When customers make a purchase from your e-commerce store, a good rule of thumb is to send confirmation emails. Think about it: When you go to a store, you pay the cashier and immediately receive your goods and your receipt. These are physical reassurances that let you know your transaction is complete, and you can go home happy.
Confirmation Emails for Purchases
In the world of e-commerce, there are no immediate reassurances. Customers have to wait for their goods to come in the mail to know that their transaction is complete. Although you redirect your customers to a results page after a successfully completed transaction, this may not be enough to satisfy them. A confirmation email will give them the chance to look over their purchase one more time, and let them know that you’ve received their order request. Confirmation emails should include:
- A message thanking them for their purchase and letting them know that you’ve received their order request
- The order number and date
- An overview of the order, including the price for each individual item, taxes, and shipping costs
- Their payment method with the last four digits of the debit or credit card number
- Shipping and billing addresses
- Shipping method, estimated delivery date, and (if applicable) the tracking information
- Your contact information for any future questions they may have regarding their purchase
When creating your confirmation emails, keep the following tips in mind.
- Your customers may need to use their confirmations as a receipt for expense reimbursements or tax records.
- Make sure your customers do not mistake your email as spam.
- Use your company name as the sender’s name so they recognize your email.
- Explain to your customers how they can modify their order before you ship it to them if they see an error on their confirmation email.
- Provide all necessary information they may need to contact your customer service department or if they want to track their order.
- Make sure your confirmation notices are easy to print or include a link to a printer-friendly version.
Confirmation Emails for Shipped Orders
Another good rule of thumb is to send a second confirmation email once you’ve shipped their order. This email should remind the customer of their shipping method, the estimated arrival date, and a customs disclaimer.
As an e-commerce merchant, you have the opportunity to sell to people all over the world. International shipping means packages have to clear through customs—a process that can take up to several weeks to complete. Let your customers know that if their package has to clear through customs and that they should expect delays.
For more information about confirmation emails, read our blog post about online transaction receipts and how they can help you prevent chargebacks.
