Pre-Order Planner

Plan and execute pre-order campaigns with waitlist sequencing, early-bird incentive design, and launch communication timing for new product drops.

Pre-order campaigns are one of the most effective ways to validate demand, generate early revenue, and build anticipation before a product officially launches. However, poorly structured pre-orders lead to customer frustration, fulfillment chaos, and missed momentum. This skill helps ecommerce operators design complete pre-order campaign plans covering waitlist management, tiered incentive structures, communication sequences, and fulfillment coordination so that every new product drop converts excitement into committed purchases.

Quick Reference

| Decision | Strong Choice | Acceptable | Weak / Avoid | |----------|---------------|------------||--------------| | Pre-order window length | 2–4 weeks | 1–6 weeks | >8 weeks (kills excitement) | | Early-bird incentive | Exclusive gift + discount | Discount only | No incentive | | Expected ship date visibility | Specific date ("Ships March 15") | Range ("Ships mid-March") | Vague ("Ships soon") | | Waitlist to pre-order conversion | Dedicated launch email 24h before | Same-day launch email | No specific launch communication | | Communication frequency | Weekly update during window | Bi-weekly | No updates until ship | | Fulfillment buffer | Promised date + 14-day buffer | Promised date + 7 days | Promised date = actual production date | | Refund policy | Clear and easy | Standard with link | No refund policy stated |

Problems This Skill Solves

1. Launching to silence — releasing a new product with no pre-built audience results in slow initial velocity, which harms algorithmic visibility on TikTok Shop and Amazon.
2. Demand uncertainty — committing to production runs without knowing real demand leads to either under-production (stockouts, angry customers) or over-production (dead inventory).
3. Customer trust erosion from delayed shipments — when brands set unrealistic ship dates and miss them, refund requests and chargebacks spike.
4. Weak early-bird incentive design — discounts alone don't create the FOMO that drives waitlist sign-ups; this skill helps design more compelling early-bird structures.
5. No systematic waitlist communication — most brands email their waitlist once at launch and leave conversion on the table.
6. Fulfillment mismatch — pre-order volume surprises that the 3PL or in-house team wasn't prepared for.
7. No post-launch momentum plan — the pre-order period builds energy that evaporates without a structured post-launch sequence.

Workflow

Step 1 — Validate Pre-Order Viability

Not every product suits a pre-order model. Confirm these criteria before designing the campaign:

Strong pre-order signals:

• Product has a defined launch date that is 2–8 weeks away
• There is an existing audience (email list, social following, or paid audience) to seed the waitlist
• Manufacturing or fulfillment timeline is confirmed with a supplier
• The product has demonstrable differentiation (new formula, new design, new feature)

Pre-order is risky when:

• Ship date is not confirmed with supplier
• No existing audience to seed waitlist
• Product is a commodity reorder (no launch energy to leverage)
• Platform terms restrict pre-orders (verify before setting up)

Step 2 — Design the Incentive Stack

Use references/incentive-design-guide.md to build a tiered incentive structure:

Tier 1 — Waitlist (Free to Join)

• Reward: Early access to purchase 24–48 hours before general public
• Optional: Exclusive colorway / bundle / packaging variant for waitlist buyers only
• Goal: Maximum list-building with no revenue risk

Tier 2 — Early Pre-Order (First [N] Units)

• Reward: Deepest discount (15–25% off launch price) + exclusive add-on (bonus product, extended warranty, custom packaging)
• Quantity limit creates urgency: "First 200 orders only"
• Goal: Revenue validation + social proof for later buyers

Tier 3 — Standard Pre-Order

• Reward: Standard pre-order discount (5–10% off) + guaranteed stock at launch
• No quantity limit but a clear cutoff date
• Goal: Broader demand capture

Step 3 — Set the Communication Calendar

Reference references/preorder-communication-calendar.md for full templates. Key milestones:

