Test OrderRules on a development store
4 min read Β· Facts checked October 28, 2026
Yes, you can try OrderRules before it touches your live store. Set it up on a Shopify development store with your real products, then place test orders against your own rules. Everything that runs at checkout behaves the way it will on your live store.
Before you start
- A development store. Create one in Shopify's Dev Dashboard. You need a Shopify Partner account, or developer permissions in your Shopify organization. Development stores are password protected and can't take real payments.
- Your products. In your live store, open Products β Export and download the CSV. Import it into the development store under Products β Import, so you test with your real products, variants and SKUs.
- The plan you'll use. Delivery dates, delivery-date limits and blackouts are on Advanced, which has a 14-day free trial. If the plan screen won't let you subscribe on a development store, contact support.
A development store can't be converted into your live store later. Treat it as a rehearsal.
Set up
- Install OrderRules from the Shopify App Store on the development store.
- Set up your rules as you plan to use them live: product limits, delivery rules, cutoffs, holidays, messages.
- Turn on the checkout rule. In Shopify, open Settings β Checkout, scroll to Checkout rules and check the OrderRules rule is on. Without it, nothing is checked at checkout.
- Add the app blocks to your theme, such as the delivery date picker on the product or cart page. See theme app block setup.
Pay with the test gateway
Development stores use Shopify's test payment gateway. At checkout, the payment section shows what to enter:
- Card number 1: an approved payment
- Card number 2: a declined payment
- Card number 3: a gateway failure
Use any future expiry date and any three-digit security code. No money moves.
Eight tests worth running
Set a small limit while you test, such as 3 per delivery date, so you can fill a date with a few orders.
| # | Test | What you should see |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Place an ordinary order with a delivery date | The order goes through; the date is on the order |
| 2 | Add more than the daily limit to the cart | Add to cart is refused with a message to reduce the quantity |
| 3 | Fill a date with test orders, then try that date again | The date is unavailable in the picker; checkout is blocked if it fills while someone is paying |
| 4 | Pick a date on the product page, then click Buy it now | With Require a delivery date at checkout on, checkout shows "Please choose a delivery date before checking out." |
| 5 | Try a holiday or blackout date | It can't be selected |
| 6 | Order just before and just after your cutoff | The earliest date moves forward at the cutoff, in your store's timezone |
| 7 | Cancel one of the test orders | Its place on that delivery date becomes available again |
| 8 | Check a product page in another language, if you sell in more than one | Storefront messages follow the shopper's language |
If a test doesn't behave as described, check that the checkout rule is on, then see rules not applying.
When you're done
- Cancel the test orders. OrderRules counts them like real orders, so they hold capacity until they're cancelled.
- Move your product limits. In Product Limits, click Export All. In the CSV, clear Product ID and Variant ID, fill in SKU, and import it on your live store. Variant-level limits need their live Variant IDs, or set them again by hand. See CSV bulk import.
- Set the rest up again by hand on your live store: delivery rules, store hours, holidays and messages. Then repeat tests 1 and 4 there with a real, low-value order before a busy day.