How To Set Up Thank You Purchase Email Woocommerce

How to Set Up Thank You Purchase Emails in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

In the bustling world of e-commerce, providing exceptional customer service is paramount for building loyalty and driving repeat business. One of the most crucial touchpoints in the customer journey is the thank you purchase email. This isn’t just a formality; it’s an opportunity to confirm the order, express gratitude, and even promote further engagement with your brand. WooCommerce, being a powerful and flexible platform, makes setting up these emails relatively straightforward. This article will guide you through the process, empowering you to create personalized and effective thank you emails that enhance the customer experience.

Main Part

Why are Thank You Purchase Emails Important?

Before diving into the technical details, let’s understand the significance of thank you emails:

• Confirmation and Assurance: They reassure the customer that their order has been received and is being processed.
• Professionalism: A well-crafted email reflects positively on your brand, showcasing your commitment to customer service.
• Upselling and Cross-selling: Strategically include product recommendations or discounts to encourage future purchases.
• Order Details: They provide a convenient summary of the order, including items, quantity, shipping address, and payment method.
• Tracking Information: Providing tracking information allows the customer to monitor the shipment status and reduces anxiety.
• Building Relationships: A personalized thank you can foster a sense of connection and loyalty.

Setting Up Thank You Emails in WooCommerce: A Step-by-Step Guide

WooCommerce uses the term “Processing Order” email for what’s generally considered the “Thank You” email that’s triggered after a successful purchase. Let’s customize it:

Step 1: Accessing WooCommerce Email Settings

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

2. Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings.

3. Click on the Emails tab.

Step 2: Locating the “Processing Order” Email

You’ll see a list of all WooCommerce emails. Find the one labeled “Processing order”. This is the email sent when an order is received and is awaiting fulfillment.

Step 3: Customizing the Email Template

1. Click the “Manage” button next to the “Processing order” email.

2. You’ll be presented with several options for customizing the email:

• Enabled: Ensure this checkbox is checked to enable the email.
• Recipient(s): This is usually the customer’s email address. You can add other email addresses here if needed (e.g., your customer service team).
• Subject: Customize this! Instead of a generic “New order received” subject, use something like “Thank you for your order, [Customer Name]! #[Order Number]” or “Your [Your Store Name] Order #[Order Number] is Being Processed!”.
• Email heading: This is the heading displayed within the email body. You can customize this similarly to the subject line. For example: “Thanks for your order!”.
• Additional content: Here, you can add custom text that will appear above the order details. This is a great place to personalize the message and express gratitude.

3. Scroll down to the “Email type” setting.

• Choose between “Plain text”, “HTML”, or “Multipart”. HTML is generally recommended for better formatting and branding.

4. Customizing the Email Body (HTML or Plain Text):

• If you chose HTML, you can edit the email template using HTML and CSS. WooCommerce uses a templating system that allows you to include dynamic information using placeholders (see below).
• If you chose Plain text, you can edit the text directly. Keep it concise and well-formatted.
• Available Placeholders (for both HTML and Plain Text):
• `{site_title}`: Your website’s name.
• `{order_date}`: The date the order was placed.
• `{order_number}`: The order number.
• `{customer_name}`: The customer’s billing first name.
• `{customer_full_name}`: The customer’s full name.
• `{billing_address}`: The customer’s billing address.
• `{shipping_address}`: The customer’s shipping address.
• `{shipping_method}`: The chosen shipping method.
• `{payment_method}`: The chosen payment method.
• `{order_details}`: Displays the ordered items and their quantities.
• `{customer_note}`: Displays any customer notes added during checkout.
• `{view_order_url}`: A link to the customer’s order details page on your website.

Example Customization (HTML):

Let’s say you want to add a personalized greeting and a thank you message. Here’s an example of how you might modify the “Additional content” section:

Hi {customer_name},

Thank you so much for your recent order from {site_title}! We truly appreciate your business.

Your order #{order_number} is now being processed and we’ll notify you again when it ships. You can view your order details here: View Order

Example Customization (Plain Text):

Hi {customer_name},

Thank you for your recent order from {site_title}! We truly appreciate your business.

