you're considering introducing a pre-order app, please use it as a reference.
