Cash on delivery confirmation on WhatsApp: 4 templates

A cash on delivery confirmation asks the customer to confirm the order before you ship it, so you don’t pay for parcels nobody collects. It works: for the median brand on TextYess, 76.9% of customers confirm within 48 hours and only 3.8% cancel. It is also one of the most-read messages brands send, at 90.9%.

What works, from the messages brands send on TextYess

• Two quick-reply buttons, Confirm and Cancel. Almost every brand uses them, and confirm rates cluster between 75% and 83%. The one brand that sent the message without buttons got 23.6% confirms.

• Short and factual wins. The best messages hold the order number, the items and the amount, including the cash on delivery fee. The top two reach 83.2% confirms. The two longest, over 900 characters, got 61% to 70%.

• Give people time to reply. Brands that give 24 hours to confirm get 76% to 78% confirms. The one brand that gave 60 minutes got 52%, though it also used an image header and put Cancel first, so the deadline is not the only difference.

• The TextYess preset is already at the top. Brands using the preset structure confirm at 75% to 83%, so you don’t need to reinvent the message. Add your fee and your tone.

Templates

1. Short confirmation

The TextYess preset, used by an accessories brand that gets 83.2% confirms. Two lines, the amount, one question.

• Header: none

• Buttons: quick reply “Confirm”, quick reply “Cancel”

• Example values: {{first_name}} = Emma, {{order_number}} = 10482, {{total}} = 42.90

2. Full order summary with the fee

Modelled on a food brand’s message (83.2% confirms). Listing the items and the cash on delivery fee means no surprises at the door.

• Header: none

• Buttons: quick reply “Confirm”, quick reply “Cancel”

• Example values: {{first_name}} = Emma, {{order_number}} = 10482, {{product_list}} = Pistachio spread x1, {{total}} = 18.39, {{cod_fee}} = 4

3. With a 24-hour deadline

Modelled on a sneaker brand (78% confirms). Bold on the parts that matter, and a deadline long enough for people to see the message.

• Header: none

• Buttons: quick reply “Confirm”, quick reply “Cancel”

• Example values: {{first_name}} = Emma, {{order_number}} = 10482, {{total}} = 82

4. Explain why you ask

Modelled on a beauty brand’s message (77.5% confirms over 2,696 conversations). One honest line on why you need the confirmation makes the request feel fair.

• Header: none

• Buttons: quick reply “Confirm”, quick reply “Cancel”

• Example values: {{first_name}} = Emma, {{order_number}} = 10482

When to send it

Send it as soon as a cash on delivery order is placed, before it is packed. If there is no reply within 24 hours, send one reminder, and don’t ship until the customer confirms. With TextYess, the confirmation and the reminder go out automatically from your Shopify orders, and the customer’s answer comes back to you.

Meta category

A COD confirmation is utility: it is about one specific order and asks for an action on it. It becomes marketing if you add an offer, for example money off if they pay by card instead, or suggest other products. If you want to push customers to prepay, do it in a separate marketing message. See Meta’s template categorisation.

Avoid rejection

• Never start or end the body with a variable. Close with the call to tap Confirm, as above.

• Keep enough fixed words around the variables. The summary version has five, so each one sits inside a labelled line.

• Keep # and £ outside the variables: #{{order_number}} and £{{total}}, with plain numbers as sample values (10482, 42.90).

• No pressure or threats. “The order will be cancelled” states a fact; anything more aggressive can be rejected.

• Quick-reply labels can be 25 characters at most. Keep Confirm first.

Full list: Meta’s template review.

FAQ

Related templates

Cash on delivery reminder, Order confirmation and Shipping update.

See all 20 WhatsApp message templates for ecommerce.