Types of product listing:

Let-me-know

• Collect email addresses from customers who want to know when your product’s available.

Pledge

• Similar to crowdfunding. Customers sign-up to buy the product with the understanding it won’t come to market unless a minimum number of sales is reached (extended delivery time + early bird discount options included).

• Payment links are emailed out when your sales target is met or when you trigger payment links from the dashboard.

Pre-order

• Customers sign-up to buy the product, with the understanding their payment link will be sent to them in the future (extended delivery time + early bird discount options included).

• Payment link emails are triggered from the PreProduct dashboard.

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Why use PreProduct?

• Validate potential future products via pre-orders

• Validate potential future products via email sign-ups

• Orders do not transact unless you trigger payment link emails.

• Choose when to charge your customers

• Unlock new revenue from your existing customers

• Test new releases before investing in stock

• Validate your next big idea before starting the new product development process

• Stealth mode: product is hidden from your store once the test is complete

• Collaborate with influencers on co-branded products. Drive traffic to your store with no obligation to fulfil orders unless the target is met

• Set early-bird discounts to reward customers for longer delivery times

• Designed to fit around and respect your website’s aesthetic

How does PreProduct work?

1. List a future product through PreProduct in the Shopify admin dashboard.
2. If using a sales target, enter how many sales/email-captures you would need in order to be convinced to bring the product to market. Also, how long you would need to fulfil the order.
3. The product will then appear in your storefront, but instead of a buy button, there will be a PreProduct widget which will explain the situation, as well as facilitate the pre-orders or email-captures from customers.
4. We’ll email customers a payment link to your site’s cart (or send you a list of email addresses for an email validation test). If you don’t reach your target or trigger payment emails, that’s the end of it, no unsold stock or further expectations.

Example tests:

• A new colour-way of an existing product. • A collaboration product with an influencer, he/she can drive traffic to your store without any obligation for you to fulfil the orders if the target is not reached. • A breakthrough idea that one of your team has been dying to try.

*Not suitable for single-page websites (i.e. all buy-buttons are on the front page)