Are you about to launch a new product? Then you must be so excited about it. But Would people be as excited as you are? Will they welcome it as much as you expect them to?
Well, the answer is: it all depends on the hype you create around that new launch. There are many marketing tips and tricks on how you can make the hype. You can find them with a simple search on google.
What we are about to focus on here is Shopify pre-order marketing tips you can use to increase your sale before the launch even happens. And let me share this secret with you: You need to have a pre-order marketing strategy. Why?
Because poor preparation is one of the biggest reasons why product launches fail, according to Harvard Business Review. So let’s get into it.
How does a pre-order sale work?
Simply put, store owners can give the option of pre-ordering to their customers when a product hasn’t been launched or is not available yet but will be available soon.
As a Shopify store owner, you can use the pre-order marketing method for both coming soon products and products that are out-of-stock.
Pre-order sales can help your business in countless ways. Here are the boldest ones:
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- When you need more money, you can start a pre-order campaign to collect backers, even if your prototype or product is months away. (in case the pre-orders are paid)
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- To avoid over/under stock you can use the pre-order marketing trick. A pre-order sale is the best way to predict a product’s popularity.
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- When done successfully, it serves as a source for customer testimonials and research. Also, you can get a lot of user-generated content after the product has finally arrived.
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- Create hype around your brand. You can generate more leads by increasing your brand awareness.
However, despite everything we said, pre-order campaigns may not work for all kinds of products. The pre-launch method may not work well if your product:
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- Is already on the market.
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- Has nothing new to offer.
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- Is just another product in your store.
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- Is not relevant to your target audience.
But don’t be disappointed. Brands of any size can benefit from pre-orders. As an eCommerce brand, you may not have to pay rent for a brick-and-mortar store, but selling and transporting physical goods still involves significant risk. Developing a product that nobody wants is the last thing you want – whether that’s due to changing trends or unpredictable circumstances. (such as a pandemic)
The different types of preorders
Depending on the kind of business you have, there are three types of pre-orders that may work for you:
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- Pay now: In this version, the customers will pay for a product completely just like when they make a normal purchase. It works if a product is not available now but you have a definite restock date.
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- Pay later: In this case, you create a waiting list on which the shoppers can register. By joining this list, the customers tell you that they are willing to pay for your product. However, they can cancel at any time.
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- Crowdfunding: Crowdfunding is a way of raising money to finance projects and businesses. It enables fundraisers to collect money from a large number of people via online platforms. Crowdfunding is most often used by startup companies or growing businesses as a way of accessing alternative funds. If the campaign’s pre-order goals are met, backers will receive items. Otherwise, their money will be refunded.
Remember that you need to communicate with your customers until they get your product. Especially those customers who already paid you can go through a lot of stress. Poor communication can put more stress on them and ruin your brand’s reputation.
5 pre-order marketing tricks to double up your sale
1. Replace your “Buy Now” button with a “Pre-order” or “Notify me” button using Shopify apps
Since Shopify does not give you the option to add a pre-order button to your products by default, you need to use one of the apps available on the Shopify app store. Notify Me is one of the apps that can help you run your marketing pre-order campaign easily. Besides that, it is a great app for saving the sales you lose because of those out-of-stock products.
2. Make your products more irresistible than ever
With pre-orders, shoppers are considering items that are not yet available. Because of this, you’ll need to make your products more appealing than ever, which means providing high-quality imagery and descriptions. Do not be afraid to take pictures of factory samples or prototypes if they can get the ball rolling.
3. Create Urgency During Pre-Launch
It’s impossible to get enough stock for everyone, no matter how hard you try. During your campaign, use it as an opportunity to create a sense of urgency. For your success and to avoid shipping stress, choose a golden number that indicates the most sales and create urgency around this number.
You can take this further in many ways. You can, for example, offer special discounts on the first orders you receive. It is also possible to play with uncertainty by telling them that they may not get the chance to buy your product for quite some time if they do not preorder.
4. Build hype with influencer marketing
New products are always exciting because people love getting their hands on them before anyone else. You can drive traffic and tap into relevant communities by using influencer marketing.
Influencers are often extremely engaged with their followers. Their audience respects their opinions and listens carefully to them.
When it comes to promoting your unreleased product, you should take this into consideration. You can use influencer marketing to create a lot of excitement, drive a lot of brand awareness, and increase sales.
5. Offer money-back guarantees and social proof
Some customers may be wary of pre-ordering if they have previously been burned by crowdfunding campaigns that failed to materialize or worse revealed themselves to be scams. Advertise with money-back guarantees and social proof to ease some of their concerns.
Conclusion
Given the right circumstances, pre-order campaigns are proven to be successful.
When done correctly, it can really drive hype towards your products and brand, measure the demand for your products before releasing them (or even manufacturing them), and even make you go viral when everything is right.
So go on and give it a try!