When someone places an order on your WooCommerce store, email notifications help keep everything moving on your end and the customer’s.
These emails can confirm orders, alert you to new purchases, send shipping updates, or even notify customers when their password is reset.
If you’ve never set them up before, don’t worry. The process is actually very manageable, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll see how much time it saves.
I’ve worked on several WooCommerce stores and that’s why I always make email notifications one of the first things I review. Follow these steps to set them up in no time!
Step 1: Open WooCommerce Email Settings
The first place I always check when I’m setting up email notifications in WooCommerce is the Emails tab inside the plugin’s settings.
To access it, simply head over to your WordPress dashboard, and then go to WooCommerce » Settings. From here, click the Emails tab at the top.
You’ll see a table listing all the default emails WooCommerce sends. Things like new order emails for the admin, processing order emails for customers, and notifications for refunds or password resets.
Each email in the list shows who it’s for, what the content type is, and whether it’s currently turned on. You’ll be able to click into any one of them to make changes later.
I usually take a minute here to scan through all of them and make sure the right ones are active, especially for things like failed orders or low stock alerts. Those tend to get overlooked if you’re in a hurry.
Step 2: Edit Individual Emails as Required
Once you’re inside the Emails tab in WooCommerce, you’ll want to click into each email type one by one. You can edit individual emails by clicking on the Manage button.
I always start with the most important ones like new orders, completed orders, and customer invoices. Each email has its own settings page where you can make changes based on your needs.
Inside each email’s settings, you’ll see a few fields that you can update. The Recipient is usually set to your admin email for store alerts, but you can add others if needed.
When it comes to the Subject Line, I like to add a touch of branding. Something like “Thanks for your order from [Your Store Name]” makes the message feel more personal.
You can also update the Email Heading and the Body Text if you want to include a short message or add a little personality. I usually keep this simple so it stays clear and doesn’t confuse customers.
Step 3: Select Email Format and Template
Next, you’ll need to choose the format for each email. I always go with HTML, since it looks more polished and lets me include my logo and brand colours.
But if you want to keep things extra clean or you’re running into display issues, you can switch to plain text. The Multipart option sends both formats at once, so the email client can choose which one to show.
You can also customize the email template and ensure each email is following the correct guidelines and styling that you need them to follow.
Simply click on the View template button. This will redirect you to the Email template settings, where you can customize the following aspects of WooCommerce emails.
- Email Header Image: Paste the link to any image you’d like to use at the top of your emails. You can upload your image first under Media » Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Main Template Color: This controls the accent colour used across your email template—think buttons and headers.
- Email Background: Change the background of the full email layout here, which wraps around the content box.
- Content Background: This lets you adjust the background colour of the actual message area (where the order details or text appear).
- Text Colour: Use this to change the colour of the text inside the email body for better readability or a more on-brand look.
- Footer Message: Add custom text at the bottom of each email. You can include site details using placeholders like: {site_url} to show your site’s web address and {site_title} to insert your site’s name
- Footer Text Colour: You now have full control over the footer text colour. Type in a HEX code directly, or use the colour picker tool that appears when you click the input box.
These tweaks not only help match your store’s style but they also help your emails feel more professional and trustworthy to customers.
Step 4: Improve WooCommerce Email Deliverability
If your WooCommerce emails are landing in spam, or not showing up at all, there’s a good chance they aren’t being sent the right way.
I’ve dealt with this on client sites more times than I can count. The issue usually comes down to your WordPress site trying to send emails without proper authentication.
That’s where WP Mail SMTP comes in. I always recommend it when someone’s emails are getting lost or marked as spam. It makes sure your emails are sent using a trusted mailer.
Start by installing and activating the WP Mail SMTP plugin. If you want access to email logging, alerts, and advanced support, I’d say go with the Pro version. It’s what I use on every store I manage.
Once the plugin is active, launch the setup wizard. It takes you through each step clearly, which is a big help if this is your first time setting up SMTP.
Next, you’ll pick the service you want to use to send your emails. WP Mail SMTP supports options like SendLayer, Brevo, Amazon SES, Gmail, and more.
Whichever service you pick, just follow the instructions provided. You’ll usually need to copy over an API key or a few connection details. It might seem a little technical, but the built-in guides make it pretty easy to follow.
Step 5: Send a Test Email from WP Mail SMTP
Once everything is set up, navigate to WP Mail SMTP » Tools and open up the Email Test tab. From here, you can adjust the settings before sending out your test email.
Start by setting the email address where you’d like to receive the test message. By default, this will match the email linked to your WordPress user account.
But if you’d prefer to use a different address, like a team inbox or another personal account, you can update it right in the field.
Next up is the option to send the email in HTML format. I usually keep this turned on because most WooCommerce emails are designed in HTML. Once you’ve made those choices, click the Send Email button.
You should get it in your inbox right away. If you don’t, you’ll get an error message with more details on what went wrong, along with recommendations for what to do next.
Follow the steps recommended in the error message, and send another test email. If the issue still isn’t resolved, reach out to our support team.
FAQs on How to Set Up WooCommerce Email Notifications
WooCommerce email notifications are a popular topic of interest among our readers. Here are answers to some common queries about it:
Why is WooCommerce not sending emails automatically?
If WooCommerce isn’t sending emails, it’s often due to server issues or missing SMTP settings.
I’ve seen this happen when the site is using the default PHP mail function, which many hosts block.
A plugin like WP Mail SMTP can help fix that by connecting your store to a reliable email service!
How to check if WooCommerce is sending emails?
You can test this by placing a test order or resetting your password. If you don’t get the email, check your spam folder.
I also recommend turning on email logs in WP Mail SMTP. It makes it super easy to see if emails were sent or failed.
How do I add custom email notifications to WooCommerce?
Go to WooCommerce » Settings » Emails in your dashboard. From there, you can click into each email type and edit the subject, message, and who gets it.
I always tweak these to make sure they match my brand and go to the right people.
Next, Learn How to Log Your WooCommerce Emails
Logging emails lets you track email deliverability and see the emails your store’s sending to customers. Check out this guide for an easy way to log, track, and resend WooCommerce emails.
Ready to fix your emails? Get started today with the best WordPress SMTP plugin. If you don’t have the time to fix your emails, you can get full White Glove Setup assistance as an extra purchase, and there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee for all paid plans.
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