The Nashi × STOQ: how preorders kept a world-first swim shirt in stock

From “not a rashy” to Nashi

Tom Wilson set out to create something the market had never seen: a comfortable, stylish swim shirt that wasn’t a rash guard. As he put it, “Nashi means not a rashy.” The product was designed so men could stay outside without sunburns and without the look or feel of traditional rash guards.

The product resonated immediately. Customers embraced the design, and as Tom joked, “every guy hates using sunscreen… wives are looking for something to stop their husbands getting so sunburnt.” Demand surged, but with demand came inventory challenges too.

The challenge: managing demand across markets

As a growing brand, Nashi faced unpredictable demand across multiple markets. Inventory sold out quickly, and Tom often needed to transfer stock between regions. Without a preorder system, U.S. customers faced weeks of waiting and the business risked losing sales completely.

“For a whole month in the U.S., it was 100% preorders.”

Tom had tried other Shopify apps. Most were either bloated with unnecessary features or abandoned by developers with little support. What Nashi needed was a simple, reliable way to keep selling even when products were still on the way.

Why Nashi chose STOQ

Tom discovered STOQ through Shopify recommendations and reviews. Unlike other apps, STOQ offered a clean solution to enable preorders, capture back-in-stock demand, and backed it up with fast, personal support.

He valued how STOQ kept things focused: “So many apps are bloatware, or they get left and have no support. STOQ just does what it says, and the support is always there.”

Shopify Markets support was another critical factor. Tom noted: “pretty sure you’re the only ones that actually do [multi‑market] properly. It’s the most vital feature you don’t know you need until the day you need it.”

Results: preorders as an essential tool

Nashi leaned heavily on STOQ during a stock transfer to the U.S. For the entire month of June, 100% of orders were preorders.

Tom described preorders as “absolutely essential.” Without them, the brand would have missed an entire cycle of sales. Instead, customers secured their sizes and Nashi secured its revenue.

Back-in-stock alerts added another layer, bringing customers back the moment popular sizes became available again.

What stood out most: simplicity and support

Tom emphasized two things: simplicity and support.

STOQ avoided “bloatware” — it did preorders and notifications without the unnecessary complexity.

Support was fast and personal. “You were really responsive… you just built those features in and worked on it straight away. It was pretty quick.”

“Praise to you guys… agile… fix and get things done straight away.”

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The ROI from STOQ

Tom described the return on investment as a “ridiculous multiplier.” The app cost was tiny compared to the revenue it secured through preorders and restocks. More importantly, it gave him confidence: “pre‑orders are 100% an order that you wouldn’t have unless you had this app.”

Advice for other merchants

Tom’s advice is straightforward: don’t overcomplicate. Pick tools that are simple, supported, and built to solve your exact problem.

“Start with the end in mind… you’re tied into apps, so make the right decision from the start.”

He cautions against bloated apps that promise everything but fail on support: “if an app takes 3–4 business days to get back to you, you’ll regret it.” 

His recommendation: “I do think STOQ is the best on the market.”

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