Timing	Action
Announcement Day	Teaser post + waitlist page live
Day 3	"Why we made this" brand story email
Day 7	Social proof / behind-the-scenes update
Day 14	"Halfway through pre-order window" urgency email
48h before early-bird close	Final push to upgrade from waitlist to pre-order
24h before launch	Waitlist-exclusive early access email
Launch Day	General launch email + social push
Post-order Day 3	Production/shipping update
Ship Day	"Your order has shipped!" email
Day 7 post-delivery	Review request

Step 4 — Build the Landing Page and Purchase Flow

Key elements for a high-converting pre-order page:

Above the fold:

• Product name and hero image (real photo, not just renders if possible)
• Launch date / expected ship date (specific)
• Price and discount clearly displayed
• "Pre-Order Now" CTA or "Join Waitlist" CTA

Credibility section:

• Why this product / what problem it solves
• Who made it and why they're qualified
• Any press coverage, awards, or prior product reviews

Logistics transparency (critical for trust):

• Exact ship date or range
• Refund policy: "Full refund if we can't ship by [date]"
• What happens if you miss the date

Social proof section:

• Waitlist count ("4,200 people are waiting for this")
• Press mentions
• Founder's note

Step 5 — Plan Fulfillment Coordination

Use assets/preorder-ops-checklist.md for the full operations checklist. Key requirements:

• Confirm final production quantity buffer (add 15–20% to pre-order total for safety stock)
• Set fulfillment trigger: orders released to 3PL/warehouse [X days] before ship date
• Establish daily/weekly order reporting to supplier if custom production is involved
• Plan for late scenarios: draft delay communication template before the campaign starts, not after
• Confirm payment capture timing: immediate capture vs. capture at ship (platform-dependent)

Worked Examples

Example 1 — DTC Skincare Brand (New Moisturizer Launch)

Setup: Established brand, 8,000-person email list, new moisturizer formula. Factory confirmed ship date: 6 weeks out.

Campaign design:

• Waitlist opens 6 weeks before ship date
• Early-bird: First 300 orders get 20% off + free travel-size gift (COGS: $2.50) — communicated as "Founding Customer" status
• Standard pre-order: 10% off launch price, available weeks 2–4
• Ship date communicated as specific date with "or earlier if production completes ahead of schedule"

Outcome metrics: Waitlist of 1,200, 340 early-bird pre-orders, 890 standard pre-orders = 1,230 total units. Sell-through at launch was 60% higher than previous product launches.

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Example 2 — TikTok Shop Creator Product (Custom Apparel Drop)

Setup: Creator with 180K TikTok followers, custom hoodie collab, production lead time 4 weeks.

Campaign design:

• Waitlist via TikTok link-in-bio landing page only (no email list)
• Incentive: Waitlist gets first 24 hours of availability + signed print with first 50 orders
• Limited to 500 units; "if demand exceeds 500, we'll do a second drop"

Common Mistakes

1. Vague ship dates: "Ships in Spring" is not acceptable. Customers need a specific date to trust you.
2. No refund policy stated upfront: Not having a refund policy on a pre-order page is a conversion killer. State it prominently.
3. Under-communicating after the order: Once someone pre-orders, silence breeds anxiety. Send at least one update per week.
4. Over-promising early-bird inventory: If you say "first 100 only" and then open it to 200, early buyers feel deceived.
5. No waitlist-specific incentive: Treating waitlist and general launch audiences identically wastes the trust capital you built.
6. Missing the post-launch window: The week after a pre-order ships is your highest-NPS moment — use it to gather reviews and referrals.
7. Charging immediately with no fulfillment update: If you charge on pre-order and then go silent for 5 weeks, chargebacks follow.
8. No contingency plan for delays: Have a delay email drafted before launch. You will probably need it.

Resources

• references/incentive-design-guide.md — Incentive tier design, early-bird mechanics, and FOMO architecture
• references/preorder-communication-calendar.md — Full email, SMS, and social templates for the entire campaign window
• assets/preorder-ops-checklist.md — Operations, fulfillment, and logistics coordination checklist