Documentation

Welcome to the Emerge Studio WordPress plugin documentation page! To use this page, simply select the plugin you want to learn more about in the left column to view its user guide in the right.

Parcel Notes for WooCommerce

User Guide for the free version

Parcel Notes adds extra text to WooCommerce customer emails based on what was purchased. You write a note once, attach it to products or categories, and it appears in the matching order email.

This guide covers the free plugin only. Pro is a separate add-on; see Parcel Notes Pro — User guide.

Requirements: WordPress 6.5+, PHP 7.4+, WooCommerce 8.0+. High-Performance Order Storage is supported.

1. Install and activate

  1. In wp-admin go to Plugins → Add New.
  2. Search for Parcel Notes for WooCommerce, or upload the parcel-notes zip.
  3. Click Activate.
  4. Confirm WooCommerce is already active. If it is not, Parcel Notes shows a notice and will not send notes.

After activation you will see a Parcel Notes menu in the admin sidebar.

2. Create a note

  1. Go to Parcel Notes → Add Note.
  2. Enter a title (for you; customers do not see this unless you put it in the note body).
  3. Write the note in the classic editor. This is the text that appears in the email.
  4. Set When and where, Applies to, and optional placeholders (steps below).
  5. Click Publish.

A published note that is not attached to any product or category will not appear in emails. The editor warns you when that happens.

The same note is printed once per email, even if several products in the order match.

3. Choose which emails and where it appears

On the note editor, open the When and where box (right side).

Show in these emails

Check one or more:

  • On hold — customer On-hold order email
  • Processing — customer Processing order email
  • Completed — customer Completed order email

A new note defaults to Processing.

Placement

Choose where the note sits in the WooCommerce email template:

  • Before order table
  • After order table (default)
  • After order meta
  • After customer details
  • Email footer

Click Update or Publish to save.

4. Attach products or categories

On the note editor, open Applies to.

  1. Under Products, search and select one or more products. The note applies only when those products are in the order.
  2. Under Categories, search and select one or more product categories. The note applies to every product in that category, including products in its subcategories.
  3. You can use products, categories, or both.
  4. Click Update.

To remove a target, delete it from the search field and update the note.

5. Use placeholders

Placeholders are replaced when the email is sent, using the order (and the line items that triggered the note).

Insert from the editor

  1. Open the Placeholders box on the right of the note editor.
  2. Click a tag (for example {customer_first_name}). It is inserted into the note.
  3. Common tags on this list: {customer_first_name}, {customer_name}, {order_number}, {order_total}, {product_name}, {product_sku}, {site_title}.

See the full list

  1. Go to Parcel Notes → Settings → Placeholders, or click See all placeholders in the editor.
GroupTags
Store{site_title}, {site_url}
Order{order_number}, {order_id}, {order_date}, {order_status}, {order_total}, {order_subtotal}, {payment_method}
Customer{customer_first_name}, {customer_last_name}, {customer_name}, {customer_email}, {customer_phone}
Address{billing_city}, {billing_country}, {shipping_city}, {shipping_country}
Product{product_name}, {product_sku}, {product_url}

Product tags use the line items that matched this note, not every item in the order.

6. Preview a note (nothing is sent)

  1. Edit a note.
  2. Open the Preview box on the right.
  3. Search for a recent order.
  4. Click Preview note.
  5. The note renders with that order’s placeholders. No email is sent.

7. Assign notes from a product

You can attach notes while editing a product instead of from the note.

  1. Edit a product (Products → All Products).
  2. Open the Parcel Notes product data tab.
  3. Search and select notes under Notes.
  4. Click Update.

Notes inherited from the product’s categories appear under From categories. Those are not edited on this tab; edit the note (or the category assignment) instead.

8. Review all notes

  1. Go to Parcel Notes → All Notes.
  2. Columns show which emails, placement, products, and categories each note uses.
  3. Click a title to edit.

9. Insert notes into admin emails (optional)

By default, notes go only to customer emails.

  1. Go to Parcel Notes → Settings → General.
  2. Check Also insert notes into admin order emails (New order, Cancelled, Failed).
  3. Click Save Changes.

The note still has to match the order (product/category) and a status you checked on the note. Free notes only have On hold, Processing, and Completed. So the admin New order email will include a note when the order is in one of those statuses and the note is set to that status. Admin Cancelled/Failed emails need a matching cancelled/failed note, which is a Pro status.

