Most Shopify merchants know how to install a returns app. Fewer are looking for a pre-return app, which is why this setup path deserves to be explicit. A pre-return app should be evaluated based on what it helps you solve before the normal return process begins, not only on standard portal features.
Connect the platform first
The app needs order-level access so it can verify real customers and tie outcomes back to real orders. Without that, the pre-return layer becomes too easy to abuse and too hard to trust operationally.
Define what qualifies for alternative resolution
Before going live, choose which reason types are eligible for a keep or recovery path and which ones always route to the normal return flow. This is the key setup difference from a portal-first app.
Launch one clear entry point
A QR insert, email link, or store link can all work. The important part is that the customer enters the flow before opening the normal return process. That is where the merchant still has a decision opportunity.
Monitor the first reasons and routes
The first live data should answer whether the right sessions are being intercepted, whether verification is clean, and whether any rule should be tightened before expanding the flow.