How To Send Email In Woocommerce

How to Send Email in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide

So, you’ve set up your amazing online store with WooCommerce! Congratulations! But simply having products isn’t enough. You need to communicate with your customers, and that’s where email comes in. WooCommerce relies heavily on email for everything from order confirmations to shipping updates. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to send emails in WooCommerce, even if you’re a complete beginner. We’ll cover the basics, look at customization, and explore some tips to make your emails stand out.

Why Are WooCommerce Emails Important?

Think of WooCommerce emails as the silent, hardworking salespeople of your store. They keep your customers informed and engaged. Here’s why they’re so crucial:

• Order Confirmation: Imagine buying something online and not getting any confirmation. You’d be worried, right? Order confirmation emails instantly reassure customers that their purchase went through.
• Shipping Updates: Knowing when an order ships and when it’s expected to arrive makes for a happy customer. These updates build trust and reduce support inquiries.
• Password Resets: Essential for a smooth user experience. Allowing customers to easily reset forgotten passwords keeps them coming back.
• Account Creation: A welcome email confirming account creation helps customers remember their login details and encourages them to explore your store.
• WooCommerce Notices (Admin): These emails keep *you*, the store owner, informed about important store events, like low stock notifications or new orders.

Think of a real-life scenario: you order a new phone case online. You expect an immediate email confirming your order, another when it ships, and maybe even a tracking link. WooCommerce emails provide that same level of professional communication for your online store.

Understanding WooCommerce’s Default Emails

WooCommerce comes with several pre-built email templates designed to handle common scenarios. These include:

• New Order: Sent to the admin when a new order is placed.
• Cancelled Order: Sent to the admin and customer when an order is cancelled.
• Failed Order: Sent to the admin and customer when an order payment fails.
• Order On-Hold: Sent to the customer when an order requires manual processing.
• Processing Order: Sent to the customer when an order is being processed.
• Completed Order: Sent to the customer when the order is complete.
• Refunded Order: Sent to the customer when an order has been refunded.
• Customer Invoice Order: Sent to the customer with invoice information.
• Customer Note: Sent to the customer when the admin adds a note to the order.
• Reset Password: Sent to the customer when they request a password reset.
• New Account: Sent to the customer when they create a new account.

You can view and customize these emails within the WooCommerce settings.

Customizing WooCommerce Emails: The Easy Way

WooCommerce provides a user-friendly interface for basic email customization. No coding required!

1. Access the WooCommerce Settings: From your WordPress dashboard, go to WooCommerce > Settings.

2. Click the ‘Emails’ Tab: You’ll see a list of all the WooCommerce email templates.

3. Select an Email to Customize: Click on the email you want to edit (e.g., “Processing Order”).

4. Customize the Email: You can modify the following settings:

• Enable/Disable: Turn the email on or off.
• Recipient(s): Specify who receives the email (e.g., the customer or the admin).
• Subject: Change the email subject line.
• Heading: Modify the heading that appears in the email.
• Email Content: The main body of the email. You can use basic HTML and shortcodes here.
• Email Type: Choose the email format (HTML, Plain Text, Multipart).

5. Preview Your Changes: Scroll to the bottom and click “Click here to preview your email template.” This is critical! Always preview before saving.

6. Save Your Changes: Click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page.

Example: Let’s customize the “Processing Order” email to add a personal touch.

• Subject: Your [Store Name] order is being processed!
• Heading: Thanks for your order!
• Email Content:

Hi [Customer Name],

We’re happy to let you know that your order #[Order Number] is currently being processed.

We’ll send you another email when it ships!

Thanks,

The [Store Name] Team

Remember to replace `[Store Name]`, `[Customer Name]`, and `[Order Number]` with the appropriate shortcodes. WooCommerce automatically replaces these with the correct information.

Advanced Email Customization: Using Code

For more advanced customizations, you’ll need to delve into code. This section is a bit more technical, but don’t worry, we’ll keep it simple!

1. Using Child Themes: Important: Never edit the core WooCommerce files directly. Always use a child theme to Check out this post: How To Add Custom Field To Woocommerce Product prevent your changes from being overwritten during updates. If you don’t have one already, create a child theme for your active WordPress theme.

2. Overriding Email Templates: WooCommerce uses template files to generate emails. You can override these templates by creating a corresponding folder structure within your child theme:

your-child-theme/

woocommerce/

emails/

email-header.php

email-footer.php

email-order-details.php

customer-processing-order.php // Example: overriding the processing order email

// … other email templates

3. Copy the Template: Copy the template file you want to modify from the WooCommerce plugin directory (`/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/emails/`) to the corresponding location within your child theme.

