For most orders, four messages are enough to start with: a confirmation that tells the customer the order has been received and summarizes it, tracking details once the parcel is handed to the carrier, a short check-in on delivery and, a few days later, a review question about that order. When an order is paid by bank transfer (havale or EFT), the confirmation also carries your bank details, and a separate short payment confirmation follows once the money reaches your account. While the order is being prepared, report only two things: preparation that will run past the dispatch time stated on your site, and an item that is out of stock. Each message should carry information that was not in the previous one and that the customer can use at that moment.
To adapt the flow to your own store, you will need to answer three questions: which intermediate steps stay switched off, what information goes into each message, and how coupons are kept apart from these messages. You can adapt the sample texts directly: they cover orders paid by card, by bank transfer and on delivery, orders with a stock problem and orders split into two parcels. You will also be able to set up a sequence that does not clash with the emails and SMS messages your e-commerce platform sends.
The order’s actual statuses set the sequence
A customer who has just placed an order has predictable questions in mind: whether the order was received, whether the payment went through, when the parcel will set off and when it will be in their hands. The messages follow the same sequence as those questions. Tie each message to a status change in your admin panel; a “your order is still being prepared” message sent while the status has not changed gives the customer no new information.
Mapped onto order statuses, the flow runs like this:
- The order confirmation goes out the moment the order is created.
- The payment confirmation goes out only for orders paid after checkout, such as by bank transfer, once the money reaches your account.
- A preparation update goes out only if preparing the item takes longer than the dispatch time stated on your site.
- A cancellation and refund notice goes out only when the order, or an item in it, is canceled.
- The shipping notification goes out when the tracking number is created.
- The delivery message goes out when the carrier records the delivery.
- The review request goes out after the customer has had a chance to use the product.
Not every step in the list needs to be switched on. If you ship orders the same day, only a few hours pass between the confirmation and the shipping notification, so do not put a preparation message in between. Use the same yardstick for the “Your order has been received” and “Your order has been confirmed” steps. When you check and approve orders by hand and that check can slip to the next day, two separate messages make sense. With automatic approval, the two messages arrive back to back and the second says nothing new.
Choose the sending time to suit each step, too. Send the confirmation straight away, even for an order placed at night; the customer is still at their screen at that moment. Shipping, delivery and review messages that would land at night should wait until morning.
Before you set up a WhatsApp order updates flow, match the list above to the order statuses in your own admin panel. Leave the step switched off for any status where you cannot answer the question “what does the customer learn from this message that they did not know before?”
Itemize the order in the confirmation and catch mistakes before it ships
The first message has two jobs. One is to tell the customer that the purchase is complete. A customer whose connection dropped during payment learns from this message whether the order was created, and a customer who closed the thank-you page gets the order summary somewhere they can easily find it later. The other is to catch a possible mistake before the parcel ships. If the wrong size, an item left out of the order or an old address is spotted in this message, fixing it takes no more than a reply. Once the parcel is on its way, the same mistake can turn into a return and two shipping fees.
The confirmation should include:
- The order number, in a form the customer can use when writing to your support team.
- Product names and quantities; for an order with many items, the name of the first item and a summary such as “and 3 more items.”
- The total amount and the payment method.
- The district and province of the delivery address.
- When the order will be handed to the carrier; give only a date you can keep.
- What the customer should do if something is wrong.
Do not write out the full address. Depending on the phone’s settings, a WhatsApp notification can show up on the lock screen, where someone else may read it while the phone sits on a desk. The district and province are usually enough. A customer whose home and work addresses, or old and new addresses, are in the same district cannot tell from these which one was chosen, though; if your platform stores an address label (such as “Home” or “Work”), add that as well.
Work out the shipping date from the time the order was placed, too, instead of using a generic phrase. “1–3 business days” does not tell the customer much, whereas a sentence such as “Your order will ship today” or “It ships tomorrow” states clearly when the parcel will set off, as long as you can keep to it. In the samples, fill the {{ship day}} field with a value that fits the sentence as written, such as “today,” “tomorrow” or “on October 8.”
