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Order confirmation emails have the highest open rates of any email type — often above 60%. They’re the first touchpoint after a customer commits money, so they set expectations for the entire post-purchase experience. A missing or delayed confirmation creates immediate anxiety and support tickets. This guide covers what to include, how to structure the content, and how to deliver confirmations reliably.

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Why Order Confirmations Matter

FactorImpact
Highest open rates60–80% open rates — far above marketing email benchmarks
Legal requirementMany jurisdictions require a purchase confirmation or receipt
Support deflectionA clear confirmation reduces “did my order go through?” tickets
Trust buildingImmediate confirmation reinforces trust in your platform
Reference documentCustomers save and search for these emails later

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Required Information

An order confirmation should include everything a customer needs to understand what they bought, what they paid, and what happens next.

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Essential Fields

1

Order number

A unique, human-readable identifier the customer can reference in support inquiries. Display it prominently at the top.
2

Items ordered

Product names, quantities, individual prices, and any selected variants (size, color, plan tier). Include product images where practical.
3

Price breakdown

Subtotal, discounts or promo codes applied, tax, shipping cost, and total charged. Match exactly what the payment processor charged.
4

Payment method

Show the payment type and last four digits of the card (e.g., “Visa ending in 4242”). Never include the full card number.
5

Shipping or delivery details

Delivery address, estimated delivery date or timeframe, and shipping method selected.
6

Next steps

What happens next — when they’ll receive a shipping notification, how to track the order, or when to expect access (for digital products).
  • Customer name — personalize the greeting
  • Order date and time — useful for record-keeping
  • Return/refund policy summary — or a link to it
  • Support contact — how to get help with the order
  • Account link — where to view order status online

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Email Structure and Template

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HTML Template Example

<div style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, sans-serif; max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; color: #1a1a1a;">

  <!-- Header -->
  <div style="text-align: center; padding: 24px 0;">
    <h1 style="font-size: 24px; margin: 0;">Order Confirmed</h1>
    <p style="color: #6b6b6b; margin: 8px 0 0;">
      Thank you for your order, {{customerName}}.
    </p>
  </div>

  <!-- Order Number -->
  <div style="background-color: #f5f3ff; border-radius: 8px; padding: 16px; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
    <p style="margin: 0; font-size: 14px; color: #6b6b6b;">Order Number</p>
    <p style="margin: 4px 0 0; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;">#{{orderNumber}}</p>
  </div>

  <!-- Items -->
  <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;">
    <tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid #e5e5e5;">
      <td style="padding: 12px 0;">
        <strong>{{itemName}}</strong><br>
        <span style="color: #6b6b6b; font-size: 14px;">Qty: {{quantity}} × {{unitPrice}}</span>
      </td>
      <td style="text-align: right; padding: 12px 0;">{{lineTotal}}</td>
    </tr>
  </table>

  <!-- Totals -->
  <table style="width: 100%; margin-top: 16px;">
    <tr>
      <td style="padding: 4px 0; color: #6b6b6b;">Subtotal</td>
      <td style="text-align: right;">{{subtotal}}</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding: 4px 0; color: #6b6b6b;">Shipping</td>
      <td style="text-align: right;">{{shippingCost}}</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding: 4px 0; color: #6b6b6b;">Tax</td>
      <td style="text-align: right;">{{tax}}</td>
    </tr>
    <tr style="border-top: 2px solid #1a1a1a;">
      <td style="padding: 12px 0; font-weight: 600; font-size: 16px;">Total</td>
      <td style="text-align: right; font-weight: 600; font-size: 16px;">{{total}}</td>
    </tr>
  </table>

  <!-- Shipping Info -->
  <div style="margin-top: 24px; padding: 16px; background-color: #f9fafb; border-radius: 8px;">
    <h3 style="margin: 0 0 8px; font-size: 16px;">Shipping To</h3>
    <p style="margin: 0; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 1.6;">
      {{shippingName}}<br>
      {{shippingAddress}}<br>
      {{shippingCity}}, {{shippingState}} {{shippingZip}}
    </p>
    <p style="margin: 12px 0 0; color: #6b6b6b; font-size: 14px;">
      Estimated delivery: {{estimatedDelivery}}
    </p>
  </div>

  <!-- CTA -->
  <div style="text-align: center; margin: 32px 0;">
    <a href="{{orderStatusUrl}}"
       style="background-color: #6366F1; color: #ffffff; padding: 12px 32px;
              text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 600;">
      View Order Status
    </a>
  </div>

  <!-- Footer -->
  <p style="color: #6b6b6b; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6; text-align: center;">
    Questions about your order? Contact us at
    <a href="mailto:support@yourstore.com" style="color: #6366F1;">support@yourstore.com</a>
  </p>
</div>
Always include a plain-text version of the order confirmation. Some corporate email environments strip HTML, and plain text ensures the customer can always read their receipt.