4. Edit the Template: Now you can safely edit the template file in your child theme.

Example: Adding a Discount Code to Order Confirmation Email

Let’s say you want to add a special discount code to the order confirmation email to encourage repeat purchases.

1. Copy `customer-processing-order.php` to your child theme: As described above.

2. Edit the file: Open the file in your child theme and add the following code snippet to the email body:

 <?php 

/

* Customer processing order email

*

* This template can be overridden by copying it to yourtheme/woocommerce/emails/customer-processing-order.php.

*

* HOWEVER, on occasion WooCommerce will need to update template files and you

* (the theme developer) will need to copy the new files to your theme to

* maintain compatibility. We try to do this as little as possible, but it does

* happen. When this occurs the version of the template file will be bumped and

* the readme will list any important changes.

*

* @see https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/

* @package WooCommerceTemplatesEmails

* @version 3.7.0

*/

defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) || exit;

/*

* @hooked WooCommerceEmailsEmails::email_header() Output the email header

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_email_header’, $email_heading, $email ); ?>

get_billing_first_name() ) ); ?>

get_order_number() ) ); ?>

<?php

/*

* @hooked WooCommerceEmailsEmails::order_details() Shows the order details table.

* @hooked WooCommerceEmailsEmails::order_schema_markup() Adds schema markup.

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_email_order_details’, $order, $sent_to_admin, $plain_text, $email );

/*

* @hooked WooCommerceEmailsEmails::order_meta() Shows order meta data.

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_email_order_meta’, $order, $sent_to_admin, $plain_text, $email );

/*

* @hooked WooCommerceEmailsEmails::customer_details() Shows customer details

* @hooked WooCommerceEmailsEmails::email_address() Shows email address

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_email_customer_details’, $order, $sent_to_admin, $plain_text, $email );

?>

As a thank you for your purchase, use code THANKYOU10 at checkout for 10% off your next order!

<?php

/*

* @hooked WooCommerceEmailsEmails::email_footer() Output the email footer

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_email_footer’, $email );

Explanation:

• We’ve added a paragraph with a special discount code to encourage repeat purchases. This section is commented `` and `` for clarity.
• You can customize the discount code and message to suit your needs.

Important Considerations:

• Testing: Always test your email customizations thoroughly to ensure they look good and function correctly. Use the WooCommerce email preview and test orders.
• HTML Knowledge: Some basic HTML knowledge will be helpful for styling your emails.
• Security: Be careful when adding custom code. Always validate your code and avoid using untrusted sources.

Sending Test Emails

Before you go live with your customized emails, it’s essential to send test emails to ensure everything looks perfect. WooCommerce doesn’t have a built-in feature for sending test emails, so you’ll need to use a plugin. One popular plugin is “Email Testing” by WPDeveloper.

1. Install and Activate the Plugin: Search for and install the “Email Testing” plugin in your WordPress dashboard.

2. Configure the Plugin (if needed): Some plugins require you to configure an email address for testing.

3. Trigger an Email Event: Perform an action that triggers a WooCommerce email (e.g., place a test order).

4. Check Your Test Email: Verify that the email is delivered correctly and that all the content and formatting are as expected.

Troubleshooting Email Issues

Sometimes, WooCommerce emails might not send correctly. Here are some common troubleshooting steps:

• Check the Spam Folder: Always check your spam or junk folder first.
• Verify Email Settings: Double-check that the email settings in WooCommerce are configured correctly (e.g., recipient addresses, email type).
• Use an SMTP Plugin: WooCommerce uses the `wp_mail()` function to send emails, which relies on your server’s configuration. Often, servers aren’t configured properly for sending emails, resulting in emails ending up in spam or not being sent at all. An SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) plugin helps bypass your server and use a dedicated email service (like Gmail, SendGrid, or Mailgun) for sending emails, significantly improving deliverability. Popular SMTP plugins include WP Mail SMTP and Easy WP SMTP.
• Check Your Server Logs: Your server logs might contain error messages related to email sending.
• Contact Your Hosting Provider: If you’re still having issues, contact your hosting provider for assistance.
• Check Plugins: Ensure that no other plugin is interfering with WooCommerce’s email functionality. Deactivate plugins one by one to test.