How to Save Product Options to Shopify Order Notes
by
Ryan ODonnell
Last updated:
August 20, 2025
Personalized products and special requests can make your store stand out, but only if you capture every detail without a hitch. Missing that crucial engraving note or color preference can turn a delighted customer into a frustrated one. A smooth process keeps both your team and your customers smiling.
When you consolidate product customizations into one place, your team always knows exactly what the customer wants. No more frantic searches or second-guessing during fulfillment; just clear, accurate information that is right where you need it.
Adding product options to Shopify order notes gives you a reliable way to track customizations, personalization requests, and special instructions. Let’s break down how this works, why it matters, and how to set it up for your store.
TL;DR: Want to skip the setup and get right to it? Use this template to save product options to order notes.
MESA Template ID
add-product-options-to-shopify-order-notes
Topics:
What is adding product options to Shopify order notes?
Adding product options to Shopify order notes lets you capture personalization details like engraving text, color choices, or custom messages, and store them directly in the order. Instead of hunting for this info in different fields or apps, you get a single “sticky note” on each order that spells out every special request.
Picture selling custom varsity jackets. Someone wants a specific letter on the chest, gold lettering, and navy sleeves. When you add product options to order notes, all three customizations show up together, so your fulfillment team never misses a step. Everything the customer selects or writes at checkout appears exactly where your team needs it most.
Example of custom product options
This method works for any product with custom fields, whether you sell jewelry, apparel, or even meal kits with special dietary preferences. Order notes become your go-to spot for every important instruction, without any manual copy-pasting.
Why add product options to order notes?
Errors happen when custom details hide in separate fields, buried in your Shopify admin or tucked away in app dashboards. Suddenly, you’re answering customer complaints about the wrong message or searching for a missing thread color. These headaches add up and slow your team down.
Example of custom options in the Shopify admin
By automatically adding product options to order notes, you create a single, visible record that follows each order from checkout to fulfillment. This makes it easy for staff, third-party partners, or even outside vendors to see exactly what needs to happen, with no more guessing or flipping through tabs.
Example of product options also in order notes
Making this information easy to find prevents mistakes, helps you spot trends, answer questions faster, and keeps every part of your workflow running smoothly. Everyone wins when the right information is always in the same place.
Step-by-step guide: How to save product options to Shopify order notes
Time needed: 5 minutes
Let’s walk through setting up an automated workflow that captures all your product customizations and saves them to order notes. The exact steps to make this workflow are as follows:
Shopify Order Created Trigger
Set up the workflow trigger to start whenever an order is created in your Shopify store.
Order Note Update Action
Set up the Shopify Order Note Update action to append the line item properties to the existing order notes. The action uses the following snippet to format the information:
{% for line_item in shopify_order.line_items %} Product Name: {{ line_item.title }}: {{ line_item.sku }} {% for property in line_item.properties %} - {{property.name}}: {{property.value}} {% endfor %} {% endfor %}
This creates a structured list of each product’s name, SKU, and any associated custom properties or options.
Turn “On” this workflow
Then, run this workflow once with product options or customizations in an order to verify that the workflow properly adds the line item properties to the order notes.
Save yourself the setup. Use this template instead:
MESA Template ID
add-product-options-to-shopify-order-notes
Tips on managing product options in order notes
Format for clarity
Structure order notes with clear labels and consistent formatting. Break up details for each product, and indent the customizations under the product name. This helps anyone on your team quickly spot which options belong to which item, even when orders get complicated.
Include context clues
Always add context to custom fields. Instead of vague terms, write ‘Engraving Text’ or ‘Gift Message’ before the actual note. This way, you avoid confusion when several options appear on the same product.
Keep historical records
Append new information to order notes instead of replacing them. This way, you build an audit trail that shows every change or update, which comes in handy if a customer follows up with new requests after the sale.
Related:
Guide Of The Top Product Options App Shopify Edition
Will this work with third-party product customization apps?
As long as the customization app saves data as line item properties in Shopify, the workflow will capture and add them to order notes. Most popular customization apps like Product Personalizer, Infinite Options, and Bold Product Options work this way.
Can I customize which product options get added to order notes?
Absolutely. You can modify the template to include only specific properties or format them differently. For example, you might want to exclude certain internal properties or highlight specific customizations with special formatting.
What happens if an order already has notes from the customer?
The workflow appends product options to existing order notes rather than replacing them. Customer notes from checkout remain intact, and the product customizations are added below them, preserving all information.
How quickly are the product options added to order notes?
The automation runs immediately when a new order is created, typically adding the product options to order notes within seconds. This ensures your team has access to customization details right away.
Can I apply this to orders placed before I set up the workflow?
The workflow triggers on new orders only, but you can manually run it on existing orders or set up a separate workflow to process historical orders if needed.
What you should do now
Whenever you’re ready…here are 4 ways MESA can help you get more done:
Sign up for MESA. The best way to get started is sign up for MESA today. Every plan includes the first 7-days free so you can be assured your workflow is running properly.
Browse pre-made templates. Our customizable workflow templates are a great way to get started more quickly.
Talk to our automation experts. If you need help personalizing any workflow template, guidance how to make any automation or, simply want us to make your workflow, we can help.
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Skip the setup. Get the template.
Use this template to automatically save product options to order notes.
