B2B eCommerce Know-How: What to Include in An Order Confirmation Email

It’s no secret that confirming an order is an important part of any business-customer relationship—your customer has just placed an order with you, and they can’t wait to receive their new product(s), but until they receive an order confirmation, they have no idea what happens next.

In the world of eCommerce, sending your customer an order confirmation email is one of the most important customer messages your online B2B store can send. In fact, order confirmation emails have one of the highest open rates—over 70% actually—compared to regular marketing emails.

Despite what you may think, an order confirmation email is much more than a post-order formality. Yes, it typically includes details of the customer’s order, such as what product(s) they purchased, the total cost of the order, the estimated shipping time, and the address where the order is to be shipped. But your order confirmation email also presents you with a perfect opportunity to further market your business and build rapport with your customer by capitalizing on their post-purchase momentum. Is there another product in your store catalog that your customer might be interested in? Would you like to grow your social media following? What you include in your order confirmation is all up to you!

6 tips for writing order confirmation emails that delight your customers

1. Subject line

An order confirmation email is certainly the most straightforward of all transactional emails, so you want to write a subject line that gets straight to the point. Having said that, however, the subject line of any email is one of its most important components. It has the power to not only boost engagement and open rates but also showcase your brand and put a smile on your customer’s face at the same time, so there’s no harm in adding some personality or excitement to it as well.

Your order confirmation email might read like one of these: “Thanks for your order,” “Great news—we received your order,” or “Here’s your [your store name] order receipt.”

2. Personalized greeting

A simple, personalized greeting in your order confirmation email is an easy and impactful way to make your B2B customer feel known and appreciated. Something as simple as addressing your customer by name and saying “Thank you” right at the top of the email is an effective way of expressing your gratitude for their purchase and making them feel good about it.

Your personalised order confirmation email greeting might look something like this: “Hello Joe, your recent order has been submitted. Thank you,” or “ABC Company, your recent order has been received, with our thanks.”

3. Order details (including shipping and billing)

While it’s true an order confirmation email is technically little more than a digital receipt, it’s still an opportunity for you to exceed your customer’s expectations, not just meet them. Take time to thoughtfully organize the main content of the email so it’s not overly confusing, remembering to include all the key components of their order. Some of the order details you may wish to form part of your order confirmation email are:

• Order ID number
• Purchase Order number (if applicable)
• Customer comments included with the order (if applicable)
• Date the order was placed
• Total cost of the order
• Customer’s billing/shipping address
• Payment details and terms (e.g., when payment is due and method of payment such as wire transfer)
• Requested delivery date
• A link to the order in your online store showing order details and status
• List of products purchased (including pricing and images)

4. Customer service information

‍The order confirmation email that your online B2B store sends to its customers is a perfect opportunity to remind them of the great customer service your company provides. And great customer service means being proactive and prepared for issues that inevitably arise. Consider including in your order confirmation email clear instructions on how your customer can reach you if they have any post-order concerns or questions or if they need to modify their order or update their account information. This can be as easy as providing direct links to those relevant web pages in your online storefront.

The customer service section of your order confirmation email is also a good place to include any specific terms or conditions that apply to the order, such as a cancellation policy or non-fulfillment due to an overdue account.

The moral of the story here is that if your customer needs assistance, don’t make them go digging for it!

5. Footer information

The footer section of your order confirmation email can be particularly helpful in providing vital communication, social, and marketing information without taking away from the main content. Some of the items you may wish to include in the footer are:

• Your company contact information (such as email address, phone number, website address, contact form link, and logo)
• Links to your social media profiles

6. Promotional information

Following the footer section of your order confirmation email, you may wish to include additional marketing-related information, such as news about your company, new products you’ve recently introduced, or a discount coupon code for a future product purchase. The decision as to what to include here is all up to you. Remember, an order confirmation email is a golden opportunity for making more sales.

Better emails = happier customers

Email is the second biggest category where marketers spend their money because it’s the most effective digital marketing strategy. Transactional emails like order confirmations get 8x more opens than regular marketing emails.

So, while you might think an order confirmation email isn’t really that big a deal, it can actually carry some heavy-duty marketing firepower. In fact, it is a highly effective tool for building your customer relationship. From saying “thank you” to offering a future purchase discount coupon, the order confirmation email is an easy way for you to delight your customer with every purchase they make. And with the B2B Wave eCommerce platform, you can adjust and customize the emails your online B2B store sends to perfectly align with your unique brand and marketing goals. Remember, if a customer buys from you once, they already trust you, so set the tone right in your order confirmation email and encourage them to do it again!