You’ve shown the delivery estimate on the product page, the cart, and the checkout. The customer placed their order. Now they’re waiting – and the next question they’ll have is the same one they had before the purchase: ‘When is this arriving?’
Adding the delivery estimate to your order confirmation email closes the loop. The customer has a written reference point they can refer back to – and you get fewer ‘where is my order?’ support tickets as a result.
Why Order Confirmation Emails Matter for Delivery Expectations
The order confirmation email is the first communication a customer receives after purchasing. It’s also one of the most-opened emails in eCommerce — open rates typically far exceed marketing emails because the customer is actively looking for confirmation their order went through.
That moment of attention is the ideal time to reinforce the delivery window. A customer who sees their estimated delivery date in the confirmation email will refer back to that email rather than contacting support when they’re wondering where their order is.
How to Add Delivery Dates to WooCommerce Emails
WooCommerce order confirmation emails are customisable through a few different methods:
- WooCommerce email settings: WooCommerce has basic email customisation built in under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails. You can add custom text or notes to certain email templates, but the options are limited.
- Email customisation plugins: Plugins like WooCommerce Email Customizer or Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer give you a visual editor for order emails. You can add custom blocks with order-specific information, including a note about estimated delivery.
- Custom template overrides: If you’re comfortable with PHP, you can override the WooCommerce email templates in your theme and add the delivery estimate directly to the template. This gives maximum control but requires developer involvement.
The Simpler Approach: A Clear Estimated Delivery Note
If adding dynamic, automatically calculated dates to emails is more complexity than you want right now, the simpler approach is a static statement in your order confirmation email that sets expectations clearly. Something like: ‘Your order will be dispatched within 1–2 business days and typically arrives within 5–7 business days of dispatch.’
This isn’t as specific as a calculated date, but it’s honest and useful. Combined with delivery estimates shown pre-purchase, it reinforces the expectation the customer already has.
| 💡 PRO TIP Whatever you put in your confirmation email, make sure it aligns with what was shown at checkout. If the product page said ‘Get it by Thursday’ and the confirmation email says ‘Allow 7–10 business days’, the customer will be confused and potentially frustrated — even if both statements are technically accurate. |
The goal is continuity: the customer sees the same delivery expectation at every touchpoint, from the product page to the confirmation email. That consistency is what builds genuine confidence in your store’s reliability.