Email Review Requests on Shopify: Timing, Copy, Templates

Email Review Requests on Shopify: Timing, Copy, Templates

The best Shopify review request email goes out after the order is delivered, not when it is placed. It names the product, carries one clear button to the review form, and asks for an honest opinion from every buyer, not only the happy ones. Shopify will not send it for you, so the work is picking a tool, setting the trigger and writing a short message a real person would answer.

This guide covers the setup, the timing, subject lines, three templates you can paste into your own flow, the FTC rules that apply to US stores, and how to measure what works.

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TL;DR

Table of Contents

Does Shopify send review request emails by itself?

No. Shopify retired its own Product Reviews app and did not replace it with native review collection, so a store with no extra apps has no workflow that requests and stores reviews. The request email, its timing and the place the rating lands all come from whatever you install and configure.

That leaves you three realistic routes:

  1. A review app with built-in requests. You install it, pick a delay, edit the template. This is the least work and the route most stores take. Many apps also add photo and video reviews and SMS requests, as one setup guide notes.
  2. An email platform you already use. You trigger a flow from the order or fulfillment event, and send the customer to a review form. More control over design, more setup.
  3. A webhook-based flow. Developers can use Shopify’s delivery events to fire the email at the right moment. Worth it only if your apps cannot trigger from delivery.

Whichever you pick, check three things before you commit: can it trigger from delivery, can it send to every customer (not a filtered group), and where do the reviews appear on your product page.

Why the request matters at all

Reviews are the thing a hesitant shopper looks for before paying. One widely repeated figure, quoted in a comment filed with the FTC, says online shoppers are 270 percent more likely to buy a product with five-star reviews than with none. Treat it as a sign of the pressure, not a promise for your store. That pressure is exactly why stores rush to collect reviews and why some cut corners, which the compliance section below covers.

If you want the wider picture of how reviews and other proof change buying behavior, these social proof strategies are a good companion read. For the practical question of where proof belongs on a Shopify page, see our walkthrough of five Shopify spots for social proof.

When to send the request

This is where most stores lose reviews. If the email fires when the order is placed or marked fulfilled, it reaches the inbox before the package reaches the door. The customer cannot review something they have not held, so they archive it. One timing analysis puts it plainly: delivery date, not order date, is the right trigger.

A workable approach:

Quick timing guide by product type

Product type Start counting from Reasonable first send
Consumables (food, beverage, candles) Delivery 2 to 4 days after
Apparel and accessories Delivery 5 to 10 days after
Home goods and small electronics Delivery 7 to 14 days after
Skincare, supplements, anything that works over time Delivery 3 to 4 weeks after
Furniture, mattresses, bulky items Delivery 3 to 6 weeks after

These are starting points drawn from common practice, not benchmarks. Your own data should overrule them. Most tools let you A/B test different send times and days, so run your first test on the product category that sells the most.

Subject lines that get opened

The pattern that holds up across guides is a conversational subject line rather than a corporate one. A typical example is “How is [Product Name] working out?”, which reads like a note from a person, not a survey.

Some variations to test, adjusted to your brand voice:

A few rules keep these honest and effective:

What the email body should contain

The strongest review request emails do less, not more. A useful checklist:

  1. The product name and image, so the customer knows which item you mean in an order with several.
  2. One clear button, labeled something like “Write a review”. Guides agree on a single call to action.
  3. A direct link to that product’s review form, not your home page or a general review page.
  4. A footer with a reply address that reaches a human. If someone had a bad experience, they should be able to tell you privately as well as publicly.
  5. No cross-sell links above the ask. Recommendations before the button dilute the one thing you want the customer to do.

Two sentences of context are enough: why their opinion matters and how long it takes. Anything past a short paragraph tends to bury the button.

Three templates to adapt

Edit these to your voice and your product. Replace the brackets with your app’s merge tags.

Template 1: The simple ask

Subject: How is your [Product Name] working out?

Hi [First name],

Your [Product Name] should have arrived a few days ago. We would love to know how it is going.

Your honest opinion, good or bad, helps other shoppers decide and helps us improve what we make. It takes about a minute.

[Product image]

[Write a review]

If something is not right, just reply to this email and a real person on our team will help.

Thanks, [Name], [Store name]

Template 2: The long-use product

Subject: A few weeks in: how is your [Product Name]?

Hi [First name],

Some products need a little time before you can judge them. You have had your [Product Name] for a few weeks now, so we would like to hear how it has held up.

What is the one thing you would tell someone thinking about buying it?

[Write a review]

Reply to this email if you have questions about using it. We read every message.

[Name], [Store name]

Template 3: The gentle reminder

Subject: Still thinking about your [Product Name]?

