Overview
To help you anticipate and answer common customer questions before or after they place a digital file order, we’ve put together essential information on download delivery times.
Understanding when your customers will receive their downloads is key, especially during busy seasons. By proactively sharing this information, you can set clear expectations and greatly reduce the number of support requests. A great way to do this is by adding the information to your shop’s FAQ. You can easily customize your FAQ in your shop settings under: Online Shop > Pages & Menu > FAQ.
Is any action required to deliver downloads to my customers?
No, our system handles the delivery automatically. Your customers receive an email notification and are directed to their order overview page to download their photos once they are available.
The product “Free Direct Download” (not available in the free plan) allows customers to download photos directly