Order confirmation message templates in English and Arabic

A cash on delivery order needs four messages: a request to confirm before you ship, a notice when it ships, a reminder on the day it's out for delivery, and a follow-up if a delivery attempt fails. Below are templates for each, plus a confirmation reply and a reminder for shoppers who don't answer, in English and Arabic. Replace the words in [square brackets] with the order's details, or with the matching variables in your SMS or WhatsApp tool. What each channel costs is covered in confirming COD orders by phone, SMS or WhatsApp.

Before you copy them

The placeholders used below:

A few habits help with COD in particular:

• Name the store early. Shoppers often get these from a number they don't know.
• Give the full total. The amount in the message must match what the courier asks for. A bigger number at the door is one more reason to refuse.
• Ask for one thing. "Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to cancel" is easier to answer than an open question. If your tool supports buttons, use "Confirm" and "Cancel" buttons instead.
• Keep Arabic SMS short. Twilio's documentation says a text with non-Latin characters fits 70 characters in one message, against 160 for plain English text, and longer texts go out in several parts. Use the short versions for SMS, and count the characters once you fill them in.

WhatsApp templates: approval, category and opt-in

If you send these through the WhatsApp Business Platform (through a provider or an app, not the WhatsApp Business app on a phone), Meta's rules apply:

• Get opt-in first. Meta requires businesses to get a person's opt-in before messaging them on WhatsApp, and the opt-in must name your business.
• Templates need approval. Outside the customer service window that opens when a shopper messages you, an approved template is the only kind of message you can send. Meta reviews new and edited templates, which WhatsApp Manager says can take up to 24 hours.
• Keep them in the utility category. Meta describes utility templates as messages typically triggered by a user's action or request, and its examples include order confirmations and delivery updates. A template that mixes an order update with a promotion, such as a discount code, counts as marketing. Meta also re-checks approved templates and can move them to a different category. The templates below contain no promotions; keep it that way.
• Create the Arabic version yourself. Meta lists Arabic among template languages, including regional codes such as Arabic (UAE). Write the Arabic text yourself and submit it for approval as well as the English one.
• Map the placeholders. In a WhatsApp template, placeholders are numbered or named variables. Your provider shows you how to insert them in place of the [square brackets].

1. Asking the shopper to confirm the order

Send this as soon as the COD order comes in. It catches prank orders, wrong numbers and address mistakes before anything ships.

English (WhatsApp or SMS)

Hi [Name], this is [Store]. Thank you for order [Order]. The amount to pay in cash on delivery is [Total], including delivery. We plan to deliver to [Area] on [Day]. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to cancel.

Arabic (WhatsApp or SMS)

مرحبًا [الاسم]، هذه رسالة من [اسم المتجر]. شكرًا لطلبك رقم [رقم الطلب]. المبلغ المطلوب دفعه نقدًا عند الاستلام هو [الإجمالي] شاملًا رسوم التوصيل. نتوقع توصيل الطلب إلى [المنطقة] يوم [اليوم]. أرسل 1 لتأكيد الطلب أو 2 لإلغائه.

Short SMS

English: Order [Order] from [Store], [Total] cash on delivery, arriving [Day]. Reply 1 to confirm, 2 to cancel.

Arabic: طلب [رقم الطلب] من [اسم المتجر]: [الإجمالي] عند الاستلام. 1 للتأكيد، 2 للإلغاء

The Arabic short version is cut down on purpose. Filled in with a short store name, an order number such as 1234 and "250 درهم", it comes to about 65 characters, inside one Arabic SMS.

Email

Shopify already sends its own Order confirmation email when an order is placed. If you also ask for confirmation by email, give the message a subject that says what you need, so it isn't mistaken for that one.

English subject: Please confirm your cash on delivery order [Order]

Hi [Name], thank you for your order with [Store]. Before we ship it, please check these details: the amount to pay on delivery is [Total], including delivery; the delivery address is [Address]; and the delivery day is [Day]. Reply "Confirm" to this email, or call us on [Phone] if anything needs changing.