Hello {{customer name}}, we’ve received your order {{order number}}: {{product name}} and {{other item count}} more. Total: {{amount}} ({{payment method}}). Delivery to: {{address label}}, {{district}}/{{province}}. Your order will ship {{ship day}}. If you spot a mistake, just reply to this message.
Orders paid by bank transfer
For an order paid by bank transfer, the main job of the confirmation is to make payment easy. A customer who has to search the order email for your bank details may put the payment off; with the details in the message, they do not need to look anywhere else to pay. Include the bank name, the account holder’s name, the IBAN, the amount due and the order number they should enter in the transfer description. Put the IBAN on a line of its own, apart from the other details, so the customer does not have to pick the number out of the text. If you give the customer a set time to pay, clearly state the deadline and what happens to the order once it passes. Pushouse’s order updates module also sends customers who pay by bank transfer your bank name, account name and IBAN in a WhatsApp message.
Hello {{customer name}}, here are the payment details for your order {{order number}}:
Bank: {{bank name}}
Recipient: {{account holder}}
{{IBAN}}
Amount: {{amount}}
Please write your order number in the description field. If you don’t pay by {{payment deadline}}, your order will be canceled; we’ll let you know when your payment arrives.
Once the money reaches your account, send the customer a short confirmation. Without it, the customer may write to you to ask whether the payment arrived or to send you the transfer receipt; the confirmation answers that question before it is asked. Two pieces of information are enough for this second message: that the payment has arrived, and when the order will ship.
Hello {{customer name}}, we’ve received your payment, thank you. Your order {{order number}} is being prepared and will ship {{ship day}}.
If you tie the payment confirmation to an order status in your admin panel, check whether orders paid by card or on delivery also move into that status; the line “we’ve received your payment” should go only to bank transfer orders. Before switching off the “Your order has been confirmed” step for card orders, make sure bank transfer orders will not be left without a payment confirmation. If you cannot send the second message, remove the sentence “we’ll let you know when your payment arrives” from the payment details sample above. A stream of customers asking “I’ve paid, has it arrived?” means the confirmation is either going out late or not going out at all.
Pay-on-delivery orders
With pay on delivery, the customer has to have the money ready when the parcel arrives, so state the amount due clearly in the confirmation. Show any extra fee you charge separately next to the total; if the amount the courier asks for at the door differs from the one in the message, the customer may decide not to take the parcel. Also say whether your carrier accepts card payments at the door. If you only ship an order after confirming it by phone or message, tell the customer what you need from them and how long you will hold the order if they do not reply.
Hello {{customer name}}, we’ve received your pay-on-delivery order {{order number}}. The amount you’ll pay on delivery is {{amount}}, including a pay-on-delivery fee of {{extra fee}}. The courier accepts {{payment options}}. Your order will ship {{ship day}}.
Where you ship only after the customer confirms the order, you can replace the last sentence with this:
Just reply “I confirm” to this message and we’ll ship your order. If we don’t get a reply within {{reply period}}, we’ll cancel the order.
During preparation, report only long production times and stock problems
A preparation update is useful when getting the item ready will take longer than the dispatch time stated on your site. Items personalized with a printed name, made-to-measure curtains, made-to-order furniture and products sold on pre-order fall into this group. For an order like that, the confirmation already gives the estimated date; the preparation message confirms that production has started and that the date still stands. Keep the message switched off for orders that stay within the dispatch time. For those that go beyond it, one message is enough; do not send a status update every day during preparation.
Hello {{customer name}}, the {{product name}} in your order {{order number}} has gone into production. We’ll ship it {{ship day}} as planned and send you the tracking number here on that day.
There is one more situation you should report: an item in the order being out of stock. The customer should not find this out when they open the box. Tell them before the parcel leaves and offer three options: ship everything together once the item comes in, ship the items in stock now and send the rest later, or cancel that item and refund its price. Do not offer separate shipping as an option unless you will cover the cost of the second shipment. Meta’s guide to template categorization lists a message that says an item in the order is out of stock and offers to cancel it for a refund among its order management examples in the utility category.
