Keyholder guide
How to hold items for customers on Shopify POS
How to put items on hold for customers in a Shopify POS store without overselling online: a simple hold policy, setting stock aside and following up.
Short answer: Set a short hold policy (for example 48 hours, or longer with a deposit), set the item aside with a tag showing the customer's name and expiry, and take it out of sellable stock so it can't sell online while it waits. Follow up before the hold expires, then return the item to stock if the customer doesn't come back.
Write a hold policy
- How long: a free hold for 24 to 48 hours is common; longer holds usually need a deposit.
- Deposit: whether one is required, and whether it's refundable.
- Limits: how many items per customer, and whether sale items can be held.
- Expiry: what happens when the hold runs out.
Keep held items from selling twice
Your online store and register share inventory in Shopify. If a held item stays in sellable stock, it can sell online while it sits on the hold shelf. Adjust the item's available quantity at that location while it's held, and add it back if the hold expires.
Track and follow up
- Record the customer, item, date and expiry on the hold tag and in a hold log or the customer's profile note.
- Check the hold shelf daily.
- Message customers the day before a hold expires.
- Return expired holds to stock and note it on the customer's profile.
Holds that turn into payment plans become layaway. See how to offer layaway on Shopify POS.