Shipping delay email examples: What to say to your customers
Corinne D'Andria
·October 1, 2025
Like it or not, shipping delays happen - typically during the holiday season. Last year, 54% of shoppers said that they were worried about their holiday deliveries arriving on time.
They’re right to be concerned: During the 2023 shopping season, between 5 to just over 10 percent of UPS deliveries during Peak Season were received late, with regional variations in volume: While California had the lowest volume of late deliveries at 5.03%, Florida had the highest, at 10.16%.
It’s an unfortunate truth that when major carriers like FedEx, UPS and USPS struggle to keep up with online order and package fulfillment, ecommerce companies often bear the brunt of the blame.
When major shipping delays occur, customers don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes; they only know they were quoted an estimated delivery date, and it’s come and gone.
What are your choices in this scenario?
1. Say nothing and risk creating a customer support death spiral
2. Get ahead of customer complaints by sending proactive communications
If we can all agree that saying something is better than saying nothing and hoping for the best, let’s take a look at what that ‘something’ should be.
Anatomy of a shipping delay email
Not sure what to say to your customers when you’re experiencing logistics challenges?
Here are some best practices for defusing anger and rebuilding their trust:
1. Be upfront about the delay (subject line)
There’s no hiding the truth, so you might as well rip off the Band-Aid.
Let your customers know right away that there’s a delay in the shipping or delivery process that’s going to impact when they receive their package.
2. Express gratitude (preview text/intro)
A bad delivery experience can lead to customer churn, so it’s wise to remind your customers how much you value their business (and their patience!).
3. Explain what the problem is (intro)
You don’t have to go too in-depth on the details, but it is helpful to acknowledge any blockers to package delivery so that customers know what’s causing the holdup and that you’re aware of what’s happening.
4. Set expectations around the impact (body)
How long of a delay can customers expect? How is your customer service team handling it?
This is the perfect place to provide the answers to any immediate questions your customers might have so they don’t have to file a “where’s my order?” ticket to get more information. It’s also important to include a link to your branded order tracking page, so that shoppers can view delivery status updates in real-time.
5. Apologize for the inconvenience (body)
Shipping delays are not your fault, but you are indirectly causing your customers stress because they chose to shop with you.
Saying sorry is an easy way to show empathy for what they’re going through.
6. Offer reassurance (body)
The goal of this email is to reassure your online shoppers that despite this hiccup, they will still receive their package and you will be there to assist them.
Make sure to share any steps you are taking to make it right. This might include a special discount or promotion (as we’ll cover in Step 7), or, depending on the extent of the delay, you may choose to re-ship the same product at no additional cost, so that it arrives within the customer’s target timeframe.
7. Optional: Provide value with a resource or special offer (CTA)
If you don’t have any special offers for customers who are impacted by shipping delays, you can simply close the email with a thank you and a signature from your customer support team or a spokesperson for your brand.
If you do have the capability to include a special offer, here are some good ones to include as a CTA:
- Reply to this email for expedited shipping
- We’ve put a $10 credit in your account; click here to view
- Take 15% off your next order with promo code SORRY2020
- We’re extending our holiday return policy - learn more
5 great shipping delay email examples
Ready to see these best practices in action?
Here are a few shipping delay emails that have been sent from ecommerce brands to customers, reassuring them that the team is on it.
These are great examples of how to be proactive and set the right tone. If you see one you like, feel free to copy/paste the text below the image and make it your own.
And, bonus - we've created an entire swipe file of shipping delay and other post-purchase notifications from top ecommerce brands, so be sure to check that out too.
1. Hey Bud
2. Teton Supply
3. Buoy
4. QALO
5. Casely
![Casely Order Placed → Order Shipped → Order Stalled → Delivered Update on Your Casely Purchase TRACK YOUR PACKAGE We just checked on the status of your shipment and noticed the carrier hasn’t updated the tracking info in a few days. We've reached out to them to get it moving along. Rest assured, it’s still on the way to you! We know you're excited and ready to start rocking your new Casely, so we apologize for the delay! On its way to: [Address info blurred in image] TRACK YOUR ORDER](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Ft78kdlc0%2Fproduction%2F09337f54d0a8cbc490b40cf0b9367165c957b7cf-593x2357.png%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=1200&q=90)
Wrapping it all up
Do shipping delay emails make customers mad? No.
In fact, done right, they can help to bolster customer loyalty. One of our merchants’ customers responded with this gushing email after receiving a delivery delay notification:
Does sweeping a delay under the rug lose you customers? Certainly. In fact, nearly 80% of shoppers wouldn’t buy from a brand again after a negative post-purchase experience.
Don’t let logistics challenges erode the trust customers have in your ecommerce store. By using Loop’s complete suite of post-purchase tools, you’ll be able to keep your shoppers informed about their upcoming delivery every step of the way.
Our Delivery Promise tool gives your shoppers accurate estimates around delivery times that regularly update based on carrier status changes, so they’ll feel more confident that their holiday purchases will arrive in time. And, if it turns out the item isn’t what they wanted, they’ll have access to hassle-free returns and exchanges through our returns portal, with no need to wait for help from your support team.
By delivering a cohesive, seamless customer experience that helps your shoppers gain confidence around their purchases, you’ll be able to build brand equity that will see you through Peak Season and beyond, generating customer loyalty for the long haul.
Ready to build a better post-purchase experience? Book a demo of Loop today.
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