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Setting up customer notifications

Customer notifications are automated emails and SMS messages sent to customers about their orders, shipping updates, and account activity. Most customer notifications are sent automatically and can't be deactivated.

If your customers or your staff aren't receiving email notifications, then they need to check their spam or junk folder. If the issue persists, then they need to provide an alternate email address using a different email provider.

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Notification events

Notifications are triggered by specific events in your store. Review the following examples:

  • A customer places an order, and the Order confirmation notification is sent.
  • You fulfill an order, and the Shipping confirmation notification is sent.
  • You refund an order, and the Order refund notification is sent.

Deactivating notifications

You can deactivate the following notifications when performing specific actions in your Shopify admin:

  • Order canceled: Sent when an order is canceled
  • Order refund: Sent when an order is refunded
  • Shipping confirmation: Sent when an order is fulfilled
  • Shipping update: Sent when tracking information is updated
  • Out for delivery: Sent when a shipment is out for delivery
  • Delivered: Sent when a shipment is delivered

Deactivate order canceled notifications

When you cancel an order, you can deactivate the notification so that the customer doesn't receive an email. Learn more about canceling orders.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.

  2. Click the order that you want to cancel.

  3. Click More actions > Cancel order.

  4. Enter the order cancellation details.

  5. Deselect Send a notification to the customer.

  6. Click Cancel order.

Deactivate order refund notifications

When you refund an order, you can deactivate the notification so that the customer doesn't receive an email. Learn more about refunding orders.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.

  2. Click the order number for the order that you want to refund.

  3. Click Refund, and then enter the details for the refund.

  4. Deselect Send a notification to the customer.

  5. Click Refund.

Deactivate shipping confirmation notifications

When you fulfill an order, you can deactivate the Shipping confirmation notification so that the customer doesn't receive an email with the shipping details. Learn more about order fulfillment.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.

  2. Click the order number for the order that you want to fulfill.

  3. Click Continue.

  4. Enter the details for the order fulfillment.

  5. Deselect Send shipment details to your customer now.

  6. Complete the order fulfillment.

Deactivate shipping update notifications

When you add or update tracking information for an order that is already marked as fulfilled, you can deactivate the Shipping update notification so that the customer doesn't receive an email. Learn more about adding tracking information.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.

  2. Click the order number for the order that you want to update.

  3. In the Fulfillments section, click Horizontal menu, and then click Edit tracking.

  4. Enter the new tracking details.

  5. Deselect Send notification email to customer.

  6. Click Save.

Deactivate out for delivery or delivered notifications

You can deactivate notifications so that the customer doesn't receive an email when the shipping status changes to out for delivery or delivered. These notifications are sent when a tracking event with the corresponding status is received from the carrier or fulfillment app. Tracking event sources, accuracy, and timing vary by carrier.

These notifications aren't available for local delivery orders. Local delivery uses a separate delivery confirmation email that's sent when you mark the order as delivered. Learn more about customer notifications for local delivery orders.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Notifications.

  2. Click Customer notifications.

  3. In the Shipping updated section, deactivate Out for delivery or Delivered.

Supported email clients

Customer email notifications are supported by the following major email clients:

  • Apple Mail 8, 9
  • Outlook 2007 and later
  • Thunderbird
  • iOS Mail for iPad and iPhone
  • Gmail on Android
  • AOL Mail
  • Gmail (web app)
  • Office 365
  • Yahoo! Mail
  • Outlook.com