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How to set up emails and automations

WooCommerce still sends its emails. This dashboard designs those templates and optional automations. Companion is involved for store email overview and some triggers.

What it is

Access email settings by navigating to Site Settings, then selecting Emails & Automations. The main page displays the title ‘Emails & Automations’ with the subtitle ‘Design and content for the emails WooCommerce sends – subject, heading, recipients, content, and test sends.’

The page layout includes an ‘Email automations’ card and a ‘WooCommerce emails’ table.

Email automations card

This card is titled ‘Email automations’ with the subtitle ‘Automatic sends by trigger, personal coupons, and revenue conversion tracking.’ Clicking this card takes you to the Email Automations dashboard.

Visual builder

When you click Edit template for a WooCommerce email, the visual builder opens. This builder includes:

  • An Activate template switch (not shown for automation emails).
  • Options to Copy from template… and Insert Merge Tags.
  • Buttons to Send A Test Email / Send test and Save.
  • Views for Desktop and Mobile.
  • Global design fields: Email background (outer), Content background (inner), Text color, Link color, Font, Default alignment, Font size, Content width, Corner radius, Outer padding, Inner padding.
  • Send settings: Email subject, From name, From address.

Email Automations dashboard

This page is titled ‘Email Automations’ with the subtitle ‘Send emails automatically based on triggers – orders, purchase totals, and more.’ It includes a New automation button.

Master safety switch

Located on the Email Automations dashboard, the Master safety switch is OFF by default. When OFF, automated email sending is disabled. When ON, automated email sending is active. A helper text states: ‘While it’s off, no email will be sent automatically – even if an automation is marked active. Turn it on only once you’ve finished setting up and testing.’

Test mode

Also on the Email Automations dashboard, Test mode is ON by default. When ON, automations are sent only to site administrator addresses. A helper text states: ‘While test mode is on, automations are sent only to site administrator addresses. Place a test order with an admin user to receive the emails.’ When OFF, automations send to all customers.

Analytics

The Email Automations dashboard displays overall analytics for Revenue attributed to automations, Orders created, and Emails sent. Each automation row shows individual metrics for sent, opened, clicked, and orders.

How it helps you

This dashboard allows you to design the content and appearance of the emails WooCommerce sends to your customers. You can also set up automated email sequences that trigger based on customer actions or order status, providing timely communication and offers to your shoppers.

What is included

  • WooCommerce emails table: This table lists all standard WooCommerce emails with columns for Email, Subject, Active, and Edit template.
  • Standard email rows: New Order (admin), Cancelled Order (admin), Failed Order (admin), Cancelled Order (customer) WC 10+, Order On Hold (customer), Order Processing (customer), Order Completed (customer), Order Refunded (customer), Order Details / Invoice (customer), Customer Note, Password Reset, New Account.
  • Conditional email rows: LearnDash emails (displayed only if LearnDash is active on your store), Back in stock notification (always displayed).
  • Visual builder controls: The visual builder for email templates includes an Activate template switch (not available for automation emails), Copy from template…, Insert Merge Tags, Send A Test Email / Send test button, Save button, and Desktop / Mobile preview toggles.
  • Global design fields: Customize the look of your emails with Email background, Content background, Text color, Link color, Font, Default alignment, Font size, Content width, Corner radius, Outer padding, and Inner padding.
  • Send settings: Configure the Email subject, From name, and From address for your emails. Note that From name and From address are global settings affecting all store emails.
  • Automation master safety switch: A global toggle that enables or disables all automated email sending. It is OFF by default.
  • Automation test mode: A global toggle that, when ON (default), sends all automation emails only to site administrators for testing purposes.
  • Automation triggers: Define when an automation fires using triggers such as Order Status Changed (default completed), New Order, Customer’s First Order, Spend Crossed Threshold, Bought Product / Category, Abandoned Cart, Inactive Customer (win-back), Partner application submitted / approved / declined, Partner payment sent, and Partner account removed.
  • Automation scheduling: Choose to send emails Immediately on trigger or After a delay.
  • Automation email sequence: Build multi-step automations by adding Step 1, designing each email, and using Add follow-up step or Remove step.
  • Automation conditions: Optional rules that must be met for an automation to send.
  • Automation frequency cap: Optional setting to limit how often a customer receives emails from a specific automation.
  • Automation coupon offer: Optionally attach a personal coupon with a Discount type (Fixed amount or Percentage), Discount value (default 100), Validity days (default 30), and a usage_limit of 1.
  • Partner default automations: Five pre-configured automations are included: We received your partner application, Your partner application was approved, We sent you a partner payment, Your partner account was removed, Your partner application was declined. These are enabled by default but still require the master switch ON and test mode OFF to send to real customers.
  • Not wired: The older ‘Edit dialog’ (Email subject, Heading inside the email, Recipients, Additional content, Format, Send a test email, Save) is not connected to the Edit template button. The Edit template button always opens the visual builder.

