Overview

Smart Cart Inventory Allocation automatically splits your customers' cart into regular items (in stock) and pre-order items (exceeding available stock). Once the feature is activated, you can configure how the cart behaves when customers change item quantities using the Prioritize in-stock item quantities setting.

This article explains what this setting does and how it affects the shopping experience.

How Smart Cart Splitting Works

When a customer adds more items than you have in stock, the app automatically creates two separate line items in the cart:

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Example: You have 2 units in stock. A customer adds 3 units to the cart.

Result in cart:

  • 2 × Regular item — ships immediately
  • 1 × Pre-order item — ships when restocked

This split happens automatically and keeps your inventory accurate.

Prioritize In-Stock Item Quantities

This setting controls what happens when a customer tries to reduce the quantity of regular (in-stock) items while pre-order items are also in the cart.

When enabled (default) ✅

Regular item quantities cannot be reduced or removed while pre-order items are present in the cart. The remove/decrease button is disabled, and a message explains why the action is blocked. This ensures customers always buy the maximum available in-stock quantity first.

Additionally, cart allocation recalculates automatically on page reload and at checkout to reflect the latest inventory — so if stock levels change while the customer is browsing, the split will be corrected before the order is placed.

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Example — Setting ON:

Cart: 2 regular + 1 pre-order (inventory = 2)

Customer tries to decrease the regular item quantity → action is blocked. The button is disabled with an explanation: regular quantity cannot be reduced while a pre-order item is in the cart.

Customer proceeds to checkout → cart allocation recalculates based on current inventory before the order is placed.

Why use this? Recommended for most stores. It guarantees that available stock is always sold as regular (immediate) purchases, reducing split shipments and fulfillment complexity.

When disabled ❌

Customers can freely adjust regular item quantities, even if pre-order items are in the cart. The cart will not block or rebalance — what the customer sets is what stays.

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Example — Setting OFF:

Cart: 2 regular + 1 pre-order (inventory = 2)

Customer decreases regular quantity by 1 → Result: 1 regular + 1 pre-order (no restriction, no rebalancing)

Customer removes all regular items → Result: 0 regular + 1 pre-order (pre-order remains unchanged)

Why use this? Useful if your pre-orders come with a deposit or partial payment option and customers intentionally want to keep items as pre-orders to pay less upfront. Disabling this gives customers full flexibility over their cart.

Quick Comparison

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Note: Inventory-driven recalculation (e.g., restocking or other customers purchasing) always applies on page reload and at checkout, regardless of this setting. This setting only controls whether customers can manually reduce regular item quantities while pre-order items are in the cart.

Where to Find This Setting

  1. Open K1 Pre-Order Manager in your Shopify admin
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Scroll to the Smart Cart Inventory Allocation section
  4. Make sure the Enable toggle is on
  5. Configure the checkbox:
    • ☑ī¸ Prioritize in-stock item quantities

When to Disable This Setting

For most stores, keeping this setting enabled is recommended. Consider disabling it if:

  • Your pre-orders use deposits or partial payments and customers may prefer to keep items as pre-orders to pay less upfront
  • Your customers frequently intentionally mix regular and pre-order items with different payment terms
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Need help? If you're not sure which configuration is right for your store, reach out to our support team — we'll help you set it up.