How the pre-order feature works & things to know

Please read these rules so you understand how it works! This is really important.

Multiple releases at the same time: 1 email will be sent per digital file. If you release 2 files, 2 download emails will be sent to your customer. If you plan to release multiple assets at the same time, please use Method 2 in this guide which uses the customer account feature, and informs your customers to access the downloads there.
Time rules: The date/time calendar is set using your local time (computer time). Please keep this in mind if you are in a different timezone to your store.
How it delivers: An email will be sent to your customers with the download links of the pre-ordered asset. Also, the downloads will appear on the customer order pages in their accounts if you have the customer account download option enabled.
Who gets it: The release date asset will be sent to anyone who has ordered the products or variants that the asset is attached to once the release time is reached. It will also send to any orders that have the asset attached to the order.
Attaching to products: If you attach the asset to a product that has already been ordered, the asset release will send to everyone who has ordered that product. You can disable email delivery by following this guide if you just want to deliver files in the customer accounts.
Email delivery rate: The emails will be sent at a steady pace, one after another. Emails will not be sent at the same time. Once the release date is reached, it will trigger a queue to deliver to your customers.

What do I need?

You will need to use the Premium plan to unlock the pre-order release date feature.

Method 1 - Using the "Release date" feature that sends download emails

This method works best if you are releasing a single file. If you are releasing multiple files, please check out Method 2 using the customer account download links to release multiple files at once. This is because Method 1 will send a download email for each asset that has a release date set and Method 2 will not.

Step 1 – Go to your asset page

If you haven't uploaded yet, go to the Upload page
Go to the asset page by going to Assets > click on your asset

Step 2 – Set the release date/time

You can easily set the pre-order release date/time by clicking on the pencil icon.
Set the date/time that you want to release the asset. If you have multiple assets to release, you will need to set the date/time on each of them.





Important note: The date/time shown is based on your local computer time. So be aware, that if your store is based at a different timezone, you will need to figure out what timezone you want to release the asset.

Step 3 – Customise your Release date email delivery template

I would recommend customising your email template content at this point, but you can do it anytime before the release date. You can customise your email template here.

Step 4 – Attach the asset to the relevant product

I would recommend doing this step closer to the release date, in case you want to change anything or in case you have made any mistakes.

Under the section “Attach this asset to products” on the asset page, search for the product so you can attach the asset to the correct product.

Once an asset is attached to a Shopify product or variant, it is armed and ready to deliver emails to any customer who has purchased that product or variant once the release time is reached. If you have attached the asset to an order - an email will be sent to that order's email address, too.

Step 5 – Delivery is armed & ready

The download emails will only send to customers who have ordered the product that the asset is attached to.

If no one has ordered that product, then no emails will be sent out.

Method 2 – Customer account digital file release (no email delivery)

This method uses your email system (Klaviyo, Omnisend or similar) to inform your customers that the digital products are now available in their accounts to download. This method will only work if you are not using the download emails from Fileflare. They are required to be turned off for when the release time is reached.

Step 1 – Disable email delivery

If you don’t want download emails to be sent from Fileflare at the release time or with any order, you can disable Fileflare’s download emails by going to:

"Settings"
"Additional settings"
Enable the "Disable all order download emails sent from Fileflare" option.

Turning off the emails will still allow the downloads to show upon the release time in the customer accounts.

Turning off Fileflare email delivery will disable all emails from Fileflare including the order emails, so if you are still taking orders in this time, turning off the email delivery will not work.

Step 2 – Write the release email

Write up your release email in your chosen email software, informing your customers that the digital products are now available in their customer accounts to download.

In most email software, such as Klaviyo or Omnisned, you can set rules so it sends an automated email to your email list at a specific time, and you can also target people who have ordered a specific product etc.

That means you can automate the email to be sent just as your downloads are released.

Obviously, just write it at this stage until you have completed this tutorial. Then you can arm it to send once you are ready.

Step 3 – Upload your digital product/file to Fileflare

Go to the Upload page.

Step 4 – Set the pre-order release date/time

You can easily set the pre-order release date/time by clicking on the pencil icon.

Set the date/time that you want to release the asset. If you have multiple assets to release, you will need to set the date/time on each of them. If you have email delivery enabled, a new email will be sent for each asset. The customer account method works best for releasing many assets.





Important note: The date/time shown is based on your local computer time. So be aware, that if your store is based at a different timezone, you will need to figure out what timezone you want to release the asset.

Step 5 – Attach the asset to the relevant product

I would recommend doing this step closer to the release date, in case you want to change anything or in case you have made any mistakes.

Under the section “Attach this asset to products” on the asset page, search for the product so you can attach the asset to the correct product.

Once an asset is attached to a Shopify product or variant, it is armed and ready to deliver emails to any customer who has purchased that product or variant once the release time is reached. If you have attached the asset to an order - an email will be sent to that order's email address, too.

FAQ

What happens if I have multiple assets for a single product pre-order?

A new email will be sent for each asset, even if the emails are sent at the same time. Unfortunately, it’s just the way it is for now.

If you don’t like this method (Method 1), you can use the Customer Account method (Method 2). This way, all the assets will be in one list in their accounts.

What timezone is the pre-order time in?

The date/time calendar is set using your local computer time. Please keep this in mind if you are in a different timezone to your store.

What will customers receive when the release time is hit?

An email will be sent to your customers who have ordered a product that has the pre-order asset attached.
They will also automatically see the downloads in their customer account if you have the customer account downloads feature enabled.

Can I attach the asset after the orders have happened?

Yes, you can. The pre-order asset will deliver to everyone who had ordered the product it is attached to, even if they ordered the product before the asset was attached to it.

Updated on: 09/02/2024