Mastering Post-Checkout Text: How to Update Your BigCommerce Order Summary Email

Accurate and up-to-date information across all customer touchpoints is paramount for any e-commerce store. The post-checkout experience, in particular, is a critical moment for reinforcing trust and providing essential next steps. An outdated email address on a crucial page like the Order Summary can lead to confusion and missed communications.

A recent BigCommerce forum thread highlighted a common challenge: locating and updating a default email address displayed on the Order Summary page after a customer completes payment. This seemingly simple task can sometimes be tricky, as BigCommerce stores various pieces of information in different locations—from general store settings to specific theme files.

The Challenge: An Outdated Email on the Order Summary Page

The original query from Jeff Oodian was direct: "Hello. I am trying to update the default text, which appears on the Order Summary page, once a customer has completed payment. It has an out of date email address. Where in Settings can I update this?" This is a relatable scenario for many merchants as contact details evolve.

The Initial Direction: Checking Miscellaneous Settings

The community quickly offered a starting point. Jamie Reyes suggested, "try checking in Miscellaneous, then under the 'Email Questions to' field." This points to a general area within BigCommerce where various administrative contact details are often stored, serving as a logical first step.

The Comprehensive Solution: Store Settings and Beyond

Solomon Lite provided a more detailed and comprehensive answer, confirming the primary location and offering crucial insights for troubleshooting when default settings don't seem to apply. This is where the true value for BigCommerce users lies:

Step-by-Step Guide to Updating the Default Email:

• Go to Store Setup > Store Settings in your BigCommerce admin panel.
• Click on the Miscellaneous tab.
• Locate the "admin/store contact email" field. This is the primary field BigCommerce uses for various administrative and customer-facing communications, including the one displayed on the order confirmation page.
• Update the email address to your current, correct address.
• Save your changes.

Solomon further clarified, "The email address that shows on the order confirmation page is the administrator's email, and that setting lives under Store Setup > Store Settings > Miscellaneous." This confirms the default platform behavior.

When Default Settings Aren't Enough: Addressing Customizations

What makes Solomon's reply exceptionally helpful is the guidance for scenarios where the above steps don't resolve the issue. If updating the email in Store Setup > Store Settings > Miscellaneous doesn't reflect on your Order Summary page, it's a strong indicator that your store's display has been customized. Solomon explains: "If that doesn't match what's showing... the page has likely been customized via a script or theme override rather than pulling the default value."

Where to Look for Customizations:

• Theme Files: The most common place for such overrides is within your BigCommerce theme's files, specifically the checkout/order-confirmation template. Developers often modify these templates to alter content or hardcode specific information.
• Checkout Content (for newer SDKs): For stores utilizing newer versions of the BigCommerce Checkout SDK, custom content might be managed directly under Checkout > Checkout Content in the admin, offering more flexibility without direct theme file edits.

Identifying and rectifying issues in customized templates or scripts usually requires a deeper dive into your theme's code or seeking assistance from a BigCommerce developer. This distinction is vital for merchants to understand whether they're dealing with a simple setting change or a more complex development task.

Big Migration's Takeaway

This community thread perfectly illustrates a common challenge in e-commerce: distinguishing between platform default settings and custom theme implementations. For merchants considering a migration to or from BigCommerce, understanding where such critical information resides is key. Our team at Big Migration meticulously audits these settings and customizations during a migration to ensure all essential data and customer touchpoints are accurately transferred and configured.

The BigCommerce community remains an invaluable resource for troubleshooting and sharing practical solutions, helping merchants navigate the intricacies of their online stores effectively.