Managing Made-To-Order Inventory on Shopify

What Is Made-To-Order Inventory

Made-To-Order inventory is a specific inventory where the products are not pre-made and shipped instantly as the order is placed. Rather, the products are custom-made as per the customer’s choices or confirmations. Therefore, the order takes time to be made and shipped as the seller starts making it after they get the request for the product. Some of the common Made-To-Inventory items are furniture, bakery, jewellery, and sometimes clothes too.

Why Made-To-Order Inventory Is Important For Sellers

Made-To-Order inventory can be important for various reasons. As a seller, often you cannot pre-make products that cannot be stored.

For example, a bakery shop cannot make the bread and cakes and store them for a long time until they get the order, as the food may rot.

In the same way, customers would want their product to look fresh and immediate so a furniture store would need to start making the product only after the customer demands it.

Made-To-Order inventories are also important when the order volume is not high or the cost of making is too high. Producing them beforehand in such cases can lead to losses.

How To Implement Made-To-Order Inventory On Shopify

There are many sellers on Shopify who offer Made-To-Order inventories but unfortunately, buyers miss out on this information from time to time and as a result, a misunderstanding takes place between the buyer and the seller regarding the late arrival of their order. Even though Shopify does not have any specific category for Made-To-Order inventory, here are some ways that you can apply to implement the offer to your customers.

1. Product Description

You can mention the Made-To-Order offer as a variant in the product description meta field. Make sure to place it on the top with bold letters so that the customers do not overlook the details and instructions of the product.

2. Product Warning On the Checkout Page

Sellers may also use a pop-up message on the Made-To-Order inventory on the checkout page so that customers can make sure to place the order considering all the conditions. Shopify support system mentions that buyers can set up a custom pop-up message to display before the buyer can add the item to their cart.

3. App for Notification

Another way that you can inform your customers about the custom order status is by using an app. Popular ones include Order Dash, Custom Order Status by W3, and Tracktor Order Tracking.

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