Thank you messages for customers: 24 examples for online stores (2026)

Short answer: a good thank you message for customers does three things in two or three sentences: it names what you are thanking them for, it adds one useful detail (a tracking link, a care tip, a person to write to), and it asks for nothing, or for one small thing at most. Send it right after the moment it refers to: the order, the end of a chat, a review. Keep discount codes and "you might also like" out of it unless the customer agreed to marketing, because in the UK and the EU an offer or a review request can turn a thank-you into marketing, and in the US a reward for a positive review is banned. Below are 24 messages to copy, a table of when to send which, and the rules.

Why a two-line thank-you is worth the effort

In a 2010 experiment by Adam Grant and Francesca Gino, people helped a student with a cover letter and then got either a plain acknowledgment or a thank-you. When a second student asked for help, 66% of the thanked group helped again, against 32% of those who were only acknowledged. The thanked group also felt more valued: 55% against 25% (Harvard Gazette, 2013). It was a small study with 57 students, not shoppers, but the logic carries over: a review, a survey answer or a referral is a favour, and people who feel thanked do the next one more often.

The four-part formula

1. What for. "Thanks for your order" is fine. "Thanks for ordering the linen apron" is better.
2. One specific detail. Something only your store could write: who packed it, when it ships, how to wash it.
3. The useful next thing. Tracking, a care guide, a reply-to address that reaches a person.
4. One ask, at most. A review, a rating or nothing. Two asks in one message read like a newsletter.

Compare:

Thank you for your purchase. We value your business. Use code THANKS10 for 10% off your next order and follow us on Instagram.

Thanks for ordering the linen apron, Emma. Jonas is packing it today and it ships tomorrow with Royal Mail. If anything about it isn't right, just reply to this email.

The first could come from any shop and asks for two things. The second sounds like a person wrote it.

Which thank-you to send, and when

Two opinions behind this table: the review request waits until the customer has used the product, and after a complaint the thank-you goes out without a survey. Asking for a rating the hour you fixed your own mistake rarely goes well.

24 thank you messages to copy

Replace the parts in square brackets. They are short on purpose: most people read them on a phone.

After a purchase

1. First order

Hi [First name], thanks for your first order with us. [Product] leaves our workshop on [day], and you'll get the tracking link by email the moment it does. If you have a question before then, reply to this email and a person will answer.

2. Repeat order

Hi [First name], good to see you again. Your [product] is on the packing table and ships [tomorrow]. Thanks for coming back.

3. Large or B2B order

Hi [First name], thank you for the order for [company]. [Number] items is a big one, so we'll ship it in [number] parcels on [date]. Your delivery notes and invoice are attached. For anything about this order, write to me directly at [email].

4. Gift order

Thanks for choosing [product] as a gift. We've left the price off the packing slip and added a card with your message. It should arrive by [date].

In the box

5. Packing card

[First name], thank you for buying from a small shop. [Name] packed this for you on [date]. Wash it cold the first time, and if anything is wrong, write to [email] and we'll fix it.

After delivery

6. Check-in with a tip

Hi [First name], your [product] should have arrived [last week]. One tip from us: [practical tip]. If it isn't what you expected, reply here and we'll sort it out.

7. Review request

Hi [First name], thanks again for your order. If you have a minute, would you tell other customers what you think of [product]? Here's the link: [review link]. Good or bad, we read every review.

8. Photo request

Thanks for shopping with us, [First name]. If you've got [product] in use already, we'd love to see it. Reply with a photo and tell us if we may share it, and with which name.

In live chat

9. After a pre-sale question

Thanks for asking before you ordered, [First name], it saves both of us a return. If you need anything else while you're on the site, I'm here.

10. After solving a problem

Glad that's sorted. Thanks for your patience while I checked with the warehouse, [First name]. Your new [item] ships today.

11. After a complaint

Thank you for telling us, [First name]. I'm sorry the [product] arrived [damaged]. The replacement is on its way and you don't need to send anything back. Your message helps us fix this for the next customer too.

12. After the customer waited

Thanks for waiting, [First name], and sorry it took [an hour] to reply. Your answer: [answer].

13. After a bug report

Thanks for pointing out that [the discount code didn't work on mobile]. We've fixed it, and I've applied the discount to your order by hand.

After a review or feedback

14. Five-star review (public reply)

Thank you, [First name]. Glad the [product] fits your [kitchen]. The [detail they mentioned] is exactly what [maker's name] spent the most time on.

15. Three-star review (public reply)

Thanks for the honest review, [First name]. You're right that [issue]. We've [what you changed]. If you'd like, write to [email] and we'll make it right on your order.

16. Negative review (public reply)

Thank you for writing this, [First name]. Arriving [late] for a [birthday] isn't acceptable and I'm sorry. I've emailed you to put it right. [Your name], owner.

17. Survey answer

Thank you for your answer. We read every one, and the comments go straight to the team that packed your order.

18. Suggestion you acted on

Hi [First name], in [month] you suggested [smaller sizes]. They're online now: [link]. Thank you, this came from you.

