Canned responses for customer service: 24 templates for online stores

A canned response is a saved answer to a question your team gets every week, which you paste into a chat or email and adjust before sending. The good ones follow the same pattern: one line written for this customer, then the saved answer, then the next step. Below are 24 canned responses for an online store that you can copy, sorted by the moment in the conversation where you need them, plus a naming system so your team can find the right one in two keystrokes.

Why most canned responses sound canned

Customers don't mind that you saved an answer. They mind when the answer ignores what they wrote. "Thank you for contacting us. Your request is important to us" is the classic: it's polite, and it says nothing about their order.

Three habits fix most of it:

1. Write the first line fresh. Repeat the detail they gave you ("the green one in size 42", "order 5531"). This takes ten seconds and shows a person read the message.
2. Answer before you explain. Put the yes, no or date in the first sentence of the saved part. Policy and reasons come after.
3. End with one next step. A question they can answer in one word, or what you will do and by when. Not "let us know if you have any other questions".

Build your library in one afternoon

You don't need 200 templates. Start with 20 to 30: the same questions come back every week, so a short list covers the bulk of what you answer.

1. Read the last 100 conversations. Tag each one with the question behind it: sizing, shipping time, return, discount code, and so on. Don't count by eye, use a tally.
2. Write one reply for each question that came up three times or more. Write it the way your best teammate would type it on a good day. Keep chat replies under 60 words.
3. Put the variable parts in brackets. [order number], [date], [tracking link]. Anything in brackets must be filled before sending, which stops the "Hi [name]" accidents.
4. Name them so they can be found. Use a short prefix per topic, then the case. The table below is a system that works.
5. Share them with the team, then review them every month. Delete the ones nobody used. Rewrite the ones people always edit heavily before sending, because that edit is the better version.

Typing /ret then shows only return replies. That beats scrolling a list of 30.

24 canned responses to copy

Written for chat. For email, add a greeting and your signature. Replace everything in square brackets. {{contact.name | there}} is the Shopxare variable for the customer's first name, with "there" as the fallback when the name is unknown; in other tools, use their own name variable.

Three questions have their own detailed posts with more templates: where is my order, complaints and messages outside office hours. They're not repeated here.

Opening and holding

1. hi-greeting

Hi {{contact.name | there}}, thanks for writing. I'm [your name] and I'll help you with this.

2. hi-order-number

Happy to check that for you. Could you send me your order number? It starts with [#] and is in the confirmation email from [shop name].

3. hi-checking

Give me two minutes to check this with [the warehouse / our stock system]. I'll be right back in this chat.

4. hi-transfer

[Colleague] handles [returns / wholesale orders] and can sort this out faster than I can. I've passed the conversation to them with everything you told me, so you won't need to repeat it.

Before the sale

5. pre-size

Good question. [Product] runs [true to size / a little small]. If you're between two sizes, take [the larger one]. The size chart with measurements is here: [link]. Tell me your usual size and I'll check it's in stock.

6. pre-stock

[Product] in [colour/size] is sold out right now. We expect it back on [date]. Want me to note your email so you hear the moment it's in? Or I can suggest something similar that ships today.

7. pre-shipping

Orders placed before [2 pm] on a working day ship the same day. Delivery to [country] takes [1–3 working days] with [carrier] and costs [€4.90], free over [€50].

8. pre-payment

You can pay by [card, PayPal, Apple Pay, bank transfer]. The payment options show up on the last step of the checkout.

9. pre-discount-code

Sorry the code didn't work. [CODE] is valid [until date / on orders over €X / not on sale items]. If your basket meets that and it still fails, send me a screenshot of the error and I'll apply the discount for you.

10. pre-recommend

For [use they described], I'd pick [Product A]: [one concrete reason]. [Product B] is the better choice if [other need]. Both are in stock.

Order changes

11. ord-address

I can still change it, because your order hasn't shipped. What's the new address? Once it's packed, I can't change it, so the sooner the better.

12. ord-address-late

Your order already left us on [date], so I can't change the address on our side. You can redirect it with [carrier] here: [link]. If that doesn't work, write back and we'll sort it out together.

13. ord-cancel

Done, I've cancelled order [number]. The refund of [amount] goes back to your [card/PayPal] within [3–5 working days], depending on your bank.

14. ord-invoice

Here's the invoice for order [number]: [link]. If you need a company name or VAT number on it, send me the details and I'll issue a new one.

Returns and refunds

15. ret-how

You can return it within [30] days of delivery. Start the return here: [link]. You'll get a label by email, and once the parcel reaches us, we refund within [X] days.

16. ret-label

Here's your return label: [link]. Print it, stick it over the old label and drop the parcel at any [carrier] point. No printer? Show this QR code at the counter instead: [link].

