How to send shipping delay email for preorders

When a preorder product is delayed, keeping your customers informed is essential for maintaining trust and reducing support inquiries. STOQ allows you to send shipping update emails to customers who have purchased delayed products, either individually or in bulk. You can customize the email subject, header, and description before sending to provide relevant information about the delay..

Understanding Shipping Update Emails

Shipping update emails (also called shipping delay emails) are manual notifications you send to preorder customers when there are changes to their expected delivery timeline. Unlike automatic confirmation emails, these are sent on-demand when you need to communicate updates.

When to Send Shipping Update Emails

Send shipping update emails when:

• A product shipment is delayed beyond the original estimated date.
• You have new information about when products will ship.
• You need to communicate any changes to the fulfillment timeline.
• You want to proactively update customers about their preorder status.

Sending a Shipping Update Email for a Single Preorder

To send a shipping update email to an individual customer, follow these steps.

Accessing the Order Details

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Click Reports in the left navigation menu to view your preorder orders.
3. Locate the order to which you want to send the shipping update.
4. Click on the Order ID to open the order details.

Sending the Email

1. In the order details view, click the Notify customer dropdown menu.
2. Select Send shipping update.

3. A modal appears with the email template fields:

• Subject: The email subject line your customer will see.
• Header: The main heading displayed in the email body.
• Description: The detailed message explaining the delay or update.

4. Edit the fields as needed to provide relevant information about the delay.
5. Click Send email to send the shipping update.

Understanding the Results

After clicking Send email:

• If successful, you see a toast notification at the bottom of the screen confirming "Shipping email sent".
• If the send fails, you see a toast notification "Shipping email failed". Wait a few minutes and retry.

Sending Shipping Update Emails in Bulk

To send shipping update emails to multiple customers at once, use the bulk sending feature.

Selecting Orders for Bulk Sending

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Navigate to Preorders > Reports.
3. Use the checkboxes next to each order to select the preorders you want to notify.
4. Alternatively, use the checkbox in the table header to select all orders on the current page.

Sending the Bulk Email

1. After selecting the orders, click the Send shipping update button in the bulk actions area above the table.
2. A modal appears with the email template fields:

• Subject: The email subject line (same for all recipients).
• Header: The main heading displayed in the email body.
• Description: The detailed message explaining the delay.

3. Customize the content to provide relevant information about the delay.
4. Click Send email to send the shipping update to all selected customers.

Customizing the Default Shipping Update Email

You can customize the default content that appears when you open the shipping update modal. This saves time when sending multiple updates with similar content.

Accessing Email Settings

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Navigate to Preorders > Settings > Notifications.
3. Scroll to the Shipping update email section.
4. Click Customize to customize the default template.

Editing Default Content

In the email editor, you can customize:

• Subject: The default email subject line.
• Header: The default main heading.
• Description: The default message content.

Using Variables in Your Email

You can use variables to personalize the email content. Available variables include:

Example subject: "Shipping update for Order {{order.name}}"

Example description: "Thanks for preordering from {{shop.name}}. Due to unforeseen circumstances, your preorder products in order {{order.name}} will be delayed. We will do our best to ship your product as soon as possible."

Saving Your Changes

1. After editing the template, click Save to apply your changes.
2. The new default content will appear the next time you open the shipping update modal.

Multi-Language Support

If you have customers in different languages, you can translate the shipping update email content.

Translating Shipping Update Emails

1. In the email template editor, click Languages at the top of the page.
2. Select the language you want to translate.
3. Choose Shipping update from the notification type dropdown.
4. Translate the subject, header, and description fields.
5. Save your changes.

The appropriate language version will be used based on the customer's locale settings.

Best Practices for Shipping Delay Communications

Following these best practices helps maintain customer trust when communicating delays.

Be Transparent

Clearly explain the reason for the delay when possible. Customers appreciate honesty about supply chain issues, production delays, or other factors affecting their order.

Provide Updated Timelines

When possible, include a new estimated shipping date. If you don't have a specific date, provide a general timeframe (e.g., "within the next 2-3 weeks").

Offer Options

Consider offering customers options such as:

• Waiting for the delayed product
• Receiving a refund
• Substituting with an alternative product

Follow Up

If the delay extends beyond your updated estimate, send another shipping update to keep customers informed.

Known Limitations

The shipping update email feature has some constraints to be aware of.

• The same email content is sent to all recipients when using bulk sending. You cannot customize individual messages in a bulk send.
• Shipping update emails are sent manually; there is no automatic scheduling for delay notifications.
• The email uses the same styling and branding as your other STOQ emails (configured in the email template settings).
• If an email fails to send, you need to manually retry. There is no automatic retry mechanism.
• Shipping update emails cannot be sent to cancelled or refunded orders.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with shipping update emails, use this guide to identify and resolve common problems.

FAQs

Q : Can I schedule shipping update emails to send later?

A : No, shipping update emails are sent immediately when you click Send email. There is no scheduling feature for these notifications. If you need to send updates at a specific time, you'll need to manually send them at that time.

Q : Will customers receive the email in their preferred language?

A : Yes, if you have set up translations for the shipping update email, customers will receive the email in their locale's language. Make sure to translate the subject, header, and description for each language you support.

Q : Can I include images or attachments in the shipping update email?

A : The shipping update email uses your standard STOQ email template styling, which includes your logo if configured. However, you cannot add additional images or attachments directly to the shipping update content.

Q : How do I know if the email was delivered successfully?

A : When you send the email, you'll see a toast notification indicating success or failure. For bulk sends, all selected orders will receive the email. If you need detailed delivery tracking, check your email provider's delivery reports.

Q : Can I send different messages to different customers in a bulk send?

A : No, bulk sending uses the same email content for all selected recipients. If you need to send personalized messages to different customers, send individual emails by clicking on each order and using the Send shipping update option.

Q : What happens if I edit the default template after sending emails?

A : Editing the default template only affects future emails. Previously sent emails are not affected by template changes. The new default content will appear the next time you open the shipping update modal.

Updated on: 18/02/2026