Notification Settings

The Notification Settings tab allows you to configure all automated email communications sent to your customers throughout their subscription lifecycle.

Overview

Zubs sends several automated email notifications to keep your customers informed. The most common ones:

1. Subscription Created - Confirms new subscription signup
2. Subscription Cancelled - Confirms cancellation
3. Payment Failed - Alerts the customer to billing issues, at every attempt
4. Inventory Failure - Alerts the customer when an order can't be fulfilled because an item is out of stock
5. Upcoming Order Reminder - Notifies about upcoming billing

Each notification can be individually enabled or disabled based on your communication strategy.

tip

Email works best when paired with in-app reminders. The Zubs Mobile App adds push notifications for timely actions like upcoming orders and payment issues.

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Email Configuration

Public Shop Name

Purpose: This name appears in the "From" field of all email notifications.

Settings:

• Field: Public Shop Name
• Example: "Acme Coffee Co." or "Acme Subscriptions Team"

Best Practices:

• Use your brand name for recognition
• Consider adding context like "Team" or "Subscriptions" for clarity
• Keep it short and professional
• Avoid generic names like "Store" or "Shop"

Impact: This is the first thing customers see in their inbox. A recognizable name improves open rates and reduces spam complaints.

Email Sender Slug

Purpose: Creates your custom email sender address in the format: your-slug@m.zubs.app

Settings:

• Field: Email Sender Slug
• Format: Lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
• Cannot start or end with a hyphen
• Example: acme-coffee → Results in acme-coffee@m.zubs.app

Best Practices:

• Use your brand name or store name
• Keep it short and memorable
• Use hyphens for readability (e.g., fresh-juice not freshjuice)
• Avoid numbers unless part of your brand

Why it matters: A branded email address builds trust and improves deliverability compared to a generic sender.

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Email Notification Types

1. Subscription Created

When sent: Immediately after a customer completes their first subscription order.

Purpose:

• Confirms the subscription was successfully created
• Sets expectations for billing and delivery
• Provides details about their subscription plan

Typical content includes:

• Subscription plan details
• First order information
• Billing frequency and next billing date
• Link to manage subscription

Recommendation: ✅ Keep this enabled

Why: This is a critical confirmation email that customers expect. It reduces support inquiries and builds trust.

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2. Subscription Cancelled

When sent: When a subscription is cancelled. A cancellation scheduled on a plan with Minimum cycles sends it when the subscription actually ends, after the last required order.

Purpose:

• Confirms the cancellation was processed
• Provides final details about their subscription
• May include win-back messaging or survey links

Typical content includes:

• Cancellation confirmation
• Information about any remaining orders
• Feedback request (optional)
• Resubscribe information

Recommendation: ✅ Keep this enabled

Why: Customers need confirmation that their cancellation request was successful. This reduces support tickets asking "Did my cancellation go through?"

Win-back tip: This email is an opportunity to survey why customers left and potentially win them back with special offers (configure this in your email template customization).

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3. Payment Failed

When sent: After a billing attempt fails due to payment method issues.

Purpose:

• Alert customer to payment problem
• Prompt them to update payment information
• Prevent subscription disruption

Typical content includes:

• Notification of failed payment
• Reason for failure (if available)
• Link to update payment method
• Information about retry schedule
• Consequences if not resolved (based on your General Settings)

Recommendation: ✅ Keep this enabled

Why: This is critical for payment recovery. Customers often don't know their card expired or was declined. Prompt notification increases successful payment recovery rates.

Timing considerations:

• Sent immediately after first failure
• Sent after each retry attempt (based on your retry schedule in General Settings)
• Consider your retry settings when enabling to avoid email fatigue

What happens if disabled:

• Customers won't know about payment issues
• Lower payment recovery rates
• More support inquiries
• More involuntary churn

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4. Inventory Failure

When sent: When a subscription order can't be fulfilled because one or more items are out of stock — on each retry, and again when retries are exhausted.

Purpose:

• Let the customer know the order couldn't be fulfilled yet
• Reassure them their subscription is still active while Zubs retries
• Explain the outcome if the item never restocks

Typical content includes:

• Which subscription and order are affected
• That no action is needed and the subscription stays active
• The date of the next automatic retry
• On the final email, the outcome you chose (skip, cancel, or pause)

Recommendation: Keep this enabled.

Why: Out-of-stock delays are Zubs retrying on your behalf, not a customer problem. A short heads-up prevents "where's my order?" tickets and reassures customers their subscription is safe. It uses the same retry and on-failure settings as payment failures — see the Payment Failure Handling guide.

