What the customer hears from you
Order emails and messages: which ones matter, what they must contain, and the line between service and marketing.
After someone orders, a small number of messages do nearly all the work: we got it, we sent it, here is where it is.
The ones that matter
Order received — what they bought, including quantities, the total, and what happens next. Most "where is my order" questions come from this email being vague.
Shipped — the tracking number, as a link.
Something changed — cancelled, delayed, refunded. Say why. The reason you write is the reason they read.
Service, not marketing
These are service messages: they go to someone who bought from you, about their own order. That is not the same as a newsletter, and mixing an offer into a delivery notice turns the whole thing into marketing — with the consent rules that follow.
Messaging apps
Where you message on WhatsApp or similar, templates are approved in advance by the provider, and the variables they allow are limited — some do not accept line breaks at all. Write for that constraint rather than discovering it on a live order.
What to check
- Place a test order and read every message it produces, on a phone.
- Quantities and the total match the order.
- A cancelled order produces a message that says why.
- The tracking link opens the courier page, not a dead one.