How to turn on and manage each capability

Edit a WooCommerce Email Template

  1. Go to Site Settings > Emails & Automations.
  2. In the ‘WooCommerce emails’ table, find the email you want to change and click Edit template.
  3. Use the visual builder to adjust the email’s design and content.
  4. Click Save to apply your changes. A ‘Template saved’ toast confirms.
  5. To send a test email, click Send A Test Email or Send test within the visual builder. A ‘Test email sent’ toast confirms.

Create a New Email Automation

  1. Go to Site Settings > Emails & Automations.
  2. Click the ‘Email automations’ card to go to the Email Automations dashboard.
  3. Click New automation.
  4. Enter a Name for your automation. If left blank, it will be named ‘Untitled’.
  5. Select a Trigger for when the automation should fire.
  6. Click Design email for ‘Step 1’ to open the visual builder and create your email content.
  7. Add more steps if needed using Add follow-up step.
  8. Click Save to store your automation. A ‘Automation saved’ toast confirms.

Test an Email Automation

  1. Ensure Test mode is ON (default setting) on the Email Automations dashboard.
  2. Perform the action that triggers your automation (e.g., place a test order with an admin user).
  3. Check your admin email inbox for the test automation emails.

Enable Automations for Customers

  1. After testing, go to the Email Automations dashboard.
  2. Toggle the Test mode switch to OFF. A ‘Test mode off – sending to all customers’ toast confirms.
  3. Toggle the Master safety switch to ON. An ‘Automated email sending enabled’ toast confirms.

Delete an Email Automation

  1. Go to the Email Automations dashboard.
  2. Find the automation you want to delete.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. Confirm the deletion when prompted ‘Delete this automation?’.

What to know before you start

  • The Master safety switch for automations is OFF by default. No automated emails will send until this is turned ON.
  • Test mode for automations is ON by default. While ON, all automation emails are sent only to site administrators.
  • New automations are created with their individual ‘enabled’ status set to false. You must activate them in the list.
  • The five seeded partner automations are enabled by default, but they still require the Master safety switch to be ON and Test mode to be OFF to send to real customers.
  • The Activate template switch is not displayed in the visual builder when designing automation emails.
  • The ‘Back in stock notification’ row is always listed in the WooCommerce emails table, regardless of whether a waitlist is active.
  • The ‘LearnDash emails’ row appears in the WooCommerce emails table only if LearnDash is installed and active on your store.
  • This product does not support shortcodes for dynamic content within emails.
  • Some triggers, like ‘Inactive Customer’ and ‘Abandoned Cart’, require store data and the Companion plugin to function correctly. Login tracking for ‘Inactive Customer’ requires Companion version 1.142.0 or higher.

Problems you may hit, and how to fix them

  • Symptom: An automation is marked active, but no emails are being sent to customers.
    Fix: Check the Master safety switch on the Email Automations dashboard. It must be ON for any automated emails to send.
  • Symptom: Automation test emails are only being sent to site administrators, not to the customer email used in the test order.
    Fix: The Test mode switch on the Email Automations dashboard is likely ON. Turn it OFF to send emails to all customers.
  • Symptom: Clicking Edit template opens a visual builder, but I expected an older dialog with specific fields.
    Fix: The Edit template button is wired to open the visual builder for comprehensive design. The older ‘Edit dialog’ is not connected to this button.
  • Symptom: I made changes to an email template, but the test email I sent doesn’t reflect them.
    Fix: The test email uses the last saved version of the template. Ensure you click Save in the visual builder before sending a test.
  • Symptom: Changing the From name or From address for one email template affects all other store emails.
    Fix: The From name and From address settings in the visual builder are global and apply to all emails sent from your store.
  • Symptom: The ‘Inactive Customer’ trigger is not tracking customer logins or sending emails.
    Fix: This trigger requires the Companion plugin, version 1.142.0 or higher, for accurate login tracking.
  • Symptom: The ‘Abandoned Cart’ trigger is not showing any data or sending emails.
    Fix: This trigger requires sufficient store data and the Companion plugin to track abandoned carts effectively.
  • Symptom: Partner-related automation emails are not being sent to partner applicants or existing partners.
    Fix: Even though partner automations are enabled by default, they still require the Master safety switch to be ON and Test mode to be OFF to send to real customers.

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