Shipping delay email templates for Shopify stores (copy and paste)

Five short emails that stop "where is my order?" tickets before they're written. Updated October 2026.

Most "where is my order?" messages come from one situation: the promised delivery window has passed and the customer has heard nothing. A proactive note sent before they write changes the tone of the whole exchange: you look organised, they stay patient, and you don't get the ticket. Keep it short, give the tracking link, give a new window, and don't apologise three times.

Replace the {curly} fields. Each template is under 90 words on purpose; delay emails are read on phones.

1. Order not shipped yet (processing delay)

Subject: Your order {order_number} is taking a little longer

Hi {first_name}, Your order {order_number} hasn't left us yet. {Reason in one clause, e.g. "A restock arrived late" / "We're catching up after the weekend sale".} It will ship by {date}, and you'll get a tracking link the moment it does. If that date doesn't work for you, reply to this email and we'll sort it out. {Your name} {Store name}

2. Shipped, but the carrier is slow

Subject: {order_number} is on its way, running a few days late

Hi {first_name}, Your order shipped on {ship_date} with {carrier} and is moving slower than usual. Tracking: {tracking_url} The updated estimate is {new_window}. We're watching it too; if nothing moves by {check_date} we'll contact {carrier} and update you. {Your name} {Store name}

3. No carrier scan for several days

Subject: Checking on your order {order_number}

Hi {first_name}, Tracking for your order hasn't updated since {last_scan_date}. That usually means the parcel is in a sorting hub between scans rather than lost, but we've opened a trace with {carrier} today. You don't need to do anything. If there's no movement by {date}, we'll send a replacement or a refund, your choice. Tracking: {tracking_url} {Your name} {Store name}

4. Marked delivered, customer says it hasn't arrived

This one is a reply, not a proactive email, but it's the delay case that gets heated fastest, so have it ready.

Subject: Re: order {order_number} marked delivered

Hi {first_name}, Sorry about this. {carrier} shows it delivered at {time} on {date}. Most of the time it turns up within 24 hours, often with a neighbour, at a side door, or in a parcel locker, so could you check those first? If it hasn't appeared by {date + 1 day}, reply here and we'll send a replacement straight away. No forms, no claim to file on your side. {Your name} {Store name}

5. Peak season / known disruption (send to everyone affected)

Subject: Delivery times this week

Hi {first_name}, A quick heads-up: {carrier} is running {X} days behind across {region} this week because of {cause}. Orders placed now will arrive {new_window} instead of the usual {normal_window}. Your tracking link is in your shipping email and on your order status page. If you need something by a specific date, reply and tell us; we'll do what we can. {Your name} {Store name}

When to send each one

Trigger	Template	Send
Unfulfilled for longer than your stated processing time	1	The day the processing window passes
In transit past the delivery window	2	Day 1 after the window
No scan for 4+ business days (domestic) / 8+ (international)	3	As soon as the rule trips
"Delivered" dispute	4	Within an hour of the customer's message
Carrier-wide disruption	5	Once, to all open orders in the region

You can run these by hand from a daily filter in Shopify admin (Orders → filter by fulfillment status and date). Shopify Flow can automate templates 1 and 2 with a scheduled check on order age; for scan-based triggers (3) you need tracking data, which means a tracking app or an order-aware support tool.

Two rules

Always give a next date. "We'll update you" without a date just moves the ticket to next week.
Never promise a delivery date you don't control. Say "estimate" and link the carrier; the carrier's scan is the source of truth.

Disclosure: we build Pigeon, a Shopify app for the customers who ask anyway: it answers "where is my order?" on your storefront from the live Shopify order, and passes delays and disputes to your inbox with the conversation attached. Free for 100 conversations a month.

See Pigeon on the Shopify App Store