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5. Upcoming Order Reminder

When sent: Ahead of the next billing cycle — once, or up to three times, at the intervals you choose.

Purpose:

• Remind customers about upcoming charge
• Give them time to make changes (skip, modify products, update address)
• Reduce billing surprises and chargebacks

Typical content includes:

• Next billing date and amount
• Products in upcoming order
• Links to manage subscription (skip, edit, etc.)
• Deadline for making changes

Configuring Reminder Timing

Setting: Reminder schedule, below the list of notifications.

The schedule is a list of up to three days before the order, and it drives more than the email: the Upcoming Order Reminder email, the Zubs: Upcoming Order Reminder Klaviyo event and the Shopify Flow trigger all fire on these days. That's why the schedule stays visible and in effect even when the email is switched off — if you send your own reminders through Klaviyo or Flow, this is where you set their timing.

• Range: 1-30 days in advance, per reminder
• Maximum: 3 reminders
• Default: a single reminder — your existing timing is kept, nothing changes until you add one

Use Add reminder to add a row and the bin icon to remove one. The same day can't be used twice. Preview on the Upcoming Order Reminder row shows the email for your earliest reminder.

Why more than one: an early reminder gives customers time to swap products or update an address; a last-minute one catches those who ignored the first. A common pattern is 7 days to plan and 1 day as a final heads-up.

How to choose the right timing:

Billing Frequency	Recommended Reminder Days	Why
Weekly	2-3 days	Enough notice without being too far out
Bi-weekly	3-5 days	Balanced timing for common frequency
Monthly	5-7 days	Gives customers planning time
Quarterly	7-14 days	Longer notice for infrequent billing

Factors to consider:

• Product modification window: If customers frequently edit orders, give more time
• Customer demographics: Older customers may prefer more advance notice
• Order value: Higher-value orders warrant earlier reminders
• Your modification options: More features (skip, reschedule, edit) = more advance notice needed

Best Practices:

• Start with 5 days and adjust based on feedback
• Monitor how many customers actually make changes after receiving the reminder
• Survey customers: "Is 5 days enough notice for your upcoming order?"
• A/B test different timings with customer segments

Recommendation: ✅ Enable this

Why: Reminder emails:

• Reduce chargebacks ("I didn't know I'd be charged!")
• Increase customer satisfaction (customers feel in control)
• Provide opportunities for customers to add one-time items
• Decrease support inquiries about upcoming charges

When you might disable:

• Very frequent billing (daily/every few days) - too many emails
• Customers have explicitly requested fewer emails
• Your product has very low modification rates

Switching the email off doesn't stop the reminder schedule: Klaviyo events and Shopify Flow triggers keep firing on the configured days.

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Email Notification Strategy

Recommended Configuration for New Stores

Enable these notifications:

• ✅ Subscription Created
• ✅ Subscription Cancelled
• ✅ Payment Failed
• ✅ Inventory Failure
• ✅ Upcoming Order Reminder (5 days in advance)

Why: Start with full transparency and communication. You can always disable specific notifications later if customers complain about email volume.

Customer Feedback Considerations

If customers say they're receiving too many emails:

1. First: Make sure they're not receiving duplicate notifications from other systems
2. Check: Are they subscribed to marketing emails separately?
3. Consider: Is your billing frequency very high (weekly or more)?
4. Last resort: Disable upcoming reminders (but keep transactional ones enabled)

Never disable:

• Subscription Created
• Subscription Cancelled
• Payment Failed

These are critical transactional emails that customers expect and need.

Advanced: Segmentation Strategy

For larger stores, consider:

• Different reminder timing based on billing frequency
• Different notification preferences based on customer segments
• Survey high-value customers about their email preferences

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Troubleshooting

Customers Not Receiving Emails

Common causes:

1. Spam filters - Emails going to spam/junk folder
2. Email address typos - Check customer's email in their account
3. Email service issues - Temporary delivery delays

Solutions:

• Ask customers to whitelist @m.zubs.app emails
• Check your email sender slug is configured correctly
• Verify your Public Shop Name looks professional (not spammy)

Too Many Support Tickets About Upcoming Charges

If customers are surprised by charges:

• ✅ Enable Upcoming Order Reminder if disabled
• Increase reminder days (try 7 days instead of 3), or add a second, earlier reminder so they get both a heads-up and a last call
• Check that reminder is actually enabled for the customer segment

Low Payment Recovery Rates

If failed payments aren't being recovered:

• ✅ Ensure Payment Failed notification is enabled
• Check your retry settings in General Settings (3-5 attempts recommended)
• Verify email content clearly explains how to update payment

Need help? Contact support if you have questions about email deliverability or need custom email templates.