1. Received
Send this immediately. It should say what you got and that you will confirm. A summary of the items and the estimated total is useful, because it lets the customer spot a mistake while it is still cheap to fix.
We got your order #1042: 1× cotton T-shirt (L), 1× backpack. Estimated total 449. We will confirm the final amount shortly.
2. Accepted, with the final total
This is the message customers wait for. Give the final total, including delivery if there is a fee, and how they pay. If payment is by transfer, include the account or wallet details and ask for a screenshot. Add a rough time if you can honour it.
Order #1042 is accepted. Total with delivery: 478. Transfer to the wallet below and send us the screenshot here. We will start as soon as we see it.
3. Delayed
The hardest one to write and the most valuable. The moment you know something will run late, tell the customer, give a new time you are confident in, and say sorry once. Not three times.
Quick update on #1042: we are running about 20 minutes behind because of a busy hour. New estimate is 7:30. Sorry, and thanks for waiting.
A delay you announce is an inconvenience. A delay you do not announce is a complaint.
4. Ready or on the way
For delivery, a short “it has left” message helps the customer be at the door. For pickup, “ready” plus the branch and hours does the same. Skip this one if your orders are so quick it would arrive after the order does.
5. Complete
Close the loop with a thank-you and an easy way to tell you if something is wrong. This is also a natural moment to mention the link for next time. Keep it short. You are not writing a review request.
When you have to say no
Sometimes you cannot fulfil an order: the item sold out, the address is outside your area, the shop closed early. Say so quickly and give the reason in one line. Offer an alternative if you have one. A customer who gets a fast honest “no” often orders again. A customer who gets silence rarely does.
When more than one person sends them
As soon as a team shares the job, the messages start to sound like different shops. Agree on a few things once: how you greet, how you refer to the order number, and what you are allowed to promise about times. Keep a short note with your example messages where everybody can copy from it.
It sounds fussy, but customers notice. Consistency is a quiet way of looking organised, and it also makes mistakes easier to spot.
Updates that are not worth sending
Do not message at every internal step (“we have started picking”, “we have found a box”). Each message should tell the customer something they would otherwise ask. If it would not prevent a question, it is noise.
General advice from the 2sra3 team, written from how online ordering usually works. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and your own rules and local regulations come first.