“We send order confirmations, but nothing after that.” If you want to start sending post-purchase emails, choose one product and put the information customers need when they begin using it into a single email.
Care instructions, where to ask for help, or a reminder to replenish a consumable: the right content depends on the product. Someone who has bought a bag intended for long-term use does not immediately need a suggestion to replace it with the same bag.
Shopify manages notifications such as order confirmations separately from marketing emails sent through Shopify Messaging. This article explains that distinction, then works through specific copy and sending conditions for post-purchase emails.
Post-purchase emails and order confirmations serve different purposes
First, check which emails your store already sends. Shopify's standard order confirmations, shipping notifications, and refund notifications communicate the status of an order or delivery. You can review them under Settings → Notifications in the admin.
| Type | Main purpose | Shopify feature |
|---|---|---|
| Order and shipping notifications | Information needed for the transaction, such as order details, shipping status, and refunds | Notifications under Settings |
| Post-purchase marketing emails | Help with using the product, introductions to related products, and information that may lead to another purchase | Shopify Messaging campaigns and automations |
Entering an email address at checkout is separate from consenting to promotional emails. When sending post-purchase guidance through Shopify Messaging, target people who subscribe to email marketing. Avoid adding product promotions or discount codes to order notifications without checking consent.
The care and usage emails in this article are also designed as messages for subscribers sent through Shopify Messaging. Distinguish them from individual support replies and communications necessary for an order. Before sending, also check the laws that apply to your sales destinations and the scope of the consent your store has collected.
A customer with a purchase history is not necessarily an email marketing subscriber. Check the subscription status in the customer record rather than choosing recipients from purchase history alone.
Choose recipients based on what they actually purchased
Something that attracts attention on social media will not necessarily help a customer after purchase. Base post-purchase emails on the products people actually bought and the questions they have.
Review purchased products and questions received before and after purchase. If customers often ask, “Can I wash this bag?”, you have a reason to create care guidance. If they say, “I want to reorder coffee beans before I run out,” a replenishment reminder may be useful.
| Product type | Useful post-purchase content | Clues for choosing the timing |
|---|---|---|
| Long-lasting products such as bags and tools | Use, care, and where to get help | When customers start using the product after delivery and when support questions increase |
| Consumables such as food and everyday supplies | Storage, use, and replenishment information for people who need it | Pack size, frequency of use, and actual time until reorder |
| Products purchased as gifts | Checks before giving the gift, wrapping, and shipping information | Gift date, dispatch date, and delivery destination |
Even when two people buy the same product, the buyer is not always the user. Asking a gift buyer, “Have you used it all yet?” misses the context. If you do not know whether the purchase was a gift, avoid assuming that the buyer is using it.
Three post-purchase email examples for a cotton tote
The following examples use a fictional product, the “Popaz Lab Cotton Tote.” It is specified as 100% cotton, with dirty areas to be gently wiped using a cloth dampened with water. It cannot be machine washed or tumble dried. The product and specifications are fictional examples; these are not care instructions for a real product.
The three emails below are options. You do not need to send all three to everyone from the start. Begin with one that answers a question your store receives frequently.
Email 1: Explain care before the customer starts using the product
Subject: Before you start using your Cotton Tote
Thank you for purchasing the Popaz Lab Cotton Tote.
To care for your tote, gently wipe dirty areas with a cloth dampened with water. Please do not machine wash or tumble dry it.
You can find detailed instructions in the “Care” section of the product page. If anything is unclear, please contact us using the details below.
Read the care instructions
This email gives the reader one action to take. Link to the product's care section or a dedicated guide rather than the homepage. Including the main points in the body also makes the information available when images do not load.
Email 2: Ask whether the customer needs help
Subject: Any questions about using your Cotton Tote?
Do you have any questions about using or caring for your Cotton Tote?
Whether you are wondering how to deal with a mark or have a concern about a handle, please contact us. We will check the product's condition with you and advise you.
Including your order number helps us look up the details more quickly.
Ask us about your tote
This email assumes that you have a support channel able to respond. If the sending address does not accept replies, direct customers to a contact form. If you invite email replies, decide who will read and handle them.
The wording does not promise a replacement or refund for every reported issue. Adapt the response to your store's actual support policies.
Email 3: Help the customer continue caring for the product
Subject: A reminder of how to care for your Cotton Tote
If your Cotton Tote becomes dirty, gently wipe the affected area with a cloth dampened with water. Do not machine wash or tumble dry it.
You can return to our care guide whenever you need it. If you have concerns about the fabric or handles, please contact us.
View the care guide
The third email is an option for stores that often receive care questions some time after purchase. If it would only repeat the same explanation, you could skip the email and make the guide easy to find from the product page or package insert instead.
