Customers not getting your order confirmation emails? Here's why

Updated 10 November 2026 · by Mohamed, Growth with MK

A customer places an order, then emails or calls to ask whether it went through, because the confirmation never arrived. It's one of the most common email complaints small shops get, and it usually comes down to one of a handful of causes. Most of them are free to fix.

The short answer

In most cases the email was sent but was filtered into spam (or rejected) because your domain doesn't prove the email is genuinely from you. Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo require senders to authenticate their mail with SPF and DKIM, and bulk senders also need a DMARC record. Mail that doesn't meet those rules is far more likely to be junked.

It's a widespread gap: of 747 UK small-business domains we checked in November 2026, 46% had no DMARC record at all and only about 10% were fully set up.

The usual causes, most likely first

1. Your domain isn't authenticated. No SPF, no DKIM, or no DMARC record (or a broken one, like two SPF records). Inbox providers can't tell your real emails from fakes, so they're cautious.
2. The "from" address is a free email address. If your shop sends confirmations "from" a Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail address, the email actually leaves your shop platform's servers, not Google's or Yahoo's, so it can't pass DMARC for that address. Some providers (Yahoo, for example) publish a strict DMARC policy that tells receivers to reject this. Always send from an address on your own domain.
3. Your website sends mail itself. WooCommerce and other WordPress shops send through WordPress's built-in mail function, which by default uses your web host's server. That server usually isn't listed in your SPF and doesn't sign with DKIM. Routing mail through your mailbox provider or a transactional email service with an SMTP plugin fixes it.
4. The customer's address has a typo. "gmial.com" or a missing letter. The email bounces and nobody notices.
5. It's in Promotions or Updates. Gmail sometimes files receipts outside the main inbox. That's not spam, but customers often don't look there.
6. The notification is switched off or broken. A template edit, an app or a theme change can stop it sending.

How to find out which one it is

1. Check the order. Look at the customer's email address for typos. In Shopify, the order timeline shows whether the confirmation was sent. For WooCommerce, an email log plugin shows what was sent and when.
2. Run the free domain check. It reads your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX records and tells you what's missing, with steps for your email provider.
3. Send yourself a test order to a Gmail address. Open the email, click the three dots → Show original. Gmail shows SPF, DKIM and DMARC results at the top. You want PASS on all three.
4. Ask an affected customer to search their spam folder for your shop name. If it's there, it's almost certainly authentication or reputation.

How to fix it

1. SPF: publish exactly one TXT record at your root domain starting v=spf1 that lists the services sending for you, ending in ~all or -all. Merge any duplicates. Two SPF records break SPF completely.
2. DKIM: switch it on in every service that sends as your domain: your mailbox (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho), your shop platform and your newsletter tool. Each one gives you a TXT or CNAME record to add.
3. DMARC: add one TXT record at _dmarc, starting with v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain. Read the reports for a few weeks, then move to p=quarantine once all your genuine mail passes.
4. Send from your own domain, not a free mailbox address.
5. Re-test with a Gmail "Show original" check. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to apply.

On Shopify? There are a few specific steps, covered in Shopify emails going to spam: how to fix it. Taking bookings rather than orders? See booking confirmation emails not arriving.

Related guides

• Shopify emails going to spam: how to fix it
• WooCommerce emails not sending to customers? How to fix it
• Booking confirmation emails not arriving: a fix for UK salons, gyms and clinics
• Why are my business emails going to spam? How to fix it