---
title: "Automated emails: set up customer notifications"
description: "Configure the sending server that notifies your customers automatically, then customize the look and text of every message: order confirmation, shipping, refund…"
url: https://docs.vivlab.com/en/sections/emails
---

# Email sending

Use this page to connect the mailbox Vivlab will use to send messages to your customers automatically: [order confirmations](https://docs.vivlab.com/en/sections/orders.md), [invoices](https://docs.vivlab.com/en/sections/invoices.md) and follow-up messages. The **email server** is the service that sends those messages from your mailbox. You can also change their appearance and wording here. Check these settings when you first open your store, change email providers or find that customers are no longer receiving your emails.

Your email provider supplies the **SMTP server** (the outgoing mail address) and **port** (its connection number). You do not need to invent these values. When editing a message, a **variable** is a placeholder for real information, such as the customer's name or order number.

The dashboard is shown in French, with English captions.

<DocsVideo
  video-id="walkthrough-emails"
  src="https://docs.vivlab.com/videos/emails/emails.mp4"
  poster="/videos/emails/poster.webp"
  captions="/videos/emails"
  label="Tutorial: customize an email button"
  locale="en"
  :duration="19.38"
/>

::: details Read the video steps

1. <VideoTimecode video-id="walkthrough-emails" :seconds="0" label="Play at" /> — Open the order confirmation.
2. <VideoTimecode video-id="walkthrough-emails" :seconds="4" label="Play at" /> — Scroll to the button label, then select it.
3. <VideoTimecode video-id="walkthrough-emails" :seconds="9.28" label="Play at" /> — Replace the label with “View invoice”.
4. <VideoTimecode video-id="walkthrough-emails" :seconds="10.38" label="Play at" /> — Check the button in the preview, then save.
5. <VideoTimecode video-id="walkthrough-emails" :seconds="14.38" label="Play at" /> — The “Customized” badge confirms the template was saved.

:::

## Email server settings

Fill in the email server information so you can send automatic emails to customers who have placed an order. Emails are sent through your own mailbox: your customers see your address as the sender, and replies come back to you directly. If no address is configured yet, the page first shows an introduction: click **Set up my address** to open the form.

::: warning Caution
As long as these settings aren't filled in and validated by a test send, automatic emails cannot be sent: your customers receive neither order confirmation, nor invoice, nor follow-up message after their purchase. It's one of the first configurations to put in place before opening your store for sales.
:::

- **Configuration**: select your provider (Go Daddy, OVH, IONOS 1&1, Gandi, Gmail, Infomaniak) to auto-fill the server and port. Choose **Custom** if your provider isn't listed.
- **Email address**: the email address used for automatic sending. It's the one that will appear as sender in messages to your customers.
- **User**: the username of the email account (often the same as the email address).
- **Password**: the password of the email account. It will always be encrypted in our database storage.
- **Outgoing server**: the hostname or IP address of your SMTP server.
- **Outgoing port**: port used by your SMTP server. The most common ports are 25, 465 and 587. Avoid port 25 if you can, since many providers have limitations on it.

<DocsScreenshot name="emails-server" alt="An SMTP server address and port filled in." :width="982" :height="132" />

Once the fields are filled in, click **Send a test email** to check that the configuration is correct. Vivlab then attempts a real send and tells you precisely what's wrong:

- invalid email address,
- incorrect outgoing server,
- credentials refused,
- incorrect port,
- incomplete fields.

On success, check that the email arrived in your inbox, then click **Save**.

::: tip Gmail and two-factor authentication
If your Gmail account is protected with two-factor authentication (recommended), the usual account password won't work here. You need to generate a dedicated **app password** from your Google account ([myaccount.google.com](https://myaccount.google.com), section **Security > App passwords**) and paste it in the **Password** field.

Note also that Gmail caps sending at around **100 emails per day** on free accounts: for higher volume, use a service for sending automatic customer emails or your web host's mail server.

:::

## Email appearance

This section customizes the colors and borders of your emails. A preview on the right reflects every change immediately. The logo used here is your store's shared logo: replacing it updates it everywhere it appears (website, invoices, emails, receipts). The button color comes from your site theme.

- **Background color**: the color shown behind the message body.
- **Border color**: the color of the frame around the message.
- **Border width**: from 0 to 8 px, 1 px by default.
- **Corner radius**: from 0 to 32 px, 16 px by default.

## Automatic emails

This section lists the messages sent automatically to your customers and lets you customize the text of each one:

- **Order confirmation**: sent as soon as the payment is confirmed.
- **Shipping confirmation**: lets the customer know the order is on its way, with tracking.
- **Digital content**: sends access to the purchased files.
- **Donation confirmation**: confirms the [donation](https://docs.vivlab.com/en/sections/products.md#donation) and sends the donor their receipt.
- **Refund**: confirms a refund has been issued.
- **Withdrawal request**: acknowledges receipt of a withdrawal request.
- **Subscription payment**: confirms a [subscription](https://docs.vivlab.com/en/sections/subscriptions.md) installment has been charged.
- **Abandoned cart reminder**: reminds the customer of a [cart left behind](https://docs.vivlab.com/en/sections/abandoned-carts.md), after 24 h.
- **Welcome email**: greets newly registered members.

Click **Edit** to open the editing dialog. Every text in the message can be changed: **Subject**, **Heading**, **Greeting**, **Main text**, **Button label** and **Closing text** (1000 characters max for the main and closing texts); some messages don't show every field.

Variables (order number, shop name, customer name, amount…) can be inserted in each field and are replaced with the real values on send. The preview on the right shows the message as it will land in the inbox, sender and subject included.

<DocsScreenshot name="emails-text" alt="The editable button label and closing text, with available variables." :width="395" :height="335" />

The order confirmation comes in two variants depending on how the order is received: **Delivery**, with its **Section heading** and **Tracking message**, and **Pickup**, with its **Pickup instructions**. These texts are capped at 500 characters.

<DocsScreenshot name="emails-pickup" alt="Pickup-specific instructions in the order confirmation." :width="394" :height="327" />

A **Custom** badge marks the emails whose text has been changed. To go back to the original texts, reopen the email, click **Reset**, then save.