How can I create a custom order link without publishing it?

Shopify Discussion
1

Hi,

I would like to create a custom order link for a client. I want the client to be able to order using this link but I do not want the link / product to be published to my website..

How do I go about doing this?

Thanks

2

Hey, @Graceandlaser ! Welcome to Shopify Community!

There are a few different ways to go about this:

1. Send the customer a direct link to the product

You can choose not to publish a product from your website but still make it accessible to a specific customer. To do this, you’ll need to ensure that the product isn’t displayed on the homepage or in any collection that’s visible on your website. Then, keep the product active and available to the online store. Once those are done, you can copy the link to the product then send it to the customer.

One thing to keep in mind with this method is that while products aren’t displayed on the website, there’s still a chance that the product page can be accessed by other visitors and customers. This is because the product page is available to the online store–search engines can detect the page and may show it on their search results. Nonetheless, if you want relevant customers to browse your website and add other products to their cart before completing the order, this would be your best option. If you wish to do this, you can follow the steps below to find the product link and copy it.

  1. If you’ve already listed the product in your Shopify admin, you can head over to the Products > All products page to view it. Make sure this product is not added to the homepage or any collection that’s visible on your website.

  2. Click the title of the product you wish to send to your customer.

  3. Make sure the Product status is set to Active.

  4. Set the product to be available in the online store by clicking Manage beside Sales channels and Apps and checking Online Store.

  5. Scroll down to the Search engine listing preview section and copy the link underneath the product title.

2. Create a draft order and send the customer an invoice or a checkout link

Creating a draft order is a better option if you want to ensure the product will not be accessed by anyone other than the customers who can purchase it. With this method, the product doesn’t have to be available in the online store. As long as it has an Active product status, you will be able to add it to a draft order. The difference between this and the method above is that you’ll need to create the cart for the customers. They won’t be able to browse and add other products to their cart. When they receive the invoice or the checkout link, they will be immediately prompted to go through the checkout and complete the order.

This is a great option if your customer wishes to order a specific selection of products and wants to complete the order right away. If you wish to do this, you can follow the steps below to create a draft order and sen and invoice or a checkout link to your customer.

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Orders.
  2. Click Create order.
  3. Add the product by clicking Browse or click Add custom item if you wish to add a product that’s not listed in your admin.
  4. Optional: Enter the other details such as shipping, discount, tax, and customers. If these are not entered, the customer will enter their details at checkout and they will be presented with the appropriate information for shipping and tax.
  5. You can click Save to send an invoice later or click Send invoice to send one now.
    • If you selected Send invoice, enter the necessary information then click Review invoice and Send invoice after reviewing the invoice. This will send an invoice with a link to complete the checkout.
    • If you wish to copy the link to checkout and send this to the customer via a different method of communication, you can get it from the Shopify mobile app. In the app go to Orders > Draft orders and select the draft order you saved. Tap the ellipsis ... on the upper right-hand corner and tap Share checkout link.

3. Use the Buy Button and send the customer a checkout link

This is the last option that’s slightly different from the above. Like the draft order, you don’t need to make the product available to the online store when you use a Buy Button. The product only needs to be available to the Buy Button sales channel and you can create a checkout link for the customer. The difference between this and the draft order is that with the Buy Button, you can only create a checkout for one product and you can’t pre-set the order details such as shipping, discount, tax, and customers. If a customer is set on purchasing one product and they only need to pay, using the Buy Button is your best bet. To do so, you can follow the steps below.

  1. In your Shopify admin, add the Buy Button sales channel if you haven’t added it yet. You can follow this guide to do so.

  2. Go to Products > All products.

  3. Click the title of the product you wish to create a checkout link for.

  4. Make sure it’s available in the Buy Button sales channel by clicking Manage beside Sales channels and Apps and checking Buy Button.

  5. Click More actions at the top of the product page.

  6. Click Create checkout link.

  7. Click Copy link.

These are viable options if these exclusive products are only a small part of your business. If they’re a significant part of your business, you may want to consider adding them to a locked page with restricted access so relevant customers can browse and purchase products on their own. This will drastically improve your order management. If this is something you want to look into, you can check out these apps:

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