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Set Up Instant Checkout for AfterShip Notifications

Written by Harneet Kaur

Feature Introduction

What is Instant checkout?

Instant checkout turns the product recommendation block in your AfterShip notification emails into a shoppable section. Shoppers choose a variant, adjust the quantity, and watch the subtotal update — without leaving the email. One click takes them to your Shopify checkout with everything already in the cart.

What is AMP for Email?

AMP for Email is an open email standard that lets an email behave like a small web page. Content can update, and recipients can interact with it — click, select, submit — without leaving their inbox. A regular email can only show static text and images.

Currently supports Gmail only. Other providers, such as Yahoo, Outlook and Apple Mail, show a standard email instead.

Instant checkout is built on this standard, which is why each email provider has to approve you before you can use it.

Plan limitation

Premium and Enterprise plans only.


💡 Legacy Enterprise Standard is not supported. If your organization is still on legacy Enterprise Standard, Instant checkout is unavailable — Upgrading to a current Enterprise advanced plan is required.

Before you begin

Instant checkout needs approval from each email provider, and that approval takes time. Plan for 1–2 weeks from start to finish — most of it spent waiting for the provider to reply.

Requirement

Details

Platform

A Shopify store connected to AfterShip

Plan

Premium or Enterprise only.

Notifications

At least one notification flow turned on

Sending domain

A dedicated sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC all passing

Providers approve one sender email address at a time — not your whole account, and not your whole domain. If you switch to a different sender address later, you will need to apply again. Use the address you actually send notifications from.

Set up Instant checkout

Go to Notifications → Email templates, open a template, select the Product recommendation section, then under Button → Button action choose Instant checkout.

The setup checklist appears. Four steps, then a switch.

You can try the block in the editor preview right away. A Preview only banner sits above it, because selecting the action is not the same as turning the feature on.

Step 1 — Update Shopify data access

Click Open. You are redirected to Shopify to grant the extra permissions AfterShip needs to read your products and build carts.

Permissions are granted per store. If you change the product recommendation source to a different store, grant access for that store as well.

Step 2 — Verify sender email domain

Click Check to see your sender email addresses and their status, then verify the domain you plan to send from. You can do this without leaving the dialog.

You need at least one verified domain before you can continue.

Step 3 — Send test email to AMP provider

This step sends your real application email to the provider's review inbox.

It becomes available only after Step 2 marked as completed.

In the dialog:

  1. Sender info — defaults to the verified sender address

  2. Recipients — the Gmail review inbox is selected by default ( can’t be editable)

  3. Pull actual data — select a real order to fill the email.

  4. Check the preview on the right, then click Send email.


⚠️ Providers reject applications that contain placeholder content. The email must read like a real order notification, which is why Step 3 asks you to pull a real order.

After sending, the step is marked Completed and the button becomes Resend. Every send is listed under Send history in the same dialog, with recipient, time, and status.

Sending is not approval. It only means your application reached the provider's inbox. Each provider replies by email within 1–2 weeks.

Send test email — preview it in your own inbox

Send test email sends a copy to yourself so you can see the interactive block before Google approves you. It does not complete Step 3 and is not part of your application — only Send email does that.

Gmail renders the block only for senders it has approved, so allowlist yourself first. Use a personal Gmail account; work and school accounts have dynamic email turned off.

  1. In Gmail, go to Settings → See all settings → General

  2. Under Dynamic email, turn it on, click Developer settings, and add your sender address


⚠️ Allowlisting affects only your own inbox. Shoppers still get the Buy now version until Google approves your sender address.

Step 4 — Submit AMP registration form

Click Open to go to the official AMP for Email sender registration form, and submit it.


💡 When the approval email arrives, come back and click mark as completed. AfterShip cannot read the provider's reply, so this step only completes when you confirm it.

Turn on Instant checkout

Once all four steps show Completed, the Instant checkout switch becomes available.

The switch is account-level. Turning it on applies to every email template in your organization: any template where Instant checkout is selected as the button action starts using it, with no need to repeat the setup. Turning it off applies everywhere too.

What shoppers see

On providers that support AMP, the product recommendation block is fully interactive: shoppers pick a variant, set a quantity, watch the subtotal update, and click Checkout to open your Shopify checkout with the cart already filled.

On providers that do not support AMP, the same product cards appear but the button reads Buy now and opens the product page on your store. Shoppers also get this version when Instant checkout is not turned on yet, or when your AMP eligibility has been revoked.

This is expected, not a failure. Both versions are sent with every email, and the shopper's email provider decides which one to display. AMP covers roughly 50–60% of consumer email opens.

FAQ

The Send button in Step 3 is greyed out.

Finish Step 2 first. You need at least one verified sender email domain.

I cannot select my sender address in Step 3.

Only verified addresses can be used. Verify that domain in Step 2, or choose another verified address.

Can I see the interactive email before Google approves me?

Yes. Allowlist your sender address in your personal Gmail settings, then use Send test email in Step 3.

I sent the test email. What happens next?

Wait for the provider's reply, usually 1–2 weeks. When it arrives, return to Step 4 and mark it completed.

Does turning it on affect all my templates?

Yes. The switch is account-level and affects every template with Instant checkout selected as the button action.

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