Hello {{customer name}}, we’re sorry, but the {{product name}} in your order {{order number}} is out of stock at the moment, and we expect it back on {{restock date}}. Shall we ship your other items today, or send everything together? If you’d like to cancel this item, we’ll refund its price. You can reply to this message with your choice; if we don’t hear back within {{reply period}}, we’ll ship your other items.
If the customer chooses to cancel the item, or you have to cancel the order yourself, let them know in a separate message. State which item was canceled, the amount to be refunded and how the money will be returned. For an order paid by bank transfer, ask in the same message which account the refund should go to; for a pay-on-delivery order, give the new amount to be paid to the courier.
Hello {{customer name}}, the {{product name}} in your order {{order number}} has been canceled. We’ve started a refund of {{refund amount}} to the card you paid with; how long it takes to appear in your account may vary depending on your bank.
Put more than a tracking link in the shipping notification
The shipping message lets customers follow their parcel without having to ask anyone. The tracking link is at the heart of it, but on its own it is not enough. Name the carrier, so the customer recognizes the courier at the door or the number calling them. Give the tracking number separately from the link as well, because some customers prefer to look it up in the carrier’s own app. Add the estimated delivery day too, when the carrier shows one. For pay-on-delivery orders, repeat the amount due once more in this message.
In Pushouse’s WhatsApp order tracking module, once the order’s shipping details are created, the customer receives the order number, the tracking number and a link to the tracking page. Whether you need further notifications while the parcel is in transit is a separate decision.
If the order has been split into more than one parcel, be sure to say so. A customer who receives one box without knowing that a second one is on its way may write to you complaining about a missing item. Give each parcel’s tracking number and link on a separate line; a customer looking at a single link cannot tell which parcel they are following.
Hello {{customer name}}, your order {{order number}} is on its way with {{carrier}} in 2 parcels.
Parcel 1: {{tracking number 1}}, {{tracking link 1}}
Parcel 2: {{tracking number 2}}, {{tracking link 2}}
Your parcels may arrive on different days; you can follow each one through its own link.
After delivery, a check-in first and a review request a few days later
Send the delivery message not to tell the customer “you have your parcel” but so that they can tell you right away if something is wrong. If the parcel was left at the door while the customer was out, if the box arrived crushed or if an item turned out to be missing, the way to reach you should already be in this message. The delivery example in the template categorization guide is built the same way: it says the order has been delivered and asks the customer to get in touch if there was a problem. Anything the customer needs to know about using the product, such as a point to watch before the first wash or an installation video, can go into this message as well. Include the link to your returns and exchanges page too; when the customer needs it, they will not have to search for it.
Hello {{customer name}}, according to the carrier’s records, your order {{order number}} has been delivered. If the parcel hasn’t reached you or something is wrong with it, reply to this message and our team will get back to you. You’ll find the steps for exchanges and returns at {{returns link}}.
The review request is a separate message and should not go out on the day of delivery; when the customer has only just opened the box, they have little to say about the product. Choose the waiting period according to how long the customer needs to try the product. For cosmetics, clothing and accessories, two or three days is a reasonable starting point; for electronics that need installing and for furniture, wait close to a week. Adjust these periods to your own response rate.
Tie the message to a specific order and product. According to the same guide, a general survey or feedback request will not be approved as a utility template. Instead of “Rate us,” ask “Did the {{product name}} live up to your expectations?” and set things up so the customer can give a rating by choosing from ready-made options rather than typing it. In Pushouse’s WhatsApp feedback module, you choose the order statuses that trigger the survey; the customer picks a rating from a ready-made list and can then leave a short comment.
Hello {{customer name}}, did the {{product name}} from your order {{order number}} live up to your expectations? Just choose a rating from the list; if you like, you can also tell us about your experience in a few sentences.
