Customising WooCommerce Order Emails: Branding, Content and Deliverability

On this page

1. The emails WooCommerce sends
2. Quick wins in the built-in settings
3. Going further: plugins or template overrides
4. What to put in each email
5. Make sure the emails arrive
6. WhatsApp and SMS alongside email
7. Test before and after every change

Every WooCommerce order triggers emails: a confirmation to the customer, an alert to you, and updates as the order moves along. Out of the box they're plain and generic. A little work makes them look like your brand, answer customers' next questions and, most importantly, actually reach the inbox. Here's what to customise and how.

The emails WooCommerce sends

You'll find them under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails. Each one can be switched on or off, and its subject, heading and extra text edited.

Email	Goes to	When
New order	You (admin)	An order is placed
Processing order	Customer	Payment is received, or a Cash on Delivery order is placed
On-hold order	Customer	Payment is awaited, for example a bank transfer
Completed order	Customer	You mark the order complete
Refunded order	Customer	A full or partial refund is issued
Cancelled and failed order	You (admin)	An order is cancelled or a payment fails
Customer note, order details, account and password emails	Customer	When you or the customer trigger them

Recent WooCommerce versions have added a few more emails and design options, so check the list in your own store.

Quick wins in the built-in settings

• Sender name and address: use your brand name and an address on your own domain, such as orders@yourbrand.in, not a Gmail address
• Logo and colours: add a header image and set the base, background and text colours to match your brand
• Subjects and headings: make them specific, like "Your order #1234 is confirmed", rather than generic
• Additional content: a short, friendly line in each email, such as how long dispatch usually takes
• Footer: business name, support email, phone or WhatsApp number, and a link to your returns policy
• Admin recipients: send new order alerts to everyone who packs or approves orders; several addresses can be separated with commas

Newer versions of WooCommerce have been adding more styling options and a live preview, so check what yours offers before reaching for a plugin.

Going further: plugins or template overrides

For layouts the settings can't handle, there are two routes.

• Email customiser plugins give you a visual editor for layout, fonts, sections and per-email content. They're the easiest option for most stores. Pick one that is actively maintained and compatible with your WooCommerce version.
• Template overrides: a developer copies WooCommerce's email templates into your theme and edits them. This gives full control, but always use a child theme so theme updates don't wipe the changes, and check WooCommerce → Status after updates, which flags outdated template overrides.

Keep the design simple either way. Most customers read order emails on a phone, so use a single column, readable text, a modest logo and no heavy images, which some email apps block by default.

What to put in each email

Good order emails answer the customer's next question before they pick up the phone.

• Confirmation: what they ordered, the total, payment method, delivery address and when to expect dispatch
• Cash on Delivery orders: the amount to keep ready, and whether they can pay by UPI on delivery if your courier supports it
• Shipping updates: courier name and tracking link; shipment tracking plugins can add these to your emails
• Invoices: a GST invoice attached or linked if you're registered; see WooCommerce GST setup and invoices
• Help: how to reach you, and a link to your returns and refunds policy

Watch the wording of the "Completed" email. Many Indian stores mark orders complete at dispatch, so a message saying "your order is complete" can arrive days before the parcel. Either reword it or add a custom "Shipped" status with its own email. Keep promotions light: a small "you might also like" block is fine, but order emails should mainly be about the order.

Custom statuses like "Shipped" work best as part of a clear order management workflow that the whole team follows.

Make sure the emails arrive

The best-designed email is useless in the spam folder. By default WordPress sends mail through your web server, which many email providers treat with suspicion.

1. Send through proper SMTP, using an SMTP plugin connected to your business email provider or a transactional email service
2. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for your domain; see SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained
3. Make sure the "From" address uses the domain you authenticated
4. Turn on email logging, so when a customer says an email never came you can check whether it was sent
5. Send test orders to Gmail, Outlook and a phone email app, and check both the inbox and spam

Busy stores should also check the sending limits on their hosting or email plan, since shared hosting often caps outgoing mail.

WhatsApp and SMS alongside email

Many Indian customers check WhatsApp long before email. Order updates on WhatsApp or SMS can cut down "where is my order?" calls and help confirm COD orders before you ship them.

• WhatsApp: automated order messages use the WhatsApp Business Platform, usually through a provider, with pre-approved message templates and the customer's opt-in
• SMS: business SMS in India generally needs DLT registration of your sender ID and message templates; your SMS provider can guide you through it
• Keep email as the record: invoices, full order details and policies still belong in email
• Don't duplicate everything: pick key moments like confirmation, dispatch and out for delivery, rather than sending every update on every channel

For WhatsApp on the website itself, see WhatsApp on your business website.

Test before and after every change

• Place test orders with each payment method you offer (UPI or cards, COD, bank transfer), since each can trigger different emails
• Check how emails look on small screens and in dark mode
• Re-test after WooCommerce, theme or email plugin updates
• Every few months, place a real order yourself and read every message you receive as a customer would

Want your store's emails branded, reliable and backed up by WhatsApp updates? See WooCommerce development, or WordPress website development for wider work on your site.