Your order #{order_number} is now being processed and we’ll notify you again when it ships. You can view your order details here: {view_order_url}

Step 4: Branding the Email

You can also customize the visual appearance of the email under “Email sender options”:

• From “Name”: The name that appears in the “From” field of the email (e.g., “Your Store Name”).
• From “Email address”: The email address the email is sent from (e.g., “[email protected]”). Important: Use a valid email address that you can receive replies to.
• Header image: Upload your logo or a relevant image to brand the email.
• Footer text: Add a custom footer to the email (e.g., your copyright notice).
• Base color, Background color, Body text color: Customize the colors to match your brand.

Step 5: Testing Your Email

Before going live, always test your email to ensure it looks and functions correctly:

1. “Preview” option: The WooCommerce settings may offer a preview button, use that when available.

2. Place a Test Order: The best way to test is to place a small test order on your website. Use a test credit card number or other payment method if possible to avoid actual charges.

Advanced Customization (Beyond the Basics)

For more advanced customization, you can:

• Use Plugins: Many WooCommerce email customization plugins are available that offer drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built templates, and more advanced features like conditional content based on product categories.
• Override Templates: You can override the default WooCommerce email templates by creating custom template files in your theme’s directory. This requires some PHP and HTML knowledge. To do this, you would copy the original template file from `woocommerce/templates/emails/` to `yourtheme/woocommerce/emails/` and then modify the file in your theme. Important: Always back up your theme before making changes to template files.

Here’s a small example showing how to change the display of the order items within the email via template overriding.

<?php
/**
Order details table shown in emails.
* This template can be overridden by copying it to yourtheme/woocommerce/emails/email-order-details.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. If you copy this file to your theme, please remember
to back it up before making any changes.
* @see 	    https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/
@author 		WooCommerce
@package 	WooCommerce/Templates/Emails
@version     3.7.0
*/

defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) || exit;

$text_align = is_rtl() ? ‘right’ : ‘left’;

do_action( ‘woocommerce_email_before_order_table’, $order, $sent_to_admin, $plain_text, $email ); ?>

<?php printf( esc_html__( 'Order #%s', 'woocommerce' ) . ' (%s)’, esc_attr( $order->get_order_number() ), esc_attr( $order->get_date_created()->format( ‘c’ ) ), wc_format_datetime( $order->get_date_created() ) ); // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped ?>

<th class="td" scope="col" style="text-align:;”>

<th class="td" scope="col" style="text-align:;”>

<th class="td" scope="col" style="text-align:;”>

<?php

echo wc_get_email_order_items( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped

$order,

array(

‘show_sku’ => $sent_to_admin,

‘show_image’ => false, // Example: Disable product images in the email

‘image_size’ => array( 32, 32 ),

‘plain_text’ => $plain_text,

‘sent_to_admin’ => $sent_to_admin,

)

);

?>

<?php

$item_totals = $order->get_order_item_totals();

if ( $item_totals ) {

$i = 0;

foreach ( $item_totals as $total ) {

$i++;

?>

<th class="td" scope="row" colspan="2" style="text-align:; “>

<td class="td" style="text-align:; “>

<?php

}

}

?>

<?php

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

This example code shows the possibility of setting the `show_image` argument to `false`, and disabling the product images in the email. You can also modify other aspects of the email template this way.

Best Practices for Thank You Emails

• Personalize the message: Use the customer’s name and reference their order details.
• Keep it concise: Don’t overwhelm the customer with too much information.
• Provide clear next steps: Tell the customer what to expect (e.g., shipping notification, delivery timeframe).
• Include contact information: Make it easy for customers to reach you with questions or concerns.
• Offer incentives: Consider including a discount code for a future purchase.
• Promote your social media: Encourage customers to follow you on social media.
• Maintain Brand Consistency: Design your emails to reflect your brand’s colors, fonts, and overall style.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your emails are properly formatted and readable on mobile devices.

Conslusion

Setting up effective thank you purchase emails in WooCommerce is a vital step towards providing excellent customer service and building a loyal customer base. By following the steps outlined in this article and implementing the best practices, you can create personalized and engaging emails that enhance the customer experience and drive repeat business. Don’t underestimate the power of a simple “thank you”! It can make a big difference in building long-term customer relationships.