How To Make A Custom Email For Woocommerce

How to Create Custom Emails for WooCommerce (Even if You’re Not a Developer!)

WooCommerce sends out a bunch of automated emails, like order confirmations, shipping notifications, and password resets. While these are functional, they often lack that personal touch that reinforces your brand. Imagine receiving a generic, plain-text email after ordering a beautiful handmade product from a small business. It feels… impersonal, right?

This article will guide you through customizing your WooCommerce emails, even if you’re new to WordPress and coding. We’ll explore how to make your emails visually appealing and on-brand, leading to a better customer experience and potentially increased sales.

Why Customize Your WooCommerce Emails?

Think of your WooCommerce emails as an extension of your website and your brand’s voice. Customizing them offers several advantages:

• Reinforce Your Brand Identity: Use your logo, colors, and tone of voice to create a consistent brand experience across all customer interactions. Instead of a generic email, imagine one that perfectly matches the aesthetic of your website, creating a lasting impression.
• Improve Customer Experience: A well-designed, informative email can enhance customer satisfaction. Include clear order summaries, helpful links, and even personalized messages to show you care.
• Increase Engagement & Sales: Promote related products, offer discounts, or include special offers within your emails to encourage repeat purchases. For example, after an order confirmation, you could suggest complementary items or announce a sale.
• Reduce Support Requests: By providing all the necessary information upfront in your emails, you can reduce the number of customer inquiries. This frees up your time to focus on other aspects of your business.

The Basic Customization Options in WooCommerce

Before diving into code, let’s explore the built-in customization options.

1. WooCommerce Email Settings:

• Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Emails.
• Here, you’ll find a list of different email types triggered by various WooCommerce events (e.g., New Order, Completed Order, Customer Invoice).
• Click “Manage” next to any email type to customize:
• Email Subject: The subject line of the email. Make it clear and concise.
• Email Heading: The heading that appears at the top of the email content.
• Additional Content: Add extra text to the body of the email. You can use this to add a personal message or instructions.
• Email Type: Choose between HTML, Plain Text, or Multipart. HTML is generally recommended for visual appeal.

2. Customizer (Appearance > Customize > WooCommerce > Emails):

• This section allows you to customize the overall styling of your WooCommerce emails:
• Header Image: Upload your logo to display at the top of your emails.
• Footer Text: Customize the text in the footer of your emails.
• Base Color: The primary color used for headers and links.
• Background Color: The overall background color of the email.
• Body Background Color: The background color of the main email content area.
• Body Text Color: The color of the text in the email body.

While these options are helpful, they’re limited. To truly create custom emails, you’ll need to delve deeper.

Advanced Customization: Overriding Email Templates

The most powerful way to customize WooCommerce emails is by overriding the default email templates. This involves copying the original template files from the WooCommerce plugin and modifying them in your theme.

Important: Never directly edit the files within the WooCommerce plugin itself. This is because your changes will be overwritten during plugin updates.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Locate the WooCommerce Email Templates:

• The default email templates are located in the following directory within the WooCommerce plugin folder: `woocommerce/templates/emails/`.

2. Create a “woocommerce” Folder in Your Theme:

• In your active WordPress theme’s directory (e.g., `wp-content/themes/your-theme/`), create a folder named “woocommerce”.

3. Create an “emails” Folder Inside the “woocommerce” Folder:

• Inside the “woocommerce” folder you just created, create another folder named “emails”. The path should be `wp-content/themes/your-theme/woocommerce/emails/`.

4. Copy the Template File:

• Copy the specific email template you want to customize (e.g., `customer-processing-order.php` for the order processing email) from the WooCommerce plugin directory (`woocommerce/templates/emails/`) to your theme’s `woocommerce/emails/` directory.

5. Edit the Template File:

• Now you can safely edit the copied template file in your theme directory. Use a text editor or code editor to modify the HTML and PHP code.

Example: Customizing the Order Processing Email

Let’s say you want to add a personalized message to the customer processing order email.

1. Copy `woocommerce/templates/emails/customer-processing-order.php` to `wp-content/themes/your-theme/woocommerce/emails/customer-processing-order.php`.

