Understanding Fabrikatör's Backorder Tagging System

What are backorder tags and why are they important?

Backorder tags are special identifiers that Fabrikatör automatically applies to orders containing backordered items. These tags help you track, manage, and fulfill backorders efficiently while maintaining transparency with your customers.

How Fabrikatör tags backorders

Fabrikatör uses three distinct tagging formats to identify and categorize backorders in your Shopify store:

Backorder Source Tags

These tags help you identify how the backorder was created:

`FABRIKATOR_BACKORDER`

This tag is applied when customers explicitly click the "Pre-order" button to purchase backordered items. These are intentional backorders where the customer was aware they were purchasing an out-of-stock item.

`FABRIKATOR_BACKORDER_REVIEW`

This tag indicates backorders that were purchased without the customer viewing or interacting with the pre-order button. Fabrikatör identifies these transactions as backorders but tags them for review since the customer may not have been aware they were placing a backorder.

This typically happens in two scenarios:

Custom theme incompatibility: Stores with custom theme elements like quick-add buttons or other custom code may bypass the standard pre-order notification.
Alternative sales channels: Orders placed through channels other than your Shopify storefront (like Facebook, Instagram, or other integrated platforms) may not display pre-order notifications due to technical limitations of those platforms.

⚠️ Important: An order may have both FABRIKATOR_BACKORDER and FABRIKATOR_BACKORDER_REVIEW tags if it contains multiple backordered items purchased through different methods.

Purchase Order Reference Tags

Fabrikatör also adds these tags to connect backorders with their associated purchase orders:

`FABRIK_PO_[POname]`

This tag contains the name of the purchase order associated with the backordered items.

`FABRIK_PO_[POid]`

This tag contains the unique ID of the purchase order associated with the backordered items.

Using backorder tags effectively

Filtering orders by tag

You can use these tags in your Shopify admin to filter and identify different types of backorders:

Go to Orders in your Shopify admin
Click on the Filter button
Select Tagged with and enter the tag you want to filter by

Managing customer expectations

Orders with FABRIKATOR_BACKORDER_REVIEW may require additional customer communication as these customers might not have been aware they were placing a backorder
Consider setting up automated emails for orders with different backorder tags

Tracking incoming inventory for backorders

Use the purchase order reference tags to quickly identify which incoming inventory should be allocated to specific backorders.

Troubleshooting common issues

Missing tags

If you notice backorders without proper tags:

Check if your theme has been customized recently
Ensure Fabrikatör app permissions are up to date
Contact Fabrikatör support if issues persist

Multiple tags on a single order

This is normal behavior when an order contains multiple backordered items that were added to cart through different methods.