Transactional Emails - Scope Document

Project: Coneflower Creamery Shopify Integration Component: Email Configuration & Customization Status: Ready to Build

Overview

This document outlines all transactional emails required for the Shopify local pickup workflow, including customization needs, triggers, and any apps/plugins required.

Email Workflow Summary

Customer places order
        ↓
┌───────────────────────┐
│  ORDER CONFIRMATION   │  ← Automatic (Shopify)
│  - Receipt            │
│  - Pickup dates/hours │
│  - Location address   │
└───────────────────────┘
        ↓
    (1-2 days before pickup)
        ↓
┌───────────────────────┐
│  READY FOR PICKUP     │  ← Manual trigger via Gizmo (bulk)
│  - "Your order is     │
│    ready!"            │
│  - Pickup reminder    │
│  - Cooler suggestion  │
└───────────────────────┘
        ↓
    (Customer picks up)
        ↓
┌───────────────────────┐
│  ORDER FULFILLED      │  ← Optional (may not need)
│  - Thank you          │
└───────────────────────┘

Required Emails

1. Order Confirmation

Purpose: Confirms the order and provides pickup information immediately.

Must Include: - Order details (items, quantities, prices) - Order number - Payment confirmation - Pickup location (address) - Pickup dates/hours (e.g., "February 13-14, Noon-4pm") - Contact information for questions

Customization Approach:

Option A - Hardcoded (simpler):

{% if requires_shipping == false %}
<div style="background: #f8f4f0; padding: 20px; margin: 20px 0; border-radius: 8px;">
  <h3 style="margin-top: 0;">🍦 Pickup Information</h3>
  <p><strong>Location:</strong><br>
  Coneflower Creamery<br>
  5819 Ohio Street<br>
  Omaha, NE 68104</p>
  <p><strong>Pickup Dates:</strong><br>
  February 13-14, 2026<br>
  Noon - 4:00 PM</p>
  <p style="margin-bottom: 0;"><em>Please bring this email as confirmation.</em></p>
</div>
{% endif %}

Option B - Shop Metafield (more maintainable):

{% if requires_shipping == false %}
<div style="background: #f8f4f0; padding: 20px; margin: 20px 0;">
  <h3>🍦 Pickup Information</h3>
  {{ shop.metafields.custom.pickup_info }}
</div>
{% endif %}

Season Change Process: - Option A: Manually edit email template each season - Option B: Update shop metafield via API or Shopify admin

2. Ready for Pickup Notification

Purpose: Notifies customer their order is ready and reminds them of pickup details.

Must Include: - Order number - Items in order - Pickup location (address with link to maps) - Pickup hours - Freezer/cooler reminder - Contact information

Suggested Content:

Subject: Your Coneflower order is ready for pickup! 🍦

Hi {{ customer.first_name }},

Great news - your order is ready and waiting for you!

ORDER #{{ order.order_number }}
{{ line_items }}

📍 PICKUP LOCATION
Coneflower Creamery
5819 Ohio Street, Omaha, NE 68104
[Get Directions]

🕐 PICKUP HOURS
February 13-14, Noon - 4:00 PM

❄️ IMPORTANT REMINDER
Your order contains ice cream products! Please plan to:
- Head straight home or to a freezer after pickup
- Bring a cooler if you have a long drive
- Pick up within the scheduled window

Questions? Reply to this email or call (402) XXX-XXXX.

Thank you for supporting Coneflower Creamery!

Staff Workflow (with Gizmo): 1. Open Shopify Admin → Apps → Gizmo 2. Filter orders by date range (e.g., Feb 1-12, 2026) 3. Select all orders for current pickup batch 4. Click "Mark Ready for Pickup" 5. All selected customers receive the email automatically

3. Order Fulfilled / Picked Up (Optional)

Purpose: Confirms the order is complete.

Recommendation: May not be necessary for local pickup. Customer knows they picked up their order. Consider disabling this notification for pickup orders to avoid email fatigue.

If Kept, Content Should Be:

Subject: Thanks for picking up your order!

Hi {{ customer.first_name }},

Thanks for stopping by Coneflower Creamery!
We hope you enjoy your {{ line_items }}.

See you next time! 🍦

Additional Emails (Out of MVP Scope)

These are not included in MVP but may be relevant later:

Apps/Plugins Required

No other apps required for transactional emails.

Shopify's built-in notification system handles: - Order confirmation - Ready for pickup (triggered by Gizmo) - Fulfillment confirmation

Customization Checklist

Order Confirmation Email

• [ ] Add Coneflower logo
• [ ] Apply brand colors
• [ ] Add pickup location block (conditional for local pickup orders)
• [ ] Add pickup dates/hours
• [ ] Add "bring this email" reminder
• [ ] Test with local pickup order
• [ ] Test with shipped order (gift cards) - should NOT show pickup block

Ready for Pickup Email

• [ ] Add Coneflower logo
• [ ] Apply brand colors
• [ ] Add pickup location with Google Maps link
• [ ] Add pickup hours
• [ ] Add freezer/cooler reminder messaging
• [ ] Add contact information
• [ ] Test email appearance

Gizmo App Setup

• [ ] Install Gizmo from Shopify App Store
• [ ] Configure app settings
• [ ] Test bulk selection workflow
• [ ] Verify emails send correctly
• [ ] Document workflow for client training

Season Change Process

When pickup dates change (Valentine's → Christmas, etc.):

If Using Hardcoded Templates (Option A):

1. Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Notifications
2. Edit "Order confirmation" template
3. Update pickup dates/hours
4. Edit "Ready for pickup" template
5. Update pickup dates/hours
6. Save both templates

If Using Metafields (Option B):

1. Update shop metafield custom.pickup_info with new dates
2. Both email templates automatically use new info

Recommendation: Start with Option A (hardcoded) for MVP simplicity. Consider metafields for Phase 2 if season changes become frequent.

Design Requirements

Brand Elements Needed: - [ ] Coneflower logo (PNG, transparent background, email-safe size) - [ ] Brand colors (hex codes) - [ ] Font preferences (web-safe alternatives for email)

Email Template Style: - Match Coneflower website aesthetic - Clean, readable layout - Mobile-responsive - Clear CTAs

Testing Checklist

Before go-live:

• [ ] Place test order with local pickup
• [ ] Verify order confirmation email received
• [ ] Verify pickup info displays correctly
• [ ] Use Gizmo to mark order ready
• [ ] Verify ready for pickup email received
• [ ] Verify all content is correct
• [ ] Test on mobile email client
• [ ] Test on desktop email client (Gmail, Apple Mail)

Open Questions

1. Exact pickup dates for Valentine's 2026? - Need from client to customize emails

2. Coneflower contact phone number for emails? - Need to include in "Questions?" section

3. Do they want a post-pickup thank you email? - Recommend: No (unnecessary)

4. Logo file for email templates? - Need from client or pull from existing site

Hour Estimate

Dependencies

• Shopify store must exist (SHOPIFY-SETUP.md)
• Brand assets (logo, colors) from client

Blocks

• Testing (needs emails configured)
• Training (needs working notifications)

Deliverables

1. Order Confirmation Email - Branded with pickup info
2. Ready for Pickup Email - Branded with cooler reminder
3. Gizmo App Configured - Ready for bulk notifications
4. Email Testing Complete - All emails verified

References

• Shopify Notification Templates
• Liquid Variables for Notifications
• Gizmo App
• Existing doc: /docs/pickup-notification-strategy.md (in theme)