2. Open `wp-content/themes/your-theme/woocommerce/emails/customer-processing-order.php` in your code editor.

3. Find the section where the email content is displayed (it usually involves PHP code outputting text). You might see something like this:

get_order_number() ); ?>

4. Add your custom message below the order number heading:

get_order_number() ); ?>

Important: Replace `’your-theme’` with your actual theme name in the translation function (`esc_html_e`). This ensures proper translation support if needed.

5. Save the file. Now, every time a customer receives an order processing email, they’ll see your personalized message.

Understanding the Template Structure

WooCommerce email templates use a combination of HTML and PHP.

• HTML: Defines the structure and layout of the email (e.g., headings, paragraphs, tables).
• PHP: Handles the dynamic content, such as order details, customer information, and product information. It’s used to fetch data from the WooCommerce database and display it in the email.

Common Template Files to Customize:

• `customer-processing-order.php`: Order processing confirmation.
• `customer-completed-order.php`: Order completed confirmation.
• `customer-invoice.php`: Invoice details.
• `customer-new-account.php`: Welcome email for new accounts.
• `customer-reset-password.php`: Password reset instructions.

Using Hooks for More Flexible Customization

WooCommerce provides a system of “hooks” (actions and filters) that allow you to modify the behavior and output of various parts of the plugin without directly editing the template files. This is a cleaner and more maintainable approach.

Actions: Allow you to execute custom code at specific points in the email generation process. For example, you can use an action to add a custom section to the email body.

Filters: Allow you to modify the values of variables used in the email templates. For example, you can use a filter to change the subject line of the email.

Example: Adding a Custom Footer Message Using an Action Hook

Let’s add a custom message to the bottom of all WooCommerce emails using the `woocommerce_email_footer` action hook.

1. Open your theme’s `functions.php` file (or create a custom plugin for your customizations – recommended).

2. Add the following code:

add_action( 'woocommerce_email_footer', 'add_custom_email_footer' );

function add_custom_email_footer( $email ) {

echo ‘

Thank you for supporting our small business! Follow us on social media: Facebook | Instagram

‘;

}

This code defines a function `add_custom_email_footer` that outputs a custom footer message. The `add_action` function tells WordPress to execute this function whenever the `woocommerce_email_footer` action is triggered (which is at the end of every WooCommerce email).

Finding the Right Hooks

Refer to the WooCommerce documentation to find the available action and filter hooks for email customization. Search for “WooCommerce email hooks” to find helpful resources.

Best Practices for Customizing WooCommerce Emails

• Use a Child Theme: Always use a child theme when customizing your WordPress site, including WooCommerce emails. This protects your changes from being overwritten when the parent theme is updated.
• Test Your Emails: Before deploying your custom emails to your live site, thoroughly test them to ensure they look good and function correctly. WooCommerce has tools for sending test emails.
• Keep it Simple: Avoid overcrowding your emails with too much information or graphics. Focus on providing essential details in a clear and concise manner.
• Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure your emails are responsive and look good on all devices (desktops, tablets, and smartphones). Use CSS media queries to adjust the layout and styling for different screen sizes.
• Accessibility: Make your emails accessible to people with disabilities. Use appropriate heading levels, alt text for images, and sufficient color contrast.

Using Plugins for Easier Customization (Alternative Approach)

If you’re not comfortable working with code, several WooCommerce email customization plugins are available. These plugins provide a user-friendly interface for designing and customizing your emails without requiring you to edit template files directly. Some popular options include:

• YayMail: Drag-and-drop email builder with pre-designed templates.
• Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer: Another powerful email builder that integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce.
• Email Customizer for WooCommerce: A popular choice for easily customizing WooCommerce email templates.

While plugins can simplify the customization process, they may add extra overhead to your site. Choose a plugin that’s well-maintained, has good reviews, and meets your specific needs.

Conclusion

Customizing your WooCommerce emails is a crucial step in creating a strong brand identity and providing a positive customer experience. Whether you choose to override template files, use hooks, or rely on plugins, the goal is to make your emails informative, visually appealing, and aligned with your brand values. By following the steps and best practices outlined in this article, you can create custom emails that delight your customers and drive repeat business. Remember that consistency and personalization go a long way in building customer loyalty.