What to put in your order confirmation email and thank-you page
What should you put in your order confirmation email and thank-you page? Give buyers a reason to come back. Add a time-limited discount code to the confirmation email, and show your best-performing upsell or cross-sell on the thank-you page. These are the messages almost every customer sees, so they’re the easiest places to win the next order.
We set this up for a DTC brand we worked with, alongside a set of Klaviyo flows that kept customers buying after their first order. Over our time working together, we took the brand from five figures to six figures in revenue.
Why are these your most-viewed messages?
Because buyers check them. Straight after paying, almost everyone opens the order confirmation email to make sure their name, order number and email address are right. The thank-you page, also called the order confirmation page, gets seen on nearly every order, and many customers go back to it later to check on their purchase.
Yet most brands put their effort into marketing flows and leave these messages as plain receipts. That’s a lot of attention going unused.
What should you add to your order confirmation email?
A discount code for their next order, with a time limit. For this brand, it was 15% off, valid for 7 days. It’s something we now recommend to every e-commerce brand.
Why give a discount straight after they’ve paid?
The customer has just decided they trust you enough to buy. A code for their next order turns that moment into a reason to come back, while your brand is still front of mind.
Why add a time limit?
An open-ended code is easy to forget. A clear expiry date gives buyers a reason to act while they’re still excited about their first order.
How should you present it?
Keep it short and easy to spot. One line saying thank you, the code itself and the date it expires is enough. The rest of the email can stay focused on the order details buyers came to check. You don’t need an email platform for this, either. The brand’s order confirmation email came from Shopify’s own notifications, and you can add a code straight into that template.
What should go on your thank-you page?
The upsell or cross-sell your customers take up most often. Because buyers see this page on almost every order, and often come back to it, it’s prime space for your strongest offer.
For this brand, that meant a one-click post-purchase offer: another unit of the best seller, in any colour, at 30% off. 35% of customers took it. We explain how to set one up in our guide to post-purchase upsells on Shopify.
Which Klaviyo flows should you set up for after a purchase?
These four do most of the work. We set all of them up for the brand:
Flow | When it sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
Thank-you | Straight after the order | Thanks the buyer, shares a how-to guide and explains what to expect after a few days of use |
Review request | About a week after confirmed delivery | Asks for a review once they’ve had time to use the product |
Cross-sell, one per product | Over the weeks after purchase | Offers what buyers of that product most often bought with it |
Winback | 90 days without a repeat order | Brings back customers who haven’t returned |
What should the thank-you email include?
A how-to guide, and what the customer should expect to see after using the product for a few days. It helps them get a good result from the start, so they’re more likely to be happy by the time you ask for a review.
Why wait for delivery before asking for a review?
A review request that lands before the parcel does asks people to rate something they haven’t used. Timing it about a week after confirmed delivery gives them time to try the product and form a real opinion.
How do you choose what to cross-sell?
Look at what buyers of each product most often bought with it, then build a separate flow for each product. What customers take as upsells and cross-sells on your site is another strong signal, and it works the other way too: what sells well by email can shape the offers on your site.
Frequently asked questions
What should an order confirmation email include?
The order details buyers want to check (their name, order number, items and email address), plus a reason to come back, such as a time-limited discount code for their next order.
Should you put a discount code in your order confirmation email?
Yes. It’s one of the most-opened emails you send, and buyers read it right after deciding to trust you. A time-limited code gives them a reason to order again soon.
What is a thank-you page in e-commerce?
It’s the page shown straight after checkout, confirming the order. On Shopify it’s often called the order status or order confirmation page. Customers see it on almost every order and often revisit it, which makes it a strong spot for an upsell or cross-sell.
When should you send a review request email?
About a week after the order is confirmed as delivered, so the customer has had time to use the product.
What is a winback email flow?
A winback flow emails customers who haven’t bought again within a set time, such as 90 days, to bring them back before they forget about you.
See the full project
These emails and pages were one part of a wider project for this brand, alongside Meta ads, product page changes and upsells. You can read how it all came together in the full case study.
Are your confirmation emails still plain receipts? Get in touch with One World Ideas and we’ll help you turn them into your next sale.