Order Confirmation Emails: Templates And Best Practices For Ecommerce

Order confirmation emails are often taken for granted by most ecommerce companies.

But did you know that the average open rate for an order confirmation email is 60%? In fact, your order confirmation emails are the most viewed emails that you will ever send!

If you include products and promotions within your order confirmation emails, you’ll find that your order confirmation emails will out perform your regular email broadcasts by over 8x!

The reason order confirmation emails perform so well is because customers are already excited about the purchase they just made. So when they open your email, they want to shop more.

This post will teach you how to incorporate high converting order confirmation emails into your marketing strategy and an email template that you can implement immediately.

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What Is An Order Confirmation Email?

An order confirmation email is a message sent by a business to a customer after their order has been placed. These emails are transactional and only target customers who have completed a purchase.

The main purpose of an order confirmation email is to provide necessary basic information such as the customer’s name, price, date, product details and return information.

However, a well written order confirmation email can also boost repeat purchases and strengthen your brand at the same time.

Why Are Order Confirmation Emails Important?

Because the open rate of an order confirmation email is so high, they can be leveraged to provide far more than basic information about a purchase. A good order confirmation email can also…

Get your customers to fall in love with your company.
Encourage signups to your loyalty program.
Cross sell related products.
Provide assurance that orders will arrive on time.

Here is why order confirmation emails are so important.

Order Confirmation Emails Can Boost Your Sales

A well written order confirmation email allows you to engage with your customer in different ways.

You can direct customers towards related products or cross sells. The average open rate for an order confirmation email is 60% making it the most viewed type of email you will ever send! Take advantage of this fact by offering discounts on future purchases or cross selling related products.
You can promote your social media handles to increase your reach. Customers are the most excited about your brand after a purchase. Take advantage of this time to encourage customers to follow you on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or YouTube.
You can encourage customers to join your loyalty program. A well constructed customer loyalty program always leads to repeat sales. The order confirmation email is the perfect time to encourage customers to join.

When a purchase is made, you’ve already done the hard part by convincing a customer to open up their wallet.

Because it’s 5 times easier to get a repeat purchase versus a new customer, leverage your order confirmation emails to encourage your existing customers to shop more.

Order Confirmation Emails Put Your Customers At Ease

A good order confirmation email assures customers that their order was successful and that their order will be delivered on time.

Confirmation emails also contain the necessary information on how to reach customer service and answer potential customer questions regarding an order.

It’s also a great opportunity to provide your customers a timeline of what will happen next. Specifically, you can send multiple transactional emails to let your customers know when their…

Order has been received
Order is being processed
Order has been packed and shipped

Order Confirmation Emails Generate Excitement

A well written order confirmation email creates excitement about the product that was just purchased.

Create anticipation by providing tutorials or examples of your product in action. Send a positive message or provide additional promotions for future purchases.

Order Confirmation Email Template

A well constructed order confirmation email provides key information so customers can review their purchase to ensure their order is correct prior to shipment.

Make sure you include ALL of the information in the email template below to reduce your customer support load.

Thank You Note

Start your confirmation email with a personal note where you confirm the order and thank the customer for putting their trust in you.

The more personal your note, the better. Here’s an example.

Order Number

Provide the order number at the top of the email in a large, bold font. This number is important if the customer has questions or issues about their order.

In the event that they email or call customer support, they should be able to quickly locate this number.

Order Date

Mention the order confirmation date, including the month and year. The date is important in case you have a limited return policy in place for your company.

If your return policy is 30 days and a customer requests a refund after the deadline, you can reference their email for confirmation.

Product Details

Write details of the product such as color, size, quantity, etc. Include a picture of the product so that the customer is sure they are receiving the exact product they ordered.

Write a detailed cost breakdown for each product if there is more than one product. Mention the price, discounts, tax, delivery fees, etc. too.

Shipping Information And Method

Make sure to include the shipping method, shipping address, and the customer’s phone number in the email. Most customers will want to confirm their shipping address immediately after placing their order.

Other customers may request shipping to an alternate location to ensure they receive their order on time.

If possible, you should include the following details.

The shipping carrier being used
The shipping speed being used
The expected shipping date
The expected arrival date

You should also send additional follow up emails once the order has been processed and shipped.

Order Summary

Make sure you provide an itemized list of products that you are shipping. For personalized orders, be sure to include the exact text or options that the customer has requested.

Here’s a list of product parameters to include in your order confirmation email.

Product name
SKU or model number
Quantity purchased
Color
Size
Personalization information
Price

After you’ve itemized the products, your order confirmation email should also include a subtotal, taxes, shipping fees and any applicable discounts from coupons and promotions.

You should also indicate the payment method and the overall total.

Contact Information

Provide your customer service contact information in case a customer has an issue or wants to cancel or change their order.

The bulk of your requests will be from customers asking how long their order will take to ship and how they can track their order online.

You can greatly reduce your customer support load by providing a button or link that allows customers to track this information automatically directly within the order confirmation email.

Your contact information should be readily available to reduce customer frustration.

Order Confirmation Email – Best Practices

Once your order confirmation email contains all of the necessary information, here are some best practices on how to send the email to the end customer.

Use Engaging Subject Lines

A clear and engaging subject line is important to make sure customers open your order confirmation email.

But don’t try to be too clever. The most important aspect of your order confirmation email subject line is that it has to sound like an order confirmation email.

You can use the following subject lines in your order confirmation emails.

Thank you for placing this order.
Your order from [Brand Name] order #12345 has been received.
Exciting update! We have received your order #12345

Send The Order Confirmation Email Immediately

The best time to send a confirmation email is immediately after purchase. Delays are always unsettling for customers, but a quick update can calm their nerves, especially if they are ordering from you for the first time.

If your order confirmation email is not immediately sent, you will receive calls and messages from impatient customers which will reduce confidence in your company.

Feature Your Best Sellers

Order confirmation emails have the highest open rate out of any email that you’ll ever send. As a result, you should take advantage of the added engagement by showcasing your bestselling products.

Here are some ways to boost your sales within your order confirmation emails.

Cross sell related products – If there are related products or accessories for the products the customer just purchased, be sure to include them in the order confirmation email.
Provide future discounts – To entice repeat purchases, you can include a coupon code within the email that can ONLY be redeemed within a short time window in the future.
Loyalty program – A loyalty program is a great way to provide your customers with added benefits for repeat purchases. You should always include a link to join your loyalty program directly within your order confirmation email.

Use A Branded Design

Leave a lasting impression on your customers by creating a branded email template for your order confirmation emails.

Make sure your email is visually attractive using colors from your website color palette. A professional order confirmation email will improve your brand perception with consumers.

Most email providers like Klaviyo have tools that allow you to craft engaging order confirmation emails.

Make Sure Your Emails Are Mobile-Friendly

Most people check email on their smartphones rather than laptops or computers, so your email must be mobile-friendly.

Make sure you test your emails on a phone, tablet and desktop. Also, check the loading times of your emails and make sure your text is legible on smaller screens.

The Bottom Line

An order confirmation email is not just a transaction confirmation. It is also a tool that can grow your sales and customer relationships.

While a plain text or vanilla confirmation email will get the job done, a well thought out order confirmation email will strengthen your brand and improve consumer sentiment about your company.

Getting the sale is the hardest part about selling online. But once you’ve successfully acquired a customer, take advantage of the high open rates of your order confirmation emails to entice customers to buy from you again in the future.

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