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How to send WooCommerce order confirmation emails: The full guide

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Some merchants think sending a WooCommerce order confirmation email is an optional, inconsequential task. They mistakenly assume they are unnecessary and don’t impact customer experience. 

The reality is these post-purchase emails are more than just a polite gesture. They’re crucial for customer retention and engagement, and can potentially increase open and click-through rates.

In fact, our recent research shows that order confirmation emails have an open rate of 58.7%, making them a powerful tool to nurture customer relationships.

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When you send a WooCommerce email after an order has been placed, it keeps the communication with the customer alive and increases their lifetime value. 

However, designing attractive, branded post-purchase emails in WooCommerce can be tricky. In this guide, we discuss a few effective types of WooCommerce post-purchase emails, as well as how to send order confirmation emails in WooCommerce.

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What is a WooCommerce confirmation email?

A WooCommerce confirmation email is an email, or series, that you send to customers after they make a purchase from your WooCommerce store.

Although it’s possible to send a single confirmation email, creating a series can provide a better customer experience. For example, not only could you confirm the order but also offer similar products or accessories to use with the item they purchased, and share tips on getting the most out of the product.

Types of WooCommerce post-purchase emails

1. Order confirmation email

An order confirmation email is the email a customer receives after making a purchase. It confirms their purchase details and gives an opportunity for you to make a good first impression. You can share helpful details about the item and include upsell or cross-sell products to increase the order value.

order conformation email

2. Thank you email

A thank you email expresses your gratitude for an action, such as signing up for your newsletter or making a purchase. In the example below, Paravel thanks customers for sharing its products on social media and “for making us a part of your travels this summer.” 

Thank-you email by Paravel

3. Shipping confirmation email

A shipping confirmation email notifies your customers that their item has been dispatched. Some emails, like the example from Paddywax below, include the order details and tracking information so customers can find out the status of their order’s shipment. 

Buyers won’t worry about their order once they know the product is on its way, and the ability to track it can help them make any necessary arrangements for its arrival.

shipping confirmation email by Paddywax
Image via Really Good Emails

4. Educational email

Once your customer has bought their item, it can be helpful to give them tips on getting the most out of it. That’s what educational emails are for. From how to pair clothing to Beardbrand’s tips on white beards below, these emails are powerful ways to build authority and help your customers.

Educational email by Beardbrand

5. Cross-sell or marketing email

If a customer had a positive experience purchasing from you, there’s a good chance they’d want to make another purchase. A cross-sell or an upsell email should highlight relevant items or services that complement the customer’s original purchase. 

In the example by Open Spaces below, the email features related products that are bundled together to get a discount. This incentivizes customers to make another purchase.

Cross-sell email by open spaces
Image via Really Good Emails

6. Feedback on the return process

A customized WooCommerce email after purchase can also be sent to collect valuable insights from customers who have returned or exchanged an item or canceled a subscription. 

By allowing customers to share their experiences with returns, you can refine your processes and enhance satisfaction. 

TunnelBear asks for honest feedback while reminding customers they can still use its services.

Feedback on the return process example by TunnelBear
Image via Really Good Emails

Why send WooCommerce confirmation emails?

WooCommerce emails sent after purchase can serve different goals, so it can make sense to split them over a series of messages.

This avoids overloading your buyers by cramming everything into one email, and sending multiple emails is a good way of keeping in touch. They’ll see you in their inbox more than once, which helps to increase awareness of your brand.

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There is no specific formula for the number of emails to send, but a handful is a good starting point. Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling:

  • Give post-purchase order info: Order confirmation, shipping confirmation, care tips — this email is to give order-related information
  • Ask for customer feedback: Ask them to leave a review or to let you know how their experience was so you can make any necessary improvements
  • Promote related or additional products: This email would have upsells or cross-sells, where you make product recommendations based on their purchase history
  • Share useful order-related resources: Offer care tips or information to help them get the most out of their new purchase

How to send WooCommerce post-purchase emails using a plugin

Using a plugin is one way to send post-purchase emails on WooCommerce and is quicker and more flexible than using WooCommerce itself. Plus, using a plugin allows for lots more customization options. 

You also benefit from a variety of amazing pre-built templates, meaning you can send professional confirmation emails with ease.

For this tutorial, we’re going to use the Omnisend plugin, one of the top-rated plugins available for WooCommerce.

Step 1: Install the Omnisend plugin for WooCommerce

To begin, head over to the Plugins page in your WordPress admin dashboard, select Add New and search for the “Omnisend for WordPress” plugin. Select Install now and once it’s done, select the Activate button.

