How To Receive An Email Notification From Woocommerce Catalog Enquiry

How to Receive Email Notifications from WooCommerce Catalog Enquiry: A Beginner’s Guide

So, you’ve installed a WooCommerce catalog enquiry plugin on your online store. Great! This allows potential customers to inquire about products without necessarily buying them right away – perfect for custom orders, wholesale deals, or just answering questions before a purchase. But, are you actually getting notified when someone makes an enquiry? If not, you’re potentially missing out on valuable leads! This guide will walk you through how to make sure you receive those important email notifications, even if you’re new to WordPress and WooCommerce.

Imagine this scenario: Sarah wants to order 50 custom-printed mugs for her company’s anniversary. She uses your catalog enquiry form to ask about pricing and design options. But, because you’re not receiving the email notification, her enquiry sits unread for days. Sarah, thinking you’re unresponsive, orders from a competitor. Ouch! Let’s prevent that.

Understanding WooCommerce Catalog Enquiry Plugins

First, let’s clarify what we mean by a “WooCommerce catalog enquiry plugin.” These plugins generally add a button (usually “Enquire Now” or similar) to your product pages. Clicking this button opens a form where customers can ask questions about the product. The form then sends this information to you via email. Popular plugins for this purpose include:

• YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode
• Product Enquiry for WooCommerce (various developers offer this name)
• WISDM Product Enquiry Pro
• Contact Form 7 (with specific configuration)

The exact setup process will vary slightly depending on the specific plugin you’re using, but the underlying principles for receiving notifications are similar.

Checking the Plugin’s Email Settings: The First Line of Defense

This is the most common reason you’re not getting notifications. Most plugins have a dedicated settings page where you can configure the email address(es) where enquiries should be sent.

How to do it:

1. Log into your WordPress dashboard. This is usually at `yourwebsite.com/wp-admin`.

2. Navigate to the plugin’s settings page. This is usually found under “WooCommerce” or a dedicated menu item in the WordPress admin sidebar. For example, if you’re using “YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode”, look under the “YITH” menu. If you’re using “Product Enquiry for WooCommerce,” it might be directly under “WooCommerce” or in its own menu.

3. Look for “Email Settings” or “Notification Settings”. Keywords like “Recipient Email,” “Admin Email,” or “Send Enquiry To” are your friends.

4. Verify the Email Address. Double-check the email address listed is correct and one you actively monitor. Typos are common!

5. Test the Email Functionality. Many plugins offer a “Send Test Email” button. Use it! If you don’t receive the test email, there’s likely a configuration problem.

Example:

Let’s say you’re using “Product Enquiry for WooCommerce” by a specific developer. The settings page might look something like this:

Product Enquiry for WooCommerce Settings:

Recipient Email: [email protected] <— CHECK THIS! Make sure it's correct.

Email Subject: New Product Enquiry

Email Content: {message}

Send Test Email: [Button]

Addressing Common Email Delivery Problems

Even if the email address in the plugin settings is correct, emails can still get lost in the shuffle. This is often due to email deliverability issues. Here’s what to check:

• Spam Folder: Always check your spam folder! Sometimes, emails from unfamiliar sources end up there. Mark the email as “Not Spam” to help your email provider learn that these are legitimate messages.
• Server Reputation: Your web hosting server’s reputation can affect email deliverability. If the server has been used to send spam in the past, emails from that server are more likely to be flagged as spam.
• Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC): These are technical records that verify your domain’s authority to send emails. Properly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records significantly improve email deliverability. Contact your web hosting provider or a technical expert for help setting these up. This is more advanced but crucial for reliable email delivery.
• Using an SMTP Plugin: SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a standard protocol for sending emails. By using an SMTP plugin, you can bypass your web server’s email sending capabilities and instead use a dedicated SMTP server. This often dramatically improves email deliverability. Popular SMTP plugins include:
• WP Mail SMTP
• Easy WP SMTP
• Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log

Example:

Let’s say you install the “WP Mail SMTP” plugin. You’d then configure it to use your Gmail account or a dedicated email service (like SendGrid or Mailgun) as the SMTP server. This involves entering your email address, password (or app password), and the SMTP server details. The plugin then handles sending all WordPress emails, including those from your catalog enquiry plugin, through this reliable SMTP server.

Diving Deeper: Customizing Email Notifications (For the More Adventurous)

If you’re comfortable with code, you can often customize the email notifications sent by your catalog enquiry plugin using WordPress hooks and filters. This allows you to change the subject, body, and even add extra information to the email.

Important: Before attempting any code changes, back up your website!

Example:

Let’s say you want to add the product name to the subject line of the enquiry email using WooCommerce’s hooks. The specific hook will depend on your plugin. The following example assumes your plugin uses the `woocommerce_email_subject_customer_completed_order` filter (this is just an example, you would need to find the *actual* hook your plugin uses):

/**
Customize the email subject for WooCommerce order completion emails.
* @param string $subject The original email subject.
@param WC_Order $order   The WooCommerce order object.
@return string The modified email subject.
*/
add_filter( 'woocommerce_email_subject_customer_completed_order', 'custom_enquiry_email_subject', 10, 2 );

function custom_enquiry_email_subject( $subject, $order ) {

// Assuming the enquiry plugin somehow stores the product ID in order meta. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE!

$product_id = $order->get_meta( ‘_enquiry_product_id’ ); // This is HIGHLY dependent on your plugin’s implementation!

if ( $product_id ) {

$product = wc_get_product( $product_id );

if ( $product ) {

$subject = ‘[Enquiry] ‘ . $product->get_name() . ‘ – ‘ . $subject;

}

}

return $subject;

}

Where to add this code:

• Your theme’s `functions.php` file: Be very careful when editing this file. A single error can break your website.
• A child theme’s `functions.php` file: This is the safest approach, as updates to your main theme won’t overwrite your customizations.
• A code snippets plugin: Plugins like “Code Snippets” allow you to add PHP code without directly editing theme files.

Important Notes:

• This code example is just a *starting point*. You will need to adapt it to the specific way your catalog enquiry plugin stores the product information.
• Consult your plugin’s documentation or the developer for guidance on customizing email notifications.

Conclusion

Receiving email notifications from your WooCommerce catalog enquiry plugin is essential for responding to customer inquiries and closing sales. By carefully checking your plugin’s settings, addressing potential email deliverability issues, and (if necessary) customizing the email notifications, you can ensure you never miss another valuable lead. Remember to test thoroughly after making any changes! Good luck!