10. Import from Woo Custom Emails Per Product

This copies messages from the retired Woo Custom Emails Per Product plugin (woocustomemails posts). It does not import Smart Product Emails or Simple Product Emails. Original data is not deleted.

  1. Keep the old messages in the database (uninstalling that plugin often leaves the posts).
  2. Go to Parcel Notes → Settings → Import.
  3. If leftover messages are found, click Import messages.
  4. When it finishes, open All Notes to review the copies.

11. Test with a real order

  1. Publish a note assigned to a product (or category) you will buy.
  2. Check Processing (or the status you will use).
  3. Place a test order that includes that product.
  4. Open the customer email (or your mail log). The note should appear in the placement you chose.

The free plugin does not send a separate email. It inserts into WooCommerce’s existing customer emails.

12. What is not in the free plugin

These are Parcel Notes Pro:

  • Variations, tags, and shipping classes
  • Refunded, cancelled, failed, and custom order statuses
  • Conditions (first order, totals, payment, shipping, role)
  • File attachments
  • A dedicated extra email
  • Bulk assign
  • Send a test email from the note editor
  • WPML / Polylang note content

The free plugin does not lock any of its own features. Pro is sold on the Emerge Studio site, not inside this plugin.

To read about Pro in wp-admin: Parcel Notes → Settings → Go Pro.

13. Uninstall

If you delete the plugin, settings are removed. Notes and product assignments stay in the database so you can reinstall without losing content.

Support

Use the WordPress.org support forum for the free plugin.

Parcel Notes Pro

User guide

Parcel Notes Pro is an add-on for Parcel Notes for WooCommerce. Install and activate the free plugin first. Every free feature keeps working without Pro.

This guide covers Pro-only steps. For creating a basic note, placeholders, preview, import, and the product tab, see Parcel Notes — User guide (free).

Requirements: Parcel Notes for WooCommerce active, plus a valid Pro license on a live site. On a Local/dev site (WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE = local), Pro fields stay available so you can build and screenshot.

1. Install and activate

  1. Install and activate Parcel Notes for WooCommerce.
  2. Upload parcel-notes-pro to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin (or copy the folder into wp-content/plugins/).
  3. Activate Parcel Notes Pro.
  4. If the free plugin is missing, you will see an error notice. Activate it and reload.

On a production site, activate your license when Freemius asks (Parcel Notes → Account, or the Activate license link). Without a license, Pro features pause. The free plugin still inserts notes; the shop does not lock up.

When Pro is licensed and active, the Go Pro settings tab and plugin-row link are hidden.

2. How to send (insert vs extra email)

On the note editor, When and where gains How to send:

  1. Edit a note.
  2. Open When and where.
  3. Set How to send:
    • Insert into the WooCommerce order email — same as free (default).
    • Send as a dedicated extra email — WooCommerce’s Processing/On-hold/Completed templates do not include this note. A separate “Parcel Notes extra email” is sent instead.
    • Both — the note is inserted and the extra email is sent.
  4. Click Update.

Configure the extra email itself under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails → Parcel Notes extra email (subject, heading, enabled). See section 8.

Extra-only notes do not appear in the normal customer Processing / On-hold / Completed templates.

3. Extra order statuses

With Pro, Show in these emails lists every WooCommerce order status (except checkout draft), including Refunded, Cancelled, Failed, and custom statuses.

  1. Edit a note.
  2. In When and where, check the statuses you want (for example Refunded).
  3. Update the note.
  4. When the matching customer (or admin) email for that status is sent, the note can insert — if targeting and conditions also match.

Customer emails Pro maps include refunded, cancelled, and failed. Admin Cancelled / Failed emails also work when Parcel Notes → Settings → General → Admin emails is on.

4. Target tags, shipping classes, and variations

Applies to gains three extra fields. A note can use any mix of free targets (products, categories) and Pro targets.

Tags

  1. Edit a note → Applies to.
  2. Under Tags, search and select product tags.
  3. Update. The note applies when a line item has that tag.

Shipping classes

  1. Under Shipping classes, search and select classes.
  2. Update. The note applies when the product (or variation) in the order uses that shipping class.

Variations (from the note)

  1. Under Variations, search and select specific variations.
  2. Update. The note applies only when that variation is in the order — not sibling variations of the same parent.

