WooCommerce already sends automatic emails for the main order events, such as a new order, a processing order, a completed order, a refund and a password reset. Start there. Add a plugin only when you need to change how the emails look (an email designer), send emails the core does not (an automation tool), or make sure they arrive (SMTP). This guide shows what is built in, then the plugins worth a look for each job.
What WooCommerce sends on its own
WooCommerce includes transactional emails, which are messages triggered by something a customer or the store does. There are emails to customers and emails to the store owner. Customer emails include order confirmations while an order is processing, a message when an order is completed, an invoice or order details, a refund notice, a note from the store owner, and account emails such as a new account and a password reset. Admin emails include a new order, a cancelled order and a failed order.
In the WooCommerce settings you will find an Emails area. From there you can switch each email on or off, change the subject and heading, add extra content, choose plain text or HTML, and set the sender name and address. You can also set the header image, base colour and footer text that all emails share. For many small stores this is enough. If your emails already look right and arrive reliably, you may not need a plugin at all.
Use the built-in options first. Fewer plugins means fewer things to update and less to break when WooCommerce updates.
Four jobs, four kinds of plugin
| Job | What you need | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Change how order emails look | Email designer or customizer | Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer, YayMail, Email Customizer for WooCommerce |
| Send follow-ups, win-backs and reminders | Marketing automation | AutomateWoo, FunnelKit Automations, MailPoet |
| Run campaigns and flows on an outside platform | Email marketing platform with a Woo integration | Omnisend, Klaviyo |
| Make sure emails get delivered | SMTP or mail delivery plugin | WP Mail SMTP |
Email designers
These plugins restyle the emails WooCommerce already sends. They do not add new triggers. They give you a visual editor so the emails match your brand. For a longer list, see our guide to WooCommerce email customizer plugins.
Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer
Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer lets you design the WooCommerce emails using the WordPress Customizer, with a live preview. You adjust colours, fonts, backgrounds and text for the shared template. It is a good fit if you want your emails to match your site without learning a new editor.
YayMail
YayMail is a drag-and-drop customizer for WooCommerce emails. You build each email from blocks, such as text, images, buttons and order details. It suits store owners who want to change layouts and add content without code. Some features, such as extra templates and third-party plugin emails, are part of paid versions.
Email Customizer for WooCommerce
Email Customizer for WooCommerce is another drag-and-drop template builder for the store’s emails. If you want a simple builder and have not settled on one, try it next to the others on a staging site and keep the one whose editor you find easiest.
Automation and follow-up emails
This is where plugins add real value. Core WooCommerce does not send a reminder to someone who left a cart, a thank-you a week after delivery, or a win-back message to a customer who has not ordered for months. Automation plugins add those triggers.
AutomateWoo
AutomateWoo is a marketing automation extension from the WooCommerce team. You build workflows from triggers, rules and actions: for example, when an order is completed, wait some days, then send a review request. It also covers abandoned cart messages, win-back campaigns and wishlist reminders. It is a paid extension, so it suits stores that treat email as a steady revenue channel. See also our guide to cart abandonment plugins.
FunnelKit Automations
FunnelKit Automations adds email automation and a basic CRM inside WordPress. It supports workflows such as abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences and broadcasts to segments of your customers. It is a good option when you want to keep email, contacts and sales data in one place on your own site.
MailPoet
MailPoet is a newsletter and email marketing plugin from the Automattic family that works inside WordPress. It has WooCommerce features, including abandoned cart emails and the ability to use your store data for segments. It can also restyle WooCommerce transactional emails through its own template editor. We cover that in our post on editing a MailPoet WooCommerce email. It is a sensible choice when you want newsletters and store emails in a single tool.
Email marketing platforms
Another approach is to send marketing from an outside platform and connect it to WooCommerce with a plugin. You manage the audiences, campaigns and flows in the platform’s dashboard.
Omnisend
Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing platform for online stores, with a WordPress plugin that connects your WooCommerce data. It offers automated flows such as welcome series and cart recovery, and popups for list building.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is an email and SMS marketing platform with a WooCommerce integration that syncs customers, orders and browsing events. It is built around segmentation and automated flows. Stores that want deep audience targeting often look at it.
Both live on outside services, so your contact data is stored with the vendor. Check their terms and your privacy policy before you connect a store. If you want SMS as well, see our guides to WooCommerce SMS plugins and remarketing plugins.