Change this to a replenishment message only when there is a reason the recipient might need more. For consumables, for example, you could estimate a reorder interval based on usage. Do not assume “you must be running out” from the purchase date alone; adjust the timing using actual reorders and customer feedback.
Define sending conditions alongside the copy
Setting only an interval such as “7 days after purchase” can send guidance to someone whose order has not arrived or who is discussing a return. Record when to send and when not to send in the same table.
The following table is an example plan for the tote above. The intervals are examples. Adjust them to delivery times and when customers start using the product.
| Message | Recipients | Example timing | People or orders to exclude | When to stop this message |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting-started guidance | Email subscribers buying the eligible product for the first time | 1–3 days after confirmed delivery | Eligible product not yet delivered, order canceled, return in progress, or the same guidance already received | Unsubscription, return of the eligible product, or completion of this message's send |
| Check for questions | Email subscribers who bought the eligible product | 10–14 days after confirmed delivery | Support conversation already in progress, gift purchase, or too little time since the first message | Unsubscription, start of a support conversation, or completion of this message's send |
| Care reminder | Email subscribers who would benefit from additional care guidance | 30–45 days after confirmed delivery | Product returned or the same information sent recently | Unsubscription or completion of this message's send |
“Confirmed delivery” is a condition in this plan; it does not mean Shopify knows the delivery date for every order. How delivery status is obtained depends on the carrier or shipping app. If you cannot obtain the delivery date, use an interval after dispatch that allows sufficient time, and exclude orders with reported delivery problems. Avoid stating in the copy that delivery has definitely occurred.
“Dispatch within 3 business days of your order” in the example is not an estimated delivery date. Keeping order, dispatch, and delivery dates distinct helps prevent mistimed emails.
Decide how to record exclusions before configuring them
Even if your rule is “do not send while a support conversation is in progress,” that cannot be determined automatically unless the relevant information is available in Shopify. Decide whether staff will tag customers or orders, or whether you will integrate a support app.
For replenishment emails, people who have already reordered during the waiting period may also need to be excluded. Design the process to check their status before sending, rather than relying only on their status when the message was scheduled. The same applies to gift purchases and returns.
Prepare the copy and conditions in Shopify Messaging
As of October 2026, the official app name is “Shopify Messaging.” Start by preparing the copy in an email draft, then decide who receives it and when.
Create an email draft
Open Messaging and use the following steps to prepare an email draft:
- Click Create message.
- Choose the Blank template and click Select.
- Enter the subject and preview text. Preview text is a short description displayed alongside the subject in places such as the inbox.
- Use Add section to add text and a button. Enter the guidance and link the button to the relevant product or guide.
- Confirm that the screen shows All changes saved.
To send emails, your store must meet Shopify Messaging's requirements.
Official help lists requirements for sending to subscribers, including an active paid plan, the Online Store sales channel, and a configured payment provider. Check the ability to create a draft separately from the ability to send it to subscribers.
Keep the sender's business name and address, contact details, and unsubscribe link at the end of the email. Do not make the unsubscribe link hard to find or remove it for design reasons. Include important information as text, rather than only in images.
Use automations for automatic post-purchase sending
The steps above edit a regular email draft. Automatic post-purchase sending also requires conditions that start the process. Messaging includes automation templates for thanking customers after a purchase and encouraging an additional purchase after a customer's first order.
The tote is specified to “dispatch within 3 business days,” so the day after ordering may be before dispatch. If you use a thank-you template for care guidance intended to arrive after delivery, review its wait period and conditions.
The following setup outline is based on official help. Adapt the settings to your store and test recipient and exclusion conditions before activation.
- On a computer, open Messaging from Apps in the Shopify admin.
- Open Automations and select the template to create.
- Edit the email in the post-purchase template, preparing the subject, body, and destination links.
- Check the trigger, wait period, and recipients. The template defaults may not suit your products.
- Save without activating while reviewing it. Before putting it into operation, check the copy and links using a test recipient.
Japanese labels may differ between admin screens. Official help describes creating post-purchase automations on a computer and saving them without activation.
Use Shopify Flow for more detailed product or fulfillment conditions
If standard templates do not fit your sending conditions, or you need to integrate other apps, a Shopify Flow workflow is an option. Flow combines steps such as “when an order is fulfilled,” “wait for a set period,” and “perform an action if conditions are met.” For email delivery, it uses the Send Marketing Email action for customers subscribed to email marketing.
Split shipments need particular care. Using Order fulfilled as the trigger can cause the workflow to run multiple times for one order, depending on the products or locations involved in fulfillment. Check the eligible products and records of messages already sent to prevent duplicate guidance.