Variations (from the product editor)

  1. Edit a variable product.
  2. Open Variations and expand a variation.
  3. Find Parcel Notes, search and select notes.
  4. Click Save changes on the variations.

5. Conditions

All filled conditions must match. Leave a field empty to skip it.

  1. Edit a note.
  2. Open the Conditions box.
  3. Set any of the following:
    • Only on the customer’s first order
    • Minimum order total
    • Maximum order total
    • Payment methods (enabled gateways)
    • Shipping methods (method type and/or zone instance)
    • Customer roles (including Guest checkout)
  4. Click Update.

If a condition fails, the note is skipped for that order (no insert, no extra email, no attachment for that note).

6. Attachments

Files are attached when this note is included in an email (inserted email, extra email, or both).

  1. Edit a note.
  2. Open Attachments (right side).
  3. Click Add file and pick a file from the media library (or upload one).
  4. Repeat for more files. Use Remove to drop one.
  5. Click Update.

Typical use: a PDF care guide, ticket, or instruction sheet.

7. Extra Pro placeholders

In When and where, Pro adds clickable tags:

  • {shipping_method}
  • {customer_role}

Click to insert, same as the free placeholder list. All free placeholders still work.

8. Configure the extra email

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Emails.
  2. Open Parcel Notes extra email.
  3. Enable it if you use How to send = extra or both.
  4. Edit subject and heading if you want. Defaults are “A note about your order {order_number}”.
  5. Save.

The extra email sends when the order status changes to a status the note is checked for, and the note is extra or both. It is sent once per status per order (it will not resend if the order hits Processing twice).

9. Bulk assign

Use this when you do not want to open every product.

  1. Go to Parcel Notes → Bulk assign.
  2. Search and select the Note.
  3. Set Assign to: Products, Categories, Tags, Shipping classes, or Variations.
  4. Under Targets, search and select the items.
  5. Choose How to apply:
    • Add — keep the note’s current assignments of that type and attach the new targets as well.
    • Replace — drop this note’s current list of that type only, then use only the targets you picked. Replacing categories does not remove products, tags, or variations already on the note.
  6. Click Assign.
  7. You should see Assignments saved.

Then edit the note (or place a test order) to confirm.

10. Send a test email

This always sends a real email. It does not prove targeting, conditions, or “How to send.” It only renders this note’s content (and attachments) against the order you picked.

  1. Edit a note.
  2. In Preview, search for an order (required).
  3. Under Send a test email, confirm the address (defaults to your admin email).
  4. Click Send test email.
  5. Check that inbox.

To prove a note will appear for real customers, place a test order that matches targeting and conditions.

11. WPML / Polylang

If WPML or Polylang is active, Pro can swap in the translated note content for the order’s language (from order meta wpml_language or pll_language).

  1. Translate the note in your language plugin as you would any custom post type (parcel_note).
  2. Place or replay an order in that language.
  3. The matching translation’s content is used when the email sends.

Without a language plugin, this does nothing. The rest of Pro still works.

12. Suggested workflows

Care note for a whole category, plus a PDF

  1. Create a note. Check Processing. Placement: after order table.
  2. Applies to → choose the category.
  3. Attachments → add the PDF.
  4. How to send → Insert.
  5. Publish. Place a test order in that category.

Variation-only instruction

  1. Create a note for that SKU’s wording.
  2. Applies to → Variations → pick only that variation (or assign it on the variation in the product editor).
  3. Do not attach the parent product unless you want every variation to get it.

Follow-up email instead of a line in Processing

  1. Create the note. Check the status that should trigger it (usually Processing).
  2. How to send → Send as a dedicated extra email.
  3. Enable Parcel Notes extra email under WooCommerce → Emails.
  4. Place a test order. You should get the extra email, and the normal Processing template should not include this note.

First-order welcome, only over a minimum total

  1. Create the note. Check Processing.
  2. Conditions → check first order, set a minimum total.
  3. Attach products or a category.
  4. Test with a new customer over the minimum, and again under the minimum or as a returning customer.

13. License expired or missing

  • Free notes still insert. Orders and checkout keep working.
  • Pro fields and Pro behavior pause until a license is active again.
  • You will see a warning with an Activate license link.

Support

Pro support is be handled by Emerge Studio. The free plugin’s support forum is for the free plugin only.

Pricing (for your site, not shown inside the free plugin):

PlanSitesAnnualLifetime
Personal1$59$199
Shop5$99$349
Agency50$149$499