Mastering BigCommerce Email Customization: Adding External Links to Review Requests
Mastering BigCommerce Email Customization: Adding External Links to Review Requests
In the world of e-commerce, encouraging customer reviews is paramount for building trust and driving sales. BigCommerce provides automated product review request emails, but merchants often seek to extend their utility by adding links to external review platforms like Google. This common customization need can, however, encounter a specific technical hurdle within BigCommerce's email template system.
The Challenge: Hyperlinking within BigCommerce Phrase Values
A recent query on the BigCommerce community forum highlighted this exact friction point. A merchant, Cynthia Snyder, sought to embed a link to their Google review page directly within the "instruction" field of the Product Review Request email. Her attempts to add standard HTML hyperlink tags () into the phrase value through the email template's code view proved unsuccessful.
The core of the problem lies in how BigCommerce handles its "phrase system." As expert Solomon Lite explained, phrase values within BigCommerce email templates are treated as plain text, not HTML. This means any HTML tags, including hyperlinks, inserted directly into a phrase value will either be stripped out or escaped, rendering them ineffective. Merchants attempting this will find that the system doesn't allow for direct HTML injection into these specific fields, even when editing in the raw code view.
The Solution: Bypassing Phrase Limitations with Direct HTML Insertion
The most effective workaround involves adding the hyperlink directly into the surrounding template HTML, outside the phrase variable itself. This method leverages the template's ability to render raw HTML while keeping the dynamic phrase content separate.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to implement this solution:
- Navigate to Email Templates: From your BigCommerce control panel, go to Storefront > Email Templates.
- Select the Relevant Template: Choose the Product Review Request template.
- Access the Code Editor: Click on the Code button to open the raw HTML/Handlebars editor for the email template.
- Locate the Phrase Variable: Within the code, find where the instruction phrase variable is rendered. It will typically look something like
{{lang 'review_request.instruction'}}. - Insert Your Custom HTML: Immediately after this line, insert your own hard-coded HTML block containing the desired hyperlink. For example, to add a Google review link, you would use something similar to this:
Loved your purchase? Leave us a review on Google
Important: Remember to replace "YOUR_GOOGLE_REVIEW_LINK" with your actual Google review URL.
- Save and Test: After inserting the code, save your changes and send a test email to yourself. It's crucial to confirm that the link renders correctly across various email clients, as some might handle unrecognized markup differently.
This approach ensures that your Google review link (or any other external link) appears visually next to the standard instruction text, achieving the desired outcome without conflicting with BigCommerce's phrase system.
Alternative: Leveraging Third-Party Review Apps
For merchants seeking more advanced customization options or a more robust review management system, integrating a third-party review app is a viable alternative. Apps like Judge.me, Yotpo, or Stamped.io often provide their own dedicated email editors—complete with WYSIWYG interfaces or full HTML editing capabilities—for review request emails. These tools typically bypass BigCommerce's native phrase system limitations, offering greater flexibility. However, adopting a new app represents a larger commitment and integration effort if you aren't already using one.
Big Migration Perspective
Understanding these nuances of BigCommerce's email template system is vital for effective store management and marketing. For businesses undergoing a migration to BigCommerce or optimizing an existing store, knowing how to implement such customizations ensures continuity in customer engagement strategies. At Big Migration, we specialize in navigating these platform-specific details, helping merchants leverage BigCommerce's full potential for seamless operations and enhanced customer experiences.