Keep coupons and campaigns out of order notifications
Adding a line such as “10% off your next purchase” to the bottom of a confirmation or shipping message may seem tempting. Before you do, check two rules. The second paragraph of Article 6 of Türkiye’s Regulation on Commercial Communication and Commercial Electronic Messages does not require prior consent for notifications about matters such as purchases and deliveries. The last sentence of the same paragraph, however, states that no goods or services may be promoted or advertised in such notifications. An order message with a coupon line added goes beyond that limit.
The template categorization guide takes the same line: order management messages should not promote or recommend products, cross-sell or include offers. A template that carries a promotion alongside an order update is treated as a marketing template. The guide also notes that the category determines the price. Businesses that consistently submit templates with marketing content for approval in the utility category can face escalating restrictions; the process starts with a warning and can go as far as all of their approved utility templates being moved to the marketing category. Send campaign announcements in a separate message to customers who have agreed to receive marketing messages, and keep your order notifications to the order itself.
Under the fifth paragraph of Article 6 of the Regulation, there is no check against İYS (İleti Yönetim Sistemi, Türkiye’s national register of consent to commercial electronic messages) for these notifications either. WhatsApp, on the other hand, sets a permission requirement of its own. The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy lets a business contact people on WhatsApp only if they have given it their phone number or username and confirmed that they want to receive further messages from it. On the checkout page, use a separate, explicit checkbox for receiving order notifications on WhatsApp, and do not combine it with marketing consent. That way, a customer who has not agreed to campaign messages can still follow their order’s status on WhatsApp. The policy’s best-practice recommendations on opt-in also include obtaining separate opt-in for each message category.
Answer replies to order messages within 24 hours
Order messages may be designed as one-way announcements, but customers reply to them. An address correction comes in after the confirmation, a question about the delivery time after the shipping message and a photo of the damage after the delivery message. Before you switch the flow on, decide who will read the replies that come in to your sending number, and how quickly. An unanswered “can I change my address?” message comes back to you as a return and a reshipment once the parcel goes to the wrong address.
Delaying your reply also has a consequence on the WhatsApp side. According to Meta’s pricing documentation, a 24-hour customer service window opens when a customer writes to you; once 24 hours have passed since the customer’s last message, you can write to them only with an approved template. As replies pile up, sorting messages by topic, such as order tracking, address changes and returns, makes the work easier; you can set up a WhatsApp question routing flow for that.
Keep email, SMS and WhatsApp from repeating the same step
Many e-commerce platforms send their own email when an order is placed, and some also send an SMS at the shipping stage. Add a WhatsApp flow on top of these and the customer may get the same shipping news through three channels. When you set up your messages, first list what your platform sends at each step and through which channel, then send each step’s instant notification through a single channel, either SMS or WhatsApp. For the messages you send customers after a purchase, the following split between channels usually works. Email carries the documents worth keeping, such as the detailed order breakdown, the invoice and the contract text. WhatsApp carries the short pieces of information the customer needs to know that day: the confirmation, payment details, dispatch and delivery. Do not switch off your platform’s order email; let the documents stay there.
Run a test order for every payment type
Four test orders, one paid by card, one paid by bank transfer, one paid on delivery and one canceled before shipping, will show you a message going out at the wrong step before your customers see it; if possible, add an order split into two parcels as well. In each test, check that the right message arrives at the right step, that the canceled order receives no shipping or review message, and that the tracking and returns links in the messages open without trouble on a phone.
The “we’ve received your payment” message should arrive only for the bank transfer test order; if you see it for the card or pay-on-delivery order, change the status you tied the payment confirmation to. In the bank transfer test, make sure the IBAN points to the right account; in the pay-on-delivery test, make sure the amount is shown with the extra fee included. A single-item order should not produce a line like “and 0 more” in the confirmation; in an order with many items, check that the first item’s name and the number of remaining items come out right. A product name that runs to three lines with its variant details pushes the rest of the confirmation off the bottom of the screen. In the split-order test, see how the second parcel is announced to the customer. To choose which order statuses trigger a message and to customize the notifications for each status, take a look at Pushouse’s order status notifications.