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Sending with Lettr

const response = await fetch('https://app.lettr.com/api/emails', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.LETTR_API_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    from: 'orders@mail.yourstore.com',
    to: customer.email,
    subject: `Order confirmed — #${order.number}`,
    html: orderConfirmationHtml,
    text: orderConfirmationText,
    tags: ['order-confirmation'],
    metadata: {
      orderId: order.id,
      customerId: customer.id,
      orderTotal: order.total,
    },
  }),
});
Include the order number in the subject line. Customers often search their inbox for order numbers, and including it in the subject makes the email easy to find.

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Delivery Timing

Order confirmations should arrive within seconds of the purchase. A delay — even a few minutes — triggers anxiety and support contacts.

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Best Practices for Fast Delivery

  • Send synchronously with the checkout flow — trigger the email as part of the order completion process, not in a delayed background job
  • Don’t batch order confirmations — send each one individually as orders come in
  • Use a dedicated sending domain with established reputation for transactional email
  • Monitor delivery latency — track the time between your API call and the email.delivered webhook event
If your order confirmation is delayed because it’s queued behind a marketing campaign or bulk send, customers will contact support. Keep transactional email on a separate sending path from bulk email. See Transactional vs Marketing.

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Handle Send Failures

If the email API call fails, don’t fail the order — the customer has already been charged: 
async function completeOrder(order, customer) {
  // 1. Finalize the order in your database first
  await db.orders.markCompleted(order.id);

  // 2. Attempt to send confirmation
  try {
    await sendOrderConfirmation(order, customer);
  } catch (error) {
    // Log the failure but don't fail the order
    logger.error('Order confirmation email failed', {
      orderId: order.id,
      error: error.message,
    });

    // Queue a retry
    await queue.add('retryOrderConfirmation', {
      orderId: order.id,
      attempt: 1,
    });
  }
}

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Digital Products and SaaS

For digital products, subscriptions, or SaaS purchases, the confirmation email doubles as a delivery mechanism:
  • Include access instructions — login URL, download link, or license key
  • Set access expectations — “Your account is ready now” vs “Access will be provisioned within 5 minutes”
  • Provide getting-started guidance — link to documentation or onboarding resources
<div style="background-color: #f0fdf4; border-radius: 8px; padding: 16px; margin: 24px 0;">
  <h3 style="margin: 0 0 8px; font-size: 16px; color: #166534;">Your account is ready</h3>
  <p style="margin: 0; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 1.6;">
    Log in to your dashboard to get started:
  </p>
  <div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 16px;">
    <a href="{{dashboardUrl}}"
       style="background-color: #16a34a; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 24px;
              text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 600;">
      Go to Dashboard
    </a>
  </div>
</div>

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Common Mistakes

The total in the email must match what the customer was charged. Discrepancies — even from rounding — erode trust and can create legal issues. Calculate the email values from the same source as the payment.
Never show the full credit card number, CVV, or billing address. Show only the card type and last four digits.
Customers reply to order confirmation emails with questions, changes, or cancellation requests. Use a monitored address like orders@ or support@ so replies reach your team.
Order confirmations are transactional. Adding promotional content degrades deliverability and may violate regulations. If you want to cross-sell, send a separate marketing email after a delay.
Some email clients and corporate filters strip HTML. A plain-text version ensures every customer can read their receipt.
Order confirmations must arrive immediately. If they’re queued behind bulk sends, customers assume the order failed. Use separate queues or priority levels.

Invoice and Billing Emails

Recurring billing emails with compliance considerations

Templates

Build and manage email templates with the Topol editor

Transactional vs Marketing

Why separation matters and how to classify your emails

Deliverability Best Practices

Maximize inbox placement for your emails

Stripe Integration

Send order and payment emails from Stripe