Arabic subject: يُرجى تأكيد طلب الدفع عند الاستلام رقم [رقم الطلب]

مرحبًا [الاسم]، شكرًا لطلبك من [اسم المتجر]. قبل شحن الطلب، يُرجى مراجعة التفاصيل التالية: المبلغ المطلوب عند الاستلام [الإجمالي] شاملًا رسوم التوصيل، وعنوان التوصيل [العنوان]، ويوم التوصيل [اليوم]. للتأكيد، رُدّ على هذه الرسالة بكلمة «تأكيد»، أو اتصل بنا على [رقم الهاتف] إذا أردت تعديل أي تفاصيل.

2. When the shopper confirms

English

Thank you, [Name]. Order [Order] is confirmed. Please have [Total] ready on [Day]. We'll send you a message when it ships.

Arabic

شكرًا لك يا [الاسم]. تم تأكيد طلبك رقم [رقم الطلب]. يُرجى تجهيز مبلغ [الإجمالي] يوم [اليوم]. سنرسل لك رسالة عند شحن الطلب.

3. When the order ships

Shopify sends a Shipping confirmation email when you fulfill an order. Use this version for SMS or WhatsApp.

English

Your order [Order] from [Store] is on its way with [Courier]. Track it here: [Link]. Amount to pay on delivery: [Total].

Arabic

طلبك رقم [رقم الطلب] من [اسم المتجر] في الطريق إليك مع [شركة الشحن]. تتبّع الشحنة من هنا: [الرابط]. المبلغ المطلوب عند الاستلام: [الإجمالي].

4. On the day of delivery

Shopify's Out for delivery email goes out only when the carrier or a fulfillment app sends that tracking event, and not for local delivery orders. If your courier doesn't send it, send this message yourself when the courier tells you the parcel is out.

English

Your order [Order] from [Store] is out for delivery today. Please keep your phone on and have [Total] ready. The courier may call you from a number you don't know.

Arabic

طلبك رقم [رقم الطلب] من [اسم المتجر] خرج للتوصيل اليوم. يُرجى إبقاء هاتفك متاحًا وتجهيز مبلغ [الإجمالي]، فقد يتصل بك مندوب التوصيل من رقم غير معروف لديك.

5. After a failed delivery attempt

Send this the same day. A shopper who missed the courier may still want the order. For what to do next, see failed delivery attempts.

English

Hi [Name], this is [Store]. We tried to deliver order [Order] today but couldn't reach you. Please reply with a good time for delivery, or send your location pin. If we don't hear from you by [Date], the order will be returned to us and cancelled.

Arabic

مرحبًا [الاسم]، هذه رسالة من [اسم المتجر]. حاولنا اليوم توصيل طلبك رقم [رقم الطلب] ولم نتمكن من الوصول إليك. يُرجى الرد بالوقت المناسب لك للتوصيل، أو إرسال موقعك على الخريطة. إذا لم يصلنا ردك بحلول [التاريخ]، فسيُعاد الطلب إلينا ويُلغى.

6. When the shopper hasn't replied

Send this once, before you hold or cancel an unconfirmed order.

English

Hi [Name], this is [Store]. We still need your confirmation for order [Order], [Total] in cash on delivery. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to cancel. If we don't hear from you by [Time], we'll cancel the order.

Arabic

مرحبًا [الاسم]، هذه رسالة من [اسم المتجر]. ما زلنا بانتظار تأكيدك للطلب رقم [رقم الطلب] بمبلغ [الإجمالي] يُدفع عند الاستلام. أرسل 1 للتأكيد أو 2 للإلغاء. إذا لم يصلنا ردك بحلول [الوقت]، فسنُلغي الطلب.

Keep the messages and your policy in step

The deadlines in these messages ([Date] and [Time]) should match what your COD policy says about confirmation and cancellation. Write the rule once, for example "two messages, then cancel after 48 hours", and use the same wording in the policy, the messages and your team's saved replies. If you change the rule, change all three on the same day.