Delivery: make sure the emails arrive
WP Mail SMTP
By default WordPress sends email through the web server, and those messages are often marked as spam or never delivered. WP Mail SMTP routes your site’s email through a proper mail service instead, such as an SMTP provider or a transactional email service. It does not design or schedule emails, it just helps them arrive. For a store, delivery matters: a missing order confirmation creates support tickets. Whatever sender you choose, set up SPF and DKIM records for your domain with your DNS or mail provider so receiving servers trust your messages.
Notifications for you and your team
Notifications are not only for customers. WooCommerce sends new-order emails to the store owner, and you can change the recipient address in the email’s settings. Some stores need orders to reach several people, such as a warehouse or a vendor. If the built-in recipient field is enough, add all addresses there. If you need routing rules based on product or category, look for a plugin that does this and read its recent reviews and update history on WordPress.org before you install it.
Template overrides: the code route
If you have a developer, WooCommerce lets a theme override its email templates. You copy the template file from the plugin into a folder named for WooCommerce inside your child theme, and edit the copy. This gives full control without an extra plugin. The cost is upkeep: when WooCommerce updates a template, your copy can fall out of date, and the WooCommerce status screen flags outdated overrides. Use a child theme so a theme update does not erase your changes, and test each email after a WooCommerce update.
A designer plugin is usually the better choice for a store owner who edits emails now and then. Overrides make sense when the emails need structure a visual editor cannot give.
Testing your emails
Do not trust a design until you have seen it arrive. Place test orders and move them through each status. Check the subject line, the sender name, the order table and the links in a few mail apps and on a phone. Send a password reset to yourself. If you use an SMTP service, look at its delivery log to confirm the message was accepted. Make this a habit after every WooCommerce, theme or email plugin update.
How to choose
- List the emails that matter. Write down which messages a customer should get after buying, after shipping and when something goes wrong.
- Fix delivery first. If emails land in spam, no design helps. Set up SMTP and domain records.
- Design second. Pick one email designer, set your logo and colours, and send test orders.
- Add automation for one goal. Start with abandoned carts or a review request, measure the effect, then add more.
- Keep it legal. Marketing emails need consent and an unsubscribe link in many places. Transactional emails about an order are different from marketing, so keep them separate.
- Test on staging. Place test orders for each status and check the emails on mobile and in a few mail apps.
Common mistakes
- Installing three email plugins that change the same template and then fighting the conflicts.
- Putting marketing offers inside order confirmation emails without checking local rules.
- Forgetting to test password reset and account emails after a redesign.
- Sending too many automated messages, which pushes people to unsubscribe.
- Ignoring plain-text versions and dark mode, which some mail apps use.
If your store grows past a handful of orders a day, review these emails every few months. Our posts on creating your own online store and landing page templates cover other parts of the customer journey.
Frequently asked questions
Does WooCommerce send emails automatically?
Yes. WooCommerce sends transactional emails for events such as new orders, completed orders, refunds and password resets, and you can turn each one on or off in its email settings.
Can I edit WooCommerce emails without a plugin?
Yes, to a point. You can change subjects, headings, extra text, the header image, colours and footer in the settings. For custom layouts you need a plugin or template overrides in your theme.
What is the best plugin to customize WooCommerce emails?
Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer, YayMail and Email Customizer for WooCommerce all restyle the emails. The best choice is the editor you find easiest, so test them on a staging site.
How do I send abandoned cart emails in WooCommerce?
You need an automation or marketing plugin, because core WooCommerce does not send them. AutomateWoo, FunnelKit Automations, MailPoet, Omnisend and Klaviyo all offer abandoned cart flows.
Why are my WooCommerce emails going to spam?
The usual cause is sending through the web server with no domain authentication. Use an SMTP or mail delivery service and set up SPF and DKIM records for your domain.
Do I need a separate email marketing platform?
Not always. MailPoet and FunnelKit Automations work inside WordPress. Omnisend and Klaviyo run on outside platforms, which can offer more targeting but store your contact data with a vendor.
Are order notification emails marketing emails?
Generally they are transactional, because they relate to a specific order. Marketing messages usually need consent and an unsubscribe option. Check the rules where your customers live.
Can I send emails to several people for each order?
Yes. You can enter more than one recipient address in the new order email setting. For routing by product or category, use a dedicated plugin and check its update history first.
Next step
Start with the built-in emails, fix delivery, and add one automation. If you are planning a full store and community on one WordPress install, you can try a live setup on the Reign demos page.