Omnisend plugin for Woocommerce

Go to the Omnisend plugin settings page and click Connect your account, as shown below. If you need to create an account first, you can click Create new account instead.

Omnisend plugin settings page

When you click Connect your account, you’ll see the following popup, and you need to click Approve:

process of connecting Omnisend

That’s all there is to it. Now, it’s time to build the workflow.

Step 2: Create an order confirmation automation workflow

Creating an order confirmation automation workflow is very easy with Omnisend. You simply need to go to the Automation tab, click on the Create workflow button, and pick the Order Confirmation workflow.

Gif via Omnisend

Next, you want to adjust the trigger settings according to your preferences. The default trigger is set to Paid for Order, but you can tweak the settings to target your automation more specifically. 

For instance, you can use the Audience Filter to target specific customers, the Exit conditions to stop the workflow when certain events happen, and Frequency to limit how often a customer can enter the workflow.

You can add and customize the messages you want to send in your order confirmation workflow. You can also use different channels, such as email, SMS, or push notifications, and add dynamic content, such as order details and the shipping address.

Image via Omnisend

Step 3: Create a post-purchase automation workflow

Now that your account is active, it’s time to build your WooCommerce post-purchase email workflow.

Begin by selecting Automation from the main menu and then Post-Purchase. You’ll see other workflow types available, which you can look into later. For now, let’s stick with a post-purchase series.

Once you’ve selected Post-Purchase, you can choose Customize workflow in the Cross Sell box:

process of choosing automation workflow

Step 4: Customize the workflow

As a first step, edit the trigger for entering this workflow and sending the email. You can set this up so that an email is sent if any product is purchased, not just a selected product:

process of customizing automation workflow

Once the trigger is set to your liking, you can choose the delay — this is the period between when they make a purchase and when the first email arrives. By default, it’s set to three days, but you can set it to anything you like. You can also experiment with different delays to discover if your audience has a preference.

Step 5: Design the email

After setting the delay, it’s time to edit the email. You can also set your subject line here — our free subject line tester will give you a score, plus tips to improve the score and a preview for both desktop and mobile devices. You can also set the preheader and sender name from this box.

process of designing automation workflow

Once you’ve set those details, click the Edit content button and you’ll be taken to the email editor. This is where you customize your email to your liking. The email builder is drag-and-drop, so it’s incredibly easy to use. And because Omnisend has been built for ecommerce, there are handy features to help you — like easily adding discount codes or pulling products directly from your store.

Omnisend's email builder

Once it’s finished, click the green Finish editing button to complete the design, and then save your progress on the workflow editor page.

Your first WooCommerce after-purchase email is done — now it’s time to send yourself a test email to check how it looks, and then you’re ready to send it to your buyers.

How to send post-purchase emails using WooCommerce in-built options

WooCommerce allows you to send post-purchase emails directly from it.

To do this, head to the WooCommerce tab on the left-hand side of your WordPress dashboard, then select Settings.

How to send post-purchase emails using WooCommerce in-built options: woocommerce settings

Click on Emails from the options you’re given, then find Processing Order and select the corresponding settings wheel.

How to send post-purchase emails using WooCommerce in-built options: email notifications

Check the box to enable this email notification, then enter your subject and email heading.

How to send post-purchase emails using WooCommerce in-built options: processing order

Clicking View Template allows you to make changes to the actual content of the email.

You can customize your post-purchase email using WooCommerce’s global settings — but be aware that this changes all emails, not just your confirmation email template.

Go back to the General tab of the Emails section to edit the following for all your emails, including those post-purchase:

  • Header image
  • Base color
  • Background color (full-width)
  • Background color (body)
  • Text color (body)
  • Footer text
  • “From” name
  • “From” address
How to send post-purchase emails using WooCommerce in-built options: email settings

Wrap up

Sending WooCommerce after-purchase emails is a powerful way to develop deeper relationships with your customers and can increase customer LTV. 

While it’s possible to send just one WooCommerce confirmation email after an order has been placed, there are benefits to sending a series instead. You increase the touchpoints with your customers and can focus on one thing per email, such as recommending another product or requesting a review.

Check out the Omnisend blog for more tips and information on email marketing. For some help getting started, we recommend the following:

Sell more with your emails & worry less
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Karolina Petraškienė
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Karolina is a content project manager and team lead at Omnisend, where she blends creative strategy with a keen focus on competitive intelligence. Outside of work, Karolina finds balance through her love of gardening, exploring new hiking trails, biking, and raising a bunch of boys.