Which email does my Shopify customer get when I add tracking?
Add the tracking number while marking the order fulfilled and the customer gets the shipping confirmation, which Shopify sends when an order is fulfilled. Add or correct the number after the order is already fulfilled and they get the shipping update, sent when tracking information changes. Fulfilling without tracking and adding it later sends both.
The four shipping emails
| Notification | Sent when | Needs tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping confirmation | An order is fulfilled | No |
| Shipping update | Tracking information is updated | Yes |
| Out for delivery | A shipment is out for delivery | Yes, from carrier events |
| Delivered | A shipment is delivered | Yes, from carrier events |
Shopify notes that tracking event sources, accuracy and timing vary by carrier for the delivery notifications.
One fulfillment, one confirmation
Shipping confirmation is sent per fulfillment, not per order. An order shipped in two boxes produces two fulfillments and therefore two confirmations, each carrying its own tracking link. That is correct behaviour, and it is why splitting a shipment you did not need to split doubles the mail your customer receives.
The two email pattern, and how to avoid it
Marking orders fulfilled in bulk and typing tracking numbers in afterwards is the usual cause. The first email announces a shipment with nothing to follow, the second arrives later with the link. Fulfilling with the tracking number already in hand collapses that into one message, which is the same reason label buying and fulfillment belong in the same step.
Buy the label so the tracking number exists.
Create the fulfillment with the number and carrier attached.
Leave the customer notification on for that single confirmation.
Correct a number only if it is genuinely wrong, because the correction sends the update email.
Editing the templates
Every one of these is an editable template under Settings, then Notifications. Sellers commonly adjust the shipping confirmation to set delivery expectations and to name the service that was actually used. Keep the tracking link where the customer expects it: the order status page is the primary place where customers track their shipments, and the email is how they get back to it.
Editing a template does not change when it fires. The triggers are fixed.
When no email should go at all
There is a checkbox for that on the fulfillment screen, and unchecking Send a notification to the customer keeps the record without the message. Sellers use it for pre printed labels that will not move for a day, for orders where they have already emailed the customer directly, and for corrections that would only confuse. The fulfillment and its tracking still show on the order status page.
Key takeaways
- Fulfill with tracking attached and the customer gets one email with a working link.
- Fulfill first, add tracking later, and the customer gets two.
- Out for delivery and delivered come from carrier events, not from you.
- All four templates live at Settings, then Notifications.
One email, sent by Shopify, at the right moment
The Shopify connection is in early access. We do not email your customers. When a label is bought we create the fulfillment against the fulfillment order with the tracking number and carrier attached, and Shopify sends its own shipping confirmation from your templates, with a working link the first time.
Branded tracking pages are available on our side if you want a follow up view of the shipment that carries your name.
Related questions
Not by choosing between them at fulfillment time. The checkbox controls whether a notification is sent when you fulfill, and the update template fires on its own when tracking information is updated later. If you want exactly one email with a link, fulfill with the tracking number attached and leave the notification checked.
Because the order was fulfilled without a tracking number, which Shopify allows: shipping confirmation is sent when an order is fulfilled whether or not tracking exists. The link appears once tracking information is added, and adding it sends the shipping update email. Attaching the number at fulfillment avoids the empty first message.
They depend on the carrier events Shopify receives, and Shopify states that tracking event sources, accuracy and timing vary by carrier. A recognized carrier with a clean tracking number is the requirement. If nothing arrives, check that the tracking number is correct and that the carrier was identified rather than entered as a manual URL.
Updating tracking information is the trigger for the shipping update notification, so treat corrections as customer facing. Fix a genuinely wrong number straight away, because the customer is following a link that shows nothing. Avoid cosmetic edits on fulfillments that are already out for delivery.