Hi [First name],

We sent a note last week about your [Product Name]. If you have a minute, a quick review makes a real difference to shoppers weighing the same decision.

[Write a review]

No pressure at all. If you would rather not, you will not hear from us about this again.

[Name], [Store name]

Note that none of these mention a reward, and none ask for a specific rating. If you want to add an incentive, read the next section first.

Staying honest and inside the rules

This is the part that can cost real money, so it is worth getting right. These rules apply to US stores. If you sell elsewhere, check the local rules for each market.

Do not gate your reviews

Review gating means asking only the customers you expect to be satisfied, or routing unhappy customers to private feedback while sending happy ones to the public form. The FTC says soliciting reviews only from customers expected to be satisfied could violate the FTC Act. The simple fix: send the same request to every buyer, with the same wording.

The FTC also finalized a rule on fake and false reviews. It bars businesses from creating or selling fake reviews and from buying them or procuring them from company insiders, and it lets the agency seek civil penalties against knowing violators. Writing your own reviews, or asking friends and staff who never used the product to post them, falls squarely on the wrong side.

Handle incentives carefully

Offering a discount or a free product for a review is where many stores slip. The safe principles:

We have written two practical pieces on this: FTC endorsement rules with copy-ready disclosures for Shopify and how to reward customers for reviews compliantly. For anything specific to your store, such as a particular promotion, ask an attorney who handles advertising law.

Where email falls short, and how video helps

A text review request has a built-in ceiling. The customer has to open the email, click through, log in to a form, and type. Many who would happily say two sentences about your product will not write a paragraph. And when they do, the review often reads like every other one: “Great product, fast shipping.”

That is why many stores now offer a quick video option alongside the text form. A short clip shows the product in a real home, on a real person, and answers questions text cannot. Our comparison of video testimonials versus written reviews goes through the trade-offs, and if you are curious how the capture step works, see how a QR code takes a customer from package to product page.

Text and video review request paths compared

In email terms, this changes one line of your template: “Prefer to show us? Record a short clip instead.” One button for text, one for video is the only exception to the single-call-to-action rule, and it earns its place because it lowers the effort for customers who dislike typing.

Our perspective: reviews are a conversation, not a form

We built Peers for Shopify stores only, so we spend our days looking at what happens between a customer’s purchase and the next shopper’s decision. Here is what we have come to believe.

The review request email is the first moment a brand speaks to a customer after the sale, and most stores waste it on a generic survey tone. The stores that earn the best reviews treat the email as a real question from a real person, sent when the customer has something to say.

Our perspective: reviews are a conversation, not a form — overview diagram

We also think the written star rating is only half of what a shopper wants. Visitors hesitate because of specific doubts: does it fit, does it look like the photo, is it loud, how does it hold up? A rating does not answer those. A short video from a verified buyer, and a place where shoppers can ask questions and hear from people who own the product, does. That is why Peers puts post-purchase video reviews and shopper Q&A directly on the product page, with moderation tools so you stay in control of what appears.

Our advice, whichever tool you use: ask everyone, ask at the right time, make it easy, and never shape the answer. Authentic feedback, including the occasional critical review, is what makes the good ones believable.

— Leo

Try Peers on your Shopify store

If you want the email to lead to richer proof, Peers is available on the Shopify App Store. There is a free plan, and the Peers Growth plan costs $15 per month. It lets customers leave video reviews after purchase, adds shopper Q&A to the product page, and includes moderation, customizable design, mobile support and engagement analytics. You can read how the install works in our guide to embedding video reviews without theme code.

Measure, test and improve

Once the flow is live, treat it as an experiment. Track a few numbers monthly:

Change one variable at a time. Test the delay first, then the subject line, then the button text, then the reminder. Give each test enough orders to mean something, and keep what wins.

Also review where the reviews show up. A great collection flow does not help if the reviews sit in a tab buyers never open. Our piece on stopping video reviews from hiding below the fold covers placement.

Frequently asked questions

Can I email customers for reviews after purchase?

Yes. Sending a review request to someone who bought from you is standard practice, and most Shopify review apps include settings for automatic post-purchase requests. Just send it to all customers, keep the wording neutral, and include your unsubscribe or preference link as your email tool requires.

Does Shopify charge to send these emails?

The review request itself depends on the tool you use. Shopify has no native review collection, so the app or email platform you pick sets the pricing and sending limits. Check the plan details of that tool before you build the flow.

How many reminders should I send?

One follow-up is a sensible default, two at most. Space them a few days apart, and stop for anyone who has already reviewed. If a customer does not respond after that, leave them alone.

Can I offer a discount in exchange for a review?

You can, but be careful. The reward must not depend on a positive rating, and the review should disclose that it was incentivized. Some critics argue disclosed incentives still bias results, so keep the offer small or skip it.

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