Layaway, deposits and product holds for Shopify, online and in Shopify POS

How layaway works on Shopify with Reservo

Shopify doesn't have a layaway feature of its own. Reservo adds one. Your customer reserves the item, pays a deposit, and pays the balance when they collect.

• Online
  Customers reserve on your store and pay the deposit through Shopify checkout. The balance is taken when you fulfil the order.
• In store
  Staff reserve the item in Shopify POS and take the deposit at the till. Customers can make further part payments against the same order until it's paid off.
• Sold out
  On the Automation plan, customers can reserve an item that hasn't arrived yet and pay a deposit on it.

Reservo is built for retailers who need more than a simple “buy now” flow: jewellery stores reserving high-value pieces, fashion stores holding sizes, lifestyle retailers managing limited stock, and multi-location teams managing pick-up across stores.

Key Benefits

• Take deposits online and in store
  Ask for a deposit when customers reserve online, or take one at the till in Shopify POS. Choose which products need a deposit and how long customers have to pay. See the deposits guide.
• Reserve at POS
  Create in-store reservations while serving customers, then convert the reservation to a cart when they are ready to buy.
• Let customers reserve online
  Add a “Reserve in Store” option to product pages so customers can secure items before visiting. See the setup guide.
• Protect inventory while items are on hold
  Reserved stock is kept unavailable to other customers while the hold is active, reducing overselling risk.
• Use automatic hold periods and expiry
  Set default hold periods, use per-item expiry where needed, and release uncollected stock back to availability. Learn about hold periods.
• Support out-of-stock reservations and waitlists
  On the Automation plan, let customers join a waitlist or reserve incoming stock when selected products are out of stock. See the waitlist guide.
• Send the right notifications
  Send staff and customer emails for key reservation events, including per-location staff routing for multi-store teams. Review notification options.
• Trigger Shopify Flow automations
  Use reservation events in Shopify Flow to tag customers, alert teams, or connect reservations to wider operations. Explore Flow triggers.

How It Works In Store

1. Staff add products to a Shopify POS cart.
2. They assign the cart to a customer.
3. They create a reservation in Reservo from POS.
4. The reserved stock is held for the chosen period.
5. Staff can manage notes, reasons, expiry, and reservation status.
6. When the customer returns, staff convert the reservation to a cart.
7. The sale is completed in Shopify POS. Take a deposit now and further part payments later, against the same order.

See the full Reservo setup guide.

How It Works Online

1. Add the Reservo app embed and “Reserve in Store” block to your product template.
2. Choose which products, variants, and locations can accept reservations.
3. Customers reserve eligible products from your online store.
4. They choose a pickup location and complete the reservation flow.
5. If the item needs a deposit, they pay it through Shopify checkout straight away.
6. The reservation appears in your Reservo dashboard alongside in-store reservations.
7. Staff prepare the item, manage the hold, and convert it to an order when the customer arrives.

Learn how online reservations work.

Control Across Products, Locations, and Staff Workflows

• Choose which products and variants can be reserved, and which need a deposit.
• Enable reservations by pickup location.
• Set customer reservation limits.
• Require customer accounts or allow eligible customers to reserve online.
• Use default hold periods, product-level overrides, and per-item expiry controls.
• Route staff notification emails by location.
• Track active, expired, cancelled, completed, and awaiting-stock reservations from one dashboard.
• Connect reservation events to Shopify Flow automations on the Automation plan.

Reservo gives your team a clearer way to manage customer intent before checkout, protect stock while products are on hold, and turn reservations into completed Shopify orders.

Layaway questions

Can you do layaway on Shopify?
Yes, with an app. Shopify doesn't offer layaway on its own. Reservo lets customers reserve an item, pay a deposit, and pay the balance when they collect, online or in store.

How do layaway payments work?
The customer pays a deposit when they reserve. Online, the balance is taken when you fulfil the order. In store, staff can take several part payments against the same order with Shopify POS split payments until it's paid off.

Can I set up an automatic instalment plan?
Not today. Reservo takes a deposit and the balance. It doesn't run a schedule of automatic monthly payments. If you need one, contact us.

Further Information

• Taking deposits on reservations
• Reservo setup guide
• Reservation hold periods and expiry
• Reservation notifications
• Product waitlists and out-of-stock reservations
• Shopify Flow triggers for reservations
• Privacy Policy
• Data Processing Addendum
• Terms of Use