Automations: Send an Email Based on a Product Purchase

Mark Phillips

Updated April 29, 2026 09:28

The New Order Product Email Automation sends a targeted email to customers when their completed order contains a specific product.

This enables product-specific communication workflows such as:

Donation thank you – send a personalised thank you message to customers who make a donation
Membership welcome – send a welcome email with onboarding information to customers who join your Membership scheme
Care instructions – send instructions for items that require special care, like artwork, musical instruments, or delicate merchandise

How to set up a product-based Automation

Create your email copy in MJML

Before you create your automation, you should have your email copy and subject line ready. This will, of course, be dependent on the product and the purpose of the email.

We recommend keeping your copy focused – your email should have a clear purpose.

Below, we’ve created some simple MJML templates for specific products, which you are free to use and edit.

Donation thank you – Subject: Thanks for your donation, {{ order.customer.first_name }}
Membership welcome – Subject: Welcome to the {{ account.name }} community
Generic template

Create your email template

1. Go to Settings > Templates

2. Click Add New to create a new template.

3. Give your template a name – be sure to name your template clearly and specifically, so it’s obvious to all system users what it is for. This is especially important the more automations you build.

4. Click Add to save your template.

5. Enter your subject line and email content into the MJML tab.

6. Click Update.

Subdomains and Locales

Subdomains: This automation is not Subdomain aware, meaning it will be styled based on the Look and Feel settings of your main account.

Locales: This automation is Locale aware, meaning customers will receive the email in their chosen language, provided you create a template for each locale.

Create your automation

Now that you’ve created your template, you can create the automation to send it.

1. Navigate to Manage > Automations.

2. Open the New Automations tab.

3. Find the automation called New Order Product Email Automation and click New Automation.

4. Now you need to configure the key details of your automation:

Automation Name – name your automation so it’s clear to all system users what it is, e.g. 'Donation thank you message', 'Membership welcome email'
Product – search for and select the product that will trigger the Automation when purchased
Email Template – select the template you created in the previous step.
Schedule – decide when you want the email to send.
- Enter 'now' to trigger the email immediately after a purchase is made
- Or enter phrases such as: 'in 30 minutes', 'in 1 hour', 'in 2 days' to set a custom send schedule

5. Once configured, click Save.

Enable your automation

Once saved, your new automation will appear in the Manage Automations tab.

The final step is to click Enable, and the automation will start running.

Test your automation

Once enabled, process a test order of the product to ensure the automation sends and looks as expected.

Important

Product-based automations are triggered every time an order containing a relevant product is placed, including reservations and orders with an outstanding balance — not just fully completed orders. They will send each time a customer purchases a relevant product, even if that customer has purchased the same product before.

Repeat the steps above with different products to accommodate as many different scenarios or workflows as you need.

How to edit your automation

If you want to pause or edit your New Order Product Email Automation:

1. Navigate to Manage > Automations.

2. Locate the automation from the cards.

3. To pause your automation, simply click Disable.

4. Or to edit your automation, click the Ellipsis (3 dots) and select Edit parameters.

5. You can update the Product, Email Template, and Schedule. The only element you cannot change is the Automation Name.

6. When you've completed your update, click Save.

Troubleshooting

Email not sending as expected? Check the following:

Automation is active – ensure the automation has been enabled in Manage > Automations
Verify product selection – ensure the correct product is selected and on sale
Unexpected triggering – this automation fires as soon as an order containing the relevant product is placed, including reservations and orders with an outstanding balance
Email template – ensure the email template has correct content in the MJML tab
Schedule phrasing – check your phrasing follows this format: now (for immediate sending), in X minutes/hours/days, e.g. in 30 minutes, in 1 hour, in 2 days