WooCommerce email customization ranged from simple CSS tweaks to full plugin-based overrides with WooCommerce Email Customizer or Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer. Shopify's email templates are simpler to customize but use a different system. This guide covers everything from basic branding to advanced transactional email strategy.

Shopify email templates vs WooCommerce

Email type	WooCommerce	Shopify
Order confirmation	WC email template (PHP)	Notification template (Liquid)
Shipping notification	WC "Order shipped" email	Shipping confirmation notification
Abandoned cart	Plugin (Abandoned Cart Pro, Klaviyo)	Shopify native checkout abandonment or Klaviyo
Welcome email	Plugin or WC new account email	Klaviyo or Shopify Email welcome flow
Password reset	WC account email	Shopify notification: Customer account password reset
Refund confirmation	WC refund email	Shopify notification: Order refund
Custom template design	WC Email Customizer plugin or PHP template override	Edit Notification HTML + Liquid in Admin
Marketing emails	Mailchimp/Klaviyo integration	Klaviyo, Shopify Email, or Omnisend

Shopify notification emails

Shopify's transactional emails are called "Notifications." Find them at Admin → Settings → Notifications.

Key notification templates to customize

Order confirmation: Sent to customer immediately after checkout. Most important template — this is often the most-read email you'll ever send a customer.
Shipping confirmation: Sent when you mark an order as fulfilled. Includes tracking number and link.
Order cancelled: Sent when order is cancelled
Refund notification: Sent when a refund is processed
Customer account invite: Sent when creating a customer account manually
Customer account welcome: Sent when a customer creates an account
Customer account password reset: Password reset link
Gift card: Gift card code delivery email

Editing notification templates

Admin → Settings → Notifications → click any notification → "Edit code".

Template structure

<!-- Shopify notification template -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>{{ shop.name }} - {{ email_title }}</title>
    <style>/* inline CSS here */</style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <table>
      <!-- header -->
      <tr>
        <td>{{ shop.email_logo_url | img_tag }}</td>
      </tr>
      <!-- body -->
      <tr>
        <td>
          {{ email_body }}
        </td>
      </tr>
    </table>
  </body>
</html>

Global notification header and footer

Edit the global template that wraps all notifications: Settings → Notifications → scroll to "Email template" section. Changes here apply to all notification emails. This is where to add your logo, brand colors, and footer links.

Liquid in notification templates

Shopify notification templates use a limited subset of Liquid. Key variables available:

Order confirmation template variables

{{ shop.name }}           — store name
{{ shop.email }}          — store email
{{ shop.url }}            — store URL
{{ order.name }}          — order number: #1001
{{ order.created_at }}    — order date
{{ order.email }}         — customer email
{{ order.shipping_address.first_name }}
{{ order.total_price | money }}
{{ order.subtotal_price | money }}
{{ order.shipping_price | money }}
{{ order.tax_price | money }}

{% for line in order.line_items %}
  {{ line.title }}
  {{ line.quantity }}
  {{ line.price | money }}
  {{ line.sku }}
  {{ line.variant.title }}
  {{ line.image | img_url: 'small' }}
{% endfor %}

Shipping confirmation additional variables

{{ fulfillment.tracking_number }}
{{ fulfillment.tracking_url }}
{{ fulfillment.tracking_company }}

Branding your notification emails

Basic branding checklist

Upload brand logo: Admin → Settings → Notifications → Customize. Upload logo for email header.
Set brand color: the accent color for buttons and links in notification emails
Add store address to footer (legal requirement in many markets)
Add social media links to footer
Update sender name: "From" name customers see — typically "Your Brand" not "Shopify"
Set sender email: Admin → Settings → Notifications → Sender email. Configure a custom domain email for best deliverability.

Custom sender domain (recommended)

Send from orders@yourstore.com instead of Shopify's domain
Admin → Settings → Notifications → Sender email → "Add sender email"
Verify domain ownership via DNS TXT record
Configure SPF and DKIM records for your domain to ensure deliverability
Gmail/Outlook open rates improve significantly when sending from a custom domain

Advanced customization via Klaviyo transactional emails

For professional-grade transactional email design, use Klaviyo instead of Shopify's notification templates:

Why use Klaviyo for transactional emails

Drag-and-drop visual email builder — no HTML required
Brand consistency between transactional and marketing emails
A/B test subject lines and template variants
Deliverability analytics: open rates, clicks, bounces per template
Conditional content blocks (show different content based on order value, customer tag, etc.)

Shopify → Klaviyo transactional events

Order placed → Klaviyo "Placed Order" event → trigger Klaviyo order confirmation flow
Order fulfilled → Klaviyo "Fulfilled Order" event → trigger shipping notification flow
Order refunded → Klaviyo "Refunded Order" event → trigger refund email flow
Disable corresponding Shopify notification when Klaviyo handles it: Settings → Notifications → uncheck or disable

Migration from WooCommerce Email Customizer to Klaviyo

Export your WooCommerce email template design (screenshot or HTML export)
Recreate in Klaviyo drag-and-drop builder
Set up event triggers in Klaviyo to match WooCommerce email types
Test each transactional flow with a real Shopify test order

Order confirmation email best practices

The order confirmation is your most-read transactional email. Optimize it:

Confirm the order clearly: order number, items ordered, total
Set expectations: shipping estimate, tracking notification timing
Include customer service contact: email/chat link for issues
Upsell opportunity: product recommendation below order summary (recommended complementary products)
Social proof: short review request for after delivery (separate post-purchase email, not in order confirmation)
Mobile-first: 60%+ of transactional emails are read on mobile. Test on iPhone and Android.

Email template migration checklist

Review all WooCommerce email templates: document which plugins customized them and what they looked like
Configure global Shopify notification branding: logo, brand color, sender name, sender email
Customize order confirmation template: match brand design, include key order details
Customize shipping confirmation template: ensure tracking link is prominent
Set custom sender domain + verify SPF/DKIM records
Decide: use Shopify notifications or Klaviyo for transactional emails?
If Klaviyo: build order confirmation flow, shipping notification flow, refund flow
If Shopify notifications: edit HTML templates to match brand; test with a test order
Test all templates: place a test order, trigger all notification types
Verify from mobile: open test emails on iPhone and Android
Check spam: use Mail Tester (mail-tester.com) to verify SPF/DKIM alignment and spam score

The sender email configuration is the most technically impactful change. Stores that send from noreply@shopifyemail.com (Shopify's default shared domain) consistently see lower open rates and higher spam folder placement compared to stores sending from their own domain. The DNS verification process takes 30 minutes to set up and has an immediate deliverability impact. Do this on day one — not as an afterthought two weeks after launch.

Shopify email templates customization after WooCommerce (2026)