Loyalty and milestones

19. One year as a customer

Hi [First name], your first order with us was a year ago this week. Thank you for sticking with a small shop.

20. Referral

Hi [First name], [friend's name] ordered after you told them about us. Thank you, that's the best kind of advertising we get.

21. Tenth order

That's your tenth order, [First name]. Thank you. We've added [a small extra] to the parcel.

Year-end and holidays

22. Year-end note

Thank you for shopping with us this year. We packed [number] orders from our [town] workshop, and every one of them paid for the next batch of [product]. See you in January.

23. Christmas closure

Thanks for all your orders this year. Our last shipping day before Christmas is [date]. We're closed from [date] to [date], and messages sent in between get an answer on [date].

24. Thank you to a business customer

Thank you for working with us in [year], [First name]. [A specific thing: reorders on time, good feedback on a product]. We'll send the [year] price list in [month].

What to leave out

• "We value your business." It says nothing a customer can check. Name the product or the moment instead.
• Two asks in one message. A review and an Instagram follow and a discount is a newsletter.
• Asking for five stars. "Leave us a 5-star review" invites the customer to doubt every review you have.
• A reward for a good review. In the US, the FTC's rule on reviews and testimonials prohibits compensation or other incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, positive or negative (FTC, August 2024). A discount for any honest review isn't covered by that ban, but the review platform you use may forbid it, so check its rules first.

Thank-you or marketing? The consent question

This is not legal advice; check the rules for the countries you sell to.

A plain thank-you in the order confirmation is part of the transaction. Once you add an offer, a product recommendation or a review request, regulators may read it as marketing:

• UK: under PECR you may email marketing to existing customers without consent only under the "soft opt-in": you got their address during a sale, you market similar products of your own, and you offered an opt-out when you collected the address and in every message (ICO).
• Germany: the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled on 10 July 2018 (VI ZR 225/17) that a request for a rating in an invoice email is advertising and needs consent, even though the email itself was a service message (LTO, 2018). If you sell to Germany, keep review requests out of the invoice or confirmation email.

The safe pattern: keep the order email transactional (templates 1–4), send review requests only to customers covered by consent or the soft opt-in, and put an opt-out in every follow-up. A thank-you in your website chat is different: the customer reads it during the conversation, not in their inbox.

How to set it up

In your shop

The order confirmation is the first thank-you most customers get, so edit its first lines before anything else.

• Shopify: Settings > Notifications, then the Order confirmation email template (Shopify Help Center).
• WooCommerce: WooCommerce > Settings > Emails. The customer gets the Processing order email after paying; each email has an Additional content field for your own text. WooCommerce also has a Review request email, sent by default 7 days after an order is completed (WooCommerce docs).

In Shopxare

Shopxare covers the conversation thank-yous (templates 9–18 and 23), not the order emails.

1. Saved replies. Go to Settings > Saved replies, create one called "Thanks after fix" with the shortcut thanks, and write Glad that's sorted, {{contact.first_name | there}}. Thanks for your patience. Under When sent, add the action that closes the conversation. Type /thanks in any chat and the reply goes out with the name filled in (saved replies).
2. Survey thank-you. In Reports > Surveys, every CSAT or NPS survey has a Thank-you message. Replace the default with template 17, and set Ask the same person at most every (days) so regulars aren't asked after every chat (surveys).
3. Holiday message. In Outbound, create a Post: it appears on the Messenger home screen for the dates you choose. Template 22 or 23 fits (banners and messages).

For complaint replies with more detail, see how to respond to a customer complaint; for the rest of your saved replies, our 24 canned responses for online stores.

Example: a candle shop in December

A two-person candle shop in York sells through its own Shopify store. On 12 December a customer writes in the website chat:

Customer: Hi, the lid on one of the three candles I ordered is cracked. They're presents.

Team: I'm sorry, that's not how they should arrive. I'm sending a new one today by first class, so you'll have it before the 18th. No need to send the cracked one back.

Customer: That's great, thank you.

Team: Thank you for telling us, Priya. We've added more padding around the lids from today, so your message helps the next customer too.

The last reply is template 11. It closes the chat with a reason the customer can believe, and it asks for nothing.

Shopxare is free, with no credit card. Add the Messenger to your store and save the chat templates above as shared saved replies.

FAQ

How do you write a thank you message to a customer?

Say what you're thanking them for, add one specific detail (when it ships, who packed it, a care tip), and end with one useful next step. Two or three sentences are enough.

What do you say to thank a customer for their purchase?

"Thanks for ordering [product]. It ships on [day] and you'll get tracking by email." The customer wants to know what happens next.

Should I send a thank-you email after every order?

Every order already triggers a confirmation email, so make that the thank-you. A separate one is worth it only for first orders, large orders or milestones.

How do you thank a customer for a positive review?

Reply publicly within a day, use their name, and mention something specific from their review. Don't paste the same reply under every review.

Can I ask for a review in a thank-you email?

Yes, after the customer has had time to use the product, and only once. In the UK and EU, treat the request as marketing (consent or soft opt-in); in Germany, the BGH has ruled that a rating request in an invoice email needs consent. In the US, never tie a reward to a positive review.