What if the very first email your customer sees after placing an order looks broken or incomplete or never even arrives?
Have you ever received an order confirmation email that looked messy or landed in your spam folder? As a customer, it feels frustrating and unprofessional—and your buyers feel the same way.
That is why testing and previewing WooCommerce emails before sending is so important. It ensures your messages look polished, deliver the right details, and build trust from the very first click. With just a little testing, routine notifications can become a powerful way to reassure customers and strengthen your brand.
In this blog, we’ll explore why testing WooCommerce emails matters, the common pitfalls it helps you avoid, and the simple ways you can preview and optimize them. By the end, you’ll know how to make sure every email you send is polished, reliable, and perfectly aligned with your brand.
Why Testing WooCommerce Emails Matters
Before you hit “send,” it’s worth remembering that WooCommerce emails aren’t just functional messages, they’re part of your store’s overall customer experience. Here’s why testing them is so important:
1. Catch Errors Early
Without testing, small mistakes like broken links, missing order details, or incorrect customer names can easily slip through. A quick preview or test send helps you spot these errors before they reach your customers, saving you from confusion, complaints, or unnecessary support tickets.
2. Maintain Brand Trust
Every email your store sends represents your brand. If customers receive a poorly formatted or generic-looking email, it may give the impression that your store is unprofessional or untrustworthy. Testing ensures your logo, brand colors, and tone of voice come across consistently, reinforcing a polished brand identity.
3. Optimize Deliverability
Even the best-looking emails won’t matter if they land in the spam folder. By testing, you can identify issues that trigger spam filters, such as image-heavy layouts, broken code, or misleading subject lines, and adjust before sending.
This improves the chances of your emails reaching the inbox where they belong.
4. Enhance Customer Experience
Order confirmations and shipping updates are moments when customers look for reassurance. Clean, well-structured, and easy-to-read emails reduce uncertainty and build confidence in your store. A smooth communication flow from purchase to delivery keeps customers satisfied and more likely to return.
Your order confirmations can do more than confirm a purchase—they can generate repeat sales. See How Can Custom WooCommerce Order Emails Boost Your Sales?
Methods to Test and Preview WooCommerce Emails
1. Using WooCommerce’s Built-In Preview
The default WooCommerce email preview is a quick way to see how your email templates will look without sending them to a real inbox.
Steps:
1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Emails.
2. Scroll down to the email you want to preview (for example, “New Order” or “Completed Order”).
3. Click Manage next to the selected email.
4. Look for the “Preview Email” button (or “Click here to preview email” link) and click it.
5. A pop-up or new tab will show the email template with your default placeholders (like {customer_name} and {order_number}).
6. Click on the send test mail option to send the test mail.
Notes:
This preview shows the design layout and styling but does not populate dynamic data from actual orders.
Good for checking basic formatting, colors, fonts, and layout before sending.
2. Sending Test Emails with Plugins / Spark Editor
Using plugins like Spark Editor gives you more control because you can send test emails with real or sample data, preview branding elements, and test custom designs.
Steps in Spark Editor:
1. Install and activate Spark Editor for WooCommerce Emails. 2. Go to Spark Editor → Email Templates in your WordPress dashboard.
3. Choose the email you want to edit or preview.
4. Use the Drag-and-Drop Editor to customize the layout and add your logo, colors, images, and CTAs.
5. To preview the email, click “Preview” within the editor. You’ll see how the email looks with your design applied.
6. To test with actual content, click “Send Test Email,” enter your email address, and send it.
7. In the preview mail option you can choose to view how your mail on both desktop and mobile :
8. Make any adjustments in Spark Editor and resend test emails until you’re satisfied.
Notes:
Spark Editor allows real-time testing with actual or sample order data, unlike the default WooCommerce preview.
You can test branding, design, and deliverability all in one tool.
Sometimes test emails don’t arrive because of PHP mail issues. Setting up SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) ensures your test emails land in your inbox.
Install an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP.
Connect it with Gmail, SendGrid, or another provider.
Resend test emails reliably.
4. Testing Across Devices & Email Clients
Your emails may look perfect in Gmail, but break in Outlook or on mobile. Always:
Open test emails on desktop and mobile.
Check popular email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo).
Confirm that images, fonts, and buttons load correctly.
5. Testing Email Content for Spam & Deliverability
Even if your emails look great, they may still end up in the spam folder. Use tools like Mail Tester or GlockApps to:
Check your spam score
Identify trigger words or formatting issues.
Validate authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
This step ensures higher inbox placement and better open rates.
6. Using Staging Sites for Safe Email Testing
Instead of experimenting on your live store, create a staging site (a clone of your WooCommerce site) to test emails safely.
Preview new designs
Try different plugins or SMTP setups.
Avoid sending incomplete or broken test emails to real customers.
This way, you can perfect your emails in a sandbox environment before applying changes to your live store.
Comparison of Various Methods
Beyond technical accuracy, testing WooCommerce emails also allows you to refine your tone and content strategy. For example, instead of a plain “Your order has shipped,” you could test variations that include tracking details, estimated delivery times, or even personalized product recommendations.
By previewing and experimenting, you can turn ordinary transactional emails into subtle marketing opportunities—helping you increase repeat purchases and customer loyalty without sounding pushy.
Method
Pros
Cons
Built-In WooCommerce Preview
Simple and quick; no plugins required
Limited customization; doesn’t show real customer/order data
Sending Test Emails with Plugins
Drag-and-drop design, brand customization, and test send feature
May add extra cost; learning curve for advanced features
SMTP Setup (e.g., WP Mail SMTP)
Ensures reliable email delivery; bypasses PHP mail issues
Requires setup with third-party providers (Gmail, SendGrid, etc.)
Testing Across Devices & Clients
Confirms emails look good everywhere (desktop, mobile, Gmail, Outlook)
Often requires paid tools; an extra step beyond design testing
Using Staging Sites
Safe environment; test without affecting real customers
Needs hosting support; takes extra time to set up
Common Pitfalls When WooCommerce Emails Are Not Tested
Even a small mistake in your WooCommerce emails can confuse or frustrate customers. Let’s look at the most common pitfalls that happen when emails are not tested properly.
Broken Layouts and Missing Information: Without testing, emails can appear misaligned, with missing order details, product images, or customer names. This creates a poor impression and can confuse buyers.
Emails Ending Up in Spam: Improper formatting, missing authentication (SPF/DKIM), or spam-trigger words can cause emails to land in spam. Customers may never even see your important updates.
Unprofessional Branding: Default templates without customization can make your emails look generic. Inconsistent colors, fonts, or logos reduce brand trust.
Incorrect Links or Tracking Details: Unverified links can frustrate customers who want to track orders or view products. A single broken link can lead to complaints and negative reviews.
Missed Marketing Opportunities: Transactional emails are a chance to include cross-sells, upsells, or promotional messages. If you don’t test and optimize, you miss these opportunities to increase sales.
Poor Mobile Experience: Many customers check emails on mobile devices. Unoptimized emails can appear cluttered or unreadable on phones and tablets.
Without testing, emails can appear misaligned, with missing order details, product images, or customer names. Learn How to Add Logo to WooCommerce Emails and ensure your branding is always consistent.
Don’t let broken emails cost you sales. Test, preview, and perfect every WooCommerce email with Spark Editor and deliver a seamless experience your customers will trust.
Testing WooCommerce emails isn’t just a precaution—it’s a growth strategy. Every message you send influences how customers perceive your store, whether it reassures them about their order, encourages them to come back, or inspires them to recommend your brand. By using previews, plugins, SMTP setups, and spam testing tools, you can make sure your emails are polished, professional, and effective across all devices.
If you want the simplest way to customize, preview, and test WooCommerce emails, tools like Spark Editor give you complete design control with built-in test-send features. The result? Clear, branded, and reliable emails that customers actually look forward to opening.
You risk broken layouts, missing details, spam placement, poor branding, and frustrated customers, which can hurt trust and sales.
How can I test if my emails appear correctly on mobile and desktop?
Send test emails to yourself and open them on different devices and email clients, including Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, to ensure proper formatting.
What is SMTP, and why is it important for WooCommerce emails?
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) ensures reliable email delivery and prevents messages from being blocked or marked as spam. Plugins like WP Mail SMTP make setup easy.
How often should I test my WooCommerce emails?
It’s best to test whenever you make changes to templates, install new plugins, or update branding, and at least periodically to ensure deliverability.
Is there a difference between previewing and sending a test email?
Yes. Previewing shows how the template looks, while sending a test email ensures all dynamic content, links, and delivery settings work correctly in a real inbox.
About the Author
Bala Valli
I’m a writer who SaaS-es up content and Woo’s audiences with words. By blending creativity with strategy, SEO expertise, and in-depth knowledge of SaaS and WooCommerce. I bring ideas to life—making information not just engaging but also accessible for businesses looking to scale.
What if the very first email your customer sees after placing an order looks broken or incomplete or never even arrives? Have you ever received an order confirmation email that
