How Do You Customise Your WooCommerce Order Emails?

Yes, you should customise them. WooCommerce order emails are the messages your customers open most, so it is worth making them look like your business and tell people exactly what happens next. The good news is that the basics take about 30 minutes and need no code.

Why order emails matter more than you think

A customer who has just paid is paying close attention. An order confirmation that looks generic, or lands in spam, creates doubt at the exact moment you want confidence. A clear, branded email reduces “where is my order?” messages and makes repeat purchases more likely.

Start with the built-in settings

Go to WooCommerce, then Settings, then Emails. Here you can change the following without touching a theme file:

• The sender name and address, so emails come from your business and not “WordPress”
• The header image (your logo works well)
• The base, background and text colours to match your brand
• The footer text, where you can add your phone number, ABN and returns policy link

Then open each email type and edit the subject line and heading. “Thanks for your order, we are packing it now” does more work than “New order”.

Which emails to review first

WooCommerce sends quite a few emails. These are the ones that matter most for a small store:

• Processing order: the confirmation the customer sees straight after paying.
• Completed order: sent when you mark the order complete. This is the place to add tracking details and what to do if something arrives damaged.
• New order: the alert that goes to you. Make sure it reaches a mailbox someone actually checks.
• Customer note: your way of sending personal updates, such as a delay.

Add useful content, not filler

Use the additional content field in each email to answer the questions you get asked most. Typical examples are expected dispatch times, how to contact you, and how returns work under Australian Consumer Law. If you sell artwork or made-to-order goods, say so plainly, because lead times are longer than people expect.

Keep the tone warm and short. Two or three sentences is usually enough. Nobody reads a wall of text in a receipt.

Make sure the emails actually arrive

This is the step most stores skip. By default, WordPress sends email through your web host, and that mail often ends up in junk. Fix it by sending through a proper email service using an SMTP plugin, and set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for your domain. Your domain host or email provider can help with these. Then place a real test order and check it in Gmail and Outlook.

When to go further with a custom template

If you want a fully custom layout, such as product recommendations or a very specific brand look, you can override the WooCommerce email templates in your theme. Do this carefully. Overridden templates can fall out of date after WooCommerce updates, so they need checking as part of regular site maintenance. This is a job for a developer, and it is something we handle as part of our WooCommerce development work.

A quick checklist

• Sender name, logo and colours set
• Subject lines and headings rewritten in plain English
• Footer includes your contact details
• Order emails sent through SMTP with SPF, DKIM and DMARC in place
• Test order placed and every email checked on your phone

If you would like a hand, you can see how we approach online stores on our services page, or browse more practical guides in our insights.

Want your store emails to look the part? Call us on 02 9834 4119 or get in touch and we will take a look.