The Shopify shipping notification email template contains a tracking number/track delivery button and link. But what if you are not planning on using a tracked delivery service?
Will this option automatically disappear if I don’t add any tracking info on the order?
Many thanks
Hi, @Sundayla !
I’m Miles from the Social Care team at Shopify. This is a really great question.
Essentially, if there’s no tracking number provided when you’re fulfilling an order, there won’t be a link in the email to track the item. I’ve created some screenshots for you to show the two emails that are sent once an item is shipped.
Screenshot 1 shows the email without tracking:
Screenshot 2 shows the email with tracking:
Keep in mind, you’re in total control of the content of the notifications your customers are sent. We have a great guide that walks you through the different notifications you can edit here: https://bit.ly/2QGcTQv. Our 24/7 support is always available as well if you’re ever in need of some guidance with your store.
On the topic of customer notifications, it’s a really good idea to think about how you’re going to communicate with your customers outside of shipping and order notifications. Email marketing is a great way to encourage customers to sign up to your newsletter and keep up to date with new promotions. I’d recommend checking out Shopify Compass (https://bit.ly/2LyfedE) to help you get started with this. Shopify Compass provides you with free webinars and courses on things like store design, email marketing and more.
It sounds like you’re well on your way to launching your store. Make sure you check our Help Center and Shopify Compass to keep learning how to grow to your business.
Many thanks for that @Miles !
Hi Miles,
I saw your response as I was searching for an answer to a similar question. My third party app automatically assigns a tracking number which triggers the email to my customer. My question is this: How do I change the code to omit this line?
Hi, @kristij1000 !
Thanks for your question. Removing the tracking in the code will remove it for all customers, so it’s definitely worth thinking about whether you want customers to receive tracking information or not. If you’re happy to remove all references to tracking, then I’ve outlined what you can do below.
First, you’ll need to navigate to Settings > Notifications. From there, scroll down to the shipping section and open the template called “Shipping confirmation”. I find it’s always best to highlight each section that contains a particular word so that you can find what you’re looking. In this case press CRTL + F (on PC) or command + F (on Mac) and type the word track. You’ll be presented with a yellow highlight where that word is found like the screenshot below.
You’ll notice that there are a few references to the tracking terminology in the template. This is because the code looks for different scenarios. For example, it’s looking to send this email when 1 or more line items have been fulfilled and will send this template out if any products are shipped, even if they’re not all fulfilled at the same time. This way the customer knows what’s coming. So for the screenshot above, remove each sentence that says “Track your shipment to see the delivery status.” Do not delete the code after it, or the words before it.
Once that’s done, scroll down in the template until you reach the next block of code with reference to the tracking. Delete the entire block that I’ve added in the screenshot below. It’s very important to delete only the code shown below, and nothing directly above or below it.
That’s it! Make sure you preview the template before you save the changes to make sure it’s working as expected. To preview the template, click Actions > Preview on the top right.
I also recommend checking out our guide on editing notifications. It’s really important that your notifications reflect your brand as best as possible, so the guide has some handy tips to include your logo, color scheme, custom messages and more. As always, we’re here to support you, so if you do get stuck at any time, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask us for help. Thanks!
@Miles Thank you, thank you, thank you for the detailed response! That is exactly what I was looking to do. Which leads to my next question - I’m a new company and a new drop shipper. I’m assuming that other drop shipping companies prefer to mask or omit some of the tracking information that customers see such as it originating in China. Is there an app or another way that is being used that allows the seller to modify that information on the tracking link?
Kristi
Hey, @kristij1000 !
Another great question! At the end of the day, it will always come down to each individual supplier, and the type of tracking you choose when purchasing the products your customers have ordered. As an example, let’s take AliExpress and their suppliers. My very first store was a dropshipping store using Oberlo and AliExpress suppliers. I found quickly that if I didn’t want my customers to be waiting upwards of a month for their orders, I’d need to spend the extra money on faster shipping. That came with another problem though - the tracking. I was caught between extended shipping times or showing customers that their order has originated from China. I also noticed that most of the tracking stops once the product leaves China. Once it hit the country where the customer lives, the tracking would stop.
Before I go into what I did in my case, I want to answer your question directly. Simply put, the seller will not be able to modify the tracking at all. There are many reasons for this, but the main reasons are around the need for integrity and being truthful with their customers (you) and your customers too around the origin of the product. The sellers themselves ship based on your shipping method chosen when you pay for the products, so the tracking itself is in the hands of the delivery services.
My solution to this was to let customers know that shipping can take up to 60 days to receive their items, but that they could opt-in for faster-tracked shipping at a price. At the checkout, I had 2 shipping options: Free Shipping (up to 90 days) and Express Shipping (15-30 days) for a price. That way, the customers were aware of the timeframe and were also in control of it. Merchants can think this would deter customer - and they’re not completely wrong. Some customers won’t wait that long. But the customers that do make it worthwhile. With dropship prices fairly cheap, you can be super competitive in almost any market. It’s like the saying goes; “good things come to those who wait”.
From there, once I had a firm budget behind me, I moved over to a print on demand model and purchased products in bulk to be shipped to me. That way, I was sitting on the stock myself and could ship the products myself as orders came in. With all that being said, you do have a few options that depend on your budget and your business direction.
No matter which supplier you choose, Oberlo is a great place to learn about how to make dropshipping work for you. They have recently gone through a complete rebrand. Whilst at their core they are still the link to dropship products with AliExpress, they now have a large focus on helping merchants find success. The newly redesigned brand has blogs, courses and more all tied into the membership. Having done many of their courses myself, I highly recommend it.
If you have any follow up questions at all, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