Flow refreshes relevant store information after a wait. Place checks for cancellation and consent after that wait. A workflow can wait for a maximum of 90 days, so consider a different design for a longer interval, such as six months.
Selecting a template does not automatically configure every exclusion in the table. If you need product-specific checks, support information, or records of previous sends, confirm that the necessary data is available before automating.
Check plan requirements and pricing first
According to official help, marketing automations are available on Basic and higher plans, and Shopify Flow is required for full functionality. Flow itself is a free app available on Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus, but the volume of emails sent has separate pricing conditions.
Shopify Messaging email includes 10,000 free emails per month. Automated post-purchase emails count toward this total; sending three emails to one person counts as three emails. The allowance is shared with regular campaigns and does not roll over to the following month.
| Monthly sending tier | Email charge for that tier |
|---|---|
| First 10,000 emails | Free |
| Portion above 10,000 and up to 300,000 emails | US$1 per 1,000 emails |
| Portion above 300,000 and up to 750,000 emails | US$0.65 per 1,000 emails |
| Portion above 750,000 emails | US$0.55 per 1,000 emails |
Checked on October 17, 2026. Shopify subscription fees and charges for other channels, such as SMS, are separate. For example, sending 3,000 post-purchase emails and 9,000 regular campaign emails in a month totals 12,000 emails. The email charge for the 2,000 above the allowance is US$2.
If you can set a spending notification threshold, do not confuse it with a cap that automatically stops sending. Check the channels you will use and the month's expected volume before activation.
What to check before sending begins
Check who should not receive the message as well as how it looks. If another email app already sends post-purchase emails, coordinate the messages so customers do not receive duplicate content.
| State to test | Expected result |
|---|---|
| Customer purchased the eligible product and consented to email marketing | The message arrives once, under the agreed conditions and timing |
| Customer has not consented or has unsubscribed | No post-purchase marketing email arrives |
| Customer unsubscribes during the wait | No subsequent marketing email arrives |
| Customer purchased an ineligible product | No tote care guidance arrives |
| Order is split into multiple shipments | The same guidance is not sent more than once |
| Order is canceled, returned, or becomes the subject of a support conversation | The store's defined exclusion rules are applied |
Sending a test email can help you review the subject and body. However, receiving it does not verify consent checks or exclusions during the wait. Test those conditions separately using test customers and orders.
If you find a problem after sending begins, stop the relevant automation. Shopify Messaging's official help states that stopping an automation also cancels runs that are waiting, so no subsequent messages are sent from that automation.
Do not judge the results by open rate alone
For care guidance, useful evidence includes whether people read the guide and whether support conversations reveal their difficulties. For replenishment messages, also look at time until reorder and what was ordered.
Shopify Messaging reports information such as clicks, orders, and unsubscribes. Email previews and security features can affect open tracking: an open may be recorded even when the message was not read, or may go unrecorded when image loading is disabled. A high open rate alone does not mean customers are satisfied with the content.
With a small audience, record counts alongside percentages. For example, one unsubscribe among 50 recipients is 2%, but it is too early to judge success or failure from that one send. Review the product, copy, send date, number delivered, number of people who clicked, replies, and unsubscribe count together.
If the product is not one customers need to buy again soon, a lack of immediate repeat purchases is not necessarily a failure. Check replies to support questions and care-guide views to assess whether the information was useful. Even when a purchase is attributed to an email, that does not prove the email alone increased sales.
Start with one product and one email, with someone assigned to review replies and results. Once you know the process is sustainable, add other products or follow-up messages.
Frequently asked questions
Can I email everyone who has purchased?
Distinguish order confirmations and shipping notifications from post-purchase marketing emails. Post-purchase guidance sent through Shopify Messaging targets email marketing subscribers. A purchase history alone does not make a customer a subscriber.
How many days after purchase should I send the email?
It depends on the product, delivery time, and purpose of the email. Send usage guidance around the time customers begin using the product, and base replenishment guidance on actual consumption and reorder patterns. Counting from the order date can send messages before dispatch, so also check fulfillment and delivery status.
Do I need a paid email app from the start?
For a store on Basic or above, you can start by considering Shopify Messaging and, where needed, the free Shopify Flow app. The 10,000-email monthly allowance covers post-purchase emails and regular campaigns together. Comparing external apps becomes easier when you know which conditions or support-data integrations your standard tools cannot handle.
If you want to organize product-specific sending conditions or connect emails with support and returns processes, see Popaz's services. We can start with the information you will use and the customer situations in which each message should be sent.
About the information in this article
Information about features, settings, and pricing in this article was checked against official Shopify documentation as of October 17, 2026. Specifications, prices, and admin screens may change.