17. ret-refund-status

Your return arrived on [date] and the refund of [amount] went out on [date]. Banks usually take [3–5 working days] to show it. If it's not there by [date], write to me and I'll chase it.

18. ret-exchange

Easiest way to swap sizes: I'll reserve [size] for you now and send it as soon as your return is scanned by [carrier]. You don't need to place a new order.

19. ret-damaged

I'm sorry it arrived like that. Could you send a photo of the item and the box? Then I'll send a replacement [today], and you don't need to send the damaged one back.

Payment problems

20. pay-failed

The payment didn't go through, so you haven't been charged. This is usually [3D Secure timing out / a card limit]. Try once more, or use [PayPal]. Your basket is still saved.

21. pay-double

I can see two payments of [amount] on [date], and one is a duplicate. I've refunded it today. It should show in your account within [3–5 working days].

Closing

22. bye-solved

Glad that's sorted. I'll close this chat now. If anything else comes up, just write here and it opens again.

23. bye-no-reply

I haven't heard back, so I'll close this conversation for now. Nothing is lost: reply here any time and you'll pick up where we left off.

24. bye-feedback

One last thing: did this answer your question? A quick yes or no helps us more than you'd think.

Get the returns replies right

Templates 15 to 17 make legal promises, so check them against the rules where your customers live. In the EU, a customer who buys online can withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason, counted from delivery for goods (Your Europe). The seller has to refund within 14 days of being told about the withdrawal, and the customer has 14 days to send the goods back (Directive 2011/83/EU, Articles 13 and 14). Unless the seller offered to collect the goods, it may hold the refund until they arrive or the customer shows proof of sending them.

So if your template says "we refund within 30 days", it's wrong in the EU. A longer return window than 14 days is fine; a slower refund isn't. This is a summary, not legal advice.

When not to use a canned response

Saved replies are for questions with one right answer. Skip them, or use only a small part, when:

• The customer is angry or upset. A polished template reads as a brush-off. Write it yourself. The complaints guide has a structure for this.
• They've written about the same thing before. Sending the same reply twice is the fastest way to a bad review. Read the history, then answer what's still open.
• Money, safety or a legal threat is involved. A chargeback, an injury, a lawyer's letter. A person decides, and the reply says what that person decided.
• The template answers a slightly different question. "Can I return a sale item?" is not "How do I return something?" If you'd need to edit more than half of it, write a new reply, and maybe save that one.

Example: a shoe shop on a Saturday

A small online shoe shop has 26 saved replies. On Saturday morning a customer writes in the website chat:

Customer: hi, do the Alva boots run small? I'm normally a 39 but my last pair from you was tight

The teammate types /pre-size, and the reply appears in the message box. She changes the first line and fills the brackets:

Agent: Hi Lena, you're right, the Alva runs about half a size small, so I'd go for a 40. The size chart with insole lengths is here: [link]. The 40 is in stock in black and brown, both ship today.

Total time: about 30 seconds, and the first line is about Lena's actual problem.

Saved replies in Shopxare

Shopxare is a free customer messaging tool with a website chat (the Messenger), a shared inbox and an AI agent. You create saved replies under Settings → Saved replies, as personal or shared with the team. In the inbox, type / and a shortcut or any word in the name; accents and capitalisation are ignored. Variables such as {{contact.name | there}} fill in contact details with a fallback, and you can use your own custom contact attributes too.

Two details that save extra clicks:

• Actions on a saved reply. A reply can also close the conversation, assign it to you or set a priority. Put "close" on bye-solved and you're done in one step.
• Copilot and Are AI. Copilot rewrites a draft to be friendlier, shorter or more formal, and translates it into the customer's language. Nothing is sent without a person. If you turn on shared saved replies as a knowledge source, Are AI can answer routine questions from them, and hands over when the customer asks for a person, is angry, or when it isn't confident.

Shopxare is free, with no credit card. Install the Messenger, paste in the replies you need from this list, and change the brackets to your shop's details.

FAQ

What is a canned response in customer service?

A saved, reusable reply to a common question, such as "how do I return this?". Agents insert it with a shortcut and adjust it before sending. Help desks also call them saved replies, macros, snippets or templates.

Do customers notice canned responses?

They notice when the reply doesn't fit their message. A fresh first line that mentions their detail, and brackets filled with their order data, make a saved reply read like a normal answer.

How many canned responses does a small team need?

20 to 30 is a good start. Write one for every question that comes up three or more times in your last 100 conversations, and delete the ones nobody uses after a month.

What's the difference between a canned response and a macro?

A canned response is the text. A macro usually adds actions, such as setting a tag, a priority or closing the ticket. In Shopxare, a saved reply can do both: insert the text and close, assign or prioritise the conversation.

How do I make canned responses sound less robotic?

Write the first line for this customer, put the actual answer in the first sentence, cut "please do not hesitate to contact us", and end with one concrete next step.