Delayed order reply templates for online shops
This is for a single customer whose parcel has missed the date you gave them. The reply needs to own the delay, say where the parcel actually is, give a new date and promise a fallback if that date slips too.
Template
Subject: An update on your order {order_number}
Subject: Revised delivery date for order {order_number}
Subject: Your order {order_number} is running late
- {first_name}
- The customer's first name. Hobson fills this from the conversation.
- {order_number}
- The Shopify order number. Hobson fills this from the matched order.
- {tracking_url}
- The tracking link for the parcel. Hobson fills this from the fulfilment.
- {carrier}
- The delivery company, such as Royal Mail, Evri or DPD.
- {original_date}
- The delivery date the customer was originally given.
- {delay_reason}
- Where the parcel is and why, in plain words, such as "held at the Evri hub in Rugby after a missed scan".
- {new_delivery_date}
- The revised estimate from the carrier.
- {agent_first_name}
- The first name of the teammate sending the reply. Hobson fills this.
- {workspace}
- Your shop name. Hobson fills this.
When to use it
- The estimated delivery date has passed and the customer has written in.
- Tracking shows the parcel stuck at a depot or hub, or it hasn't moved for several days.
- The customer is starting to get frustrated and needs a concrete next step.
If you already know a batch of orders will be late and want to tell customers before they ask, use the apology for delay template. Apology for delay
UK consumer law
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be delivered within the agreed time, or within 30 days if no time was agreed. If you miss that, the customer can set a further reasonable deadline, and if that is missed too they can cancel for a full refund. Goods stay your responsibility until the customer receives them. This is a general guide, not legal advice.
How to use it
- 1
Check the tracking history
Look at the full scan history on the carrier site, not just the latest status, so you can say where the parcel is stuck.
- 2
Get a new date
Use the carrier's revised estimate. If there isn't one, give a date you are confident in and say you'll check again then.
- 3
Decide the fallback
Before sending, decide what you will do if the new date is missed: a replacement order, a refund, or both on offer.
- 4
Follow up on the date
Snooze the conversation until the new delivery date and check the tracking before the customer has to ask again.
Common mistakes
- Promising a date the carrier has not given you.
- Spending most of the reply blaming the courier. The customer bought from you, so own it.
- Leaving out what happens if the new date is missed. That is the part that stops a second angry email.
- Asking the customer to wait a further 10 days before you will do anything, when a replacement costs less than losing them.
What they usually ask next
Can I cancel and get my money back instead? Cancel an order
Related templates
All orders and delivery templates- Where is my order?Copy-ready replies for "where is my order" emails and chats: tracking link, carrier, expected date and what happens next. Friendly, formal and brief versions.
- Apology for delayProactive apology emails for when a batch of orders will ship late: what happened, the new dispatch date, an optional discount and an easy way to cancel.
- Missing item or parcelReply templates for when tracking says delivered but the parcel never came, or an item is missing from the box. Polite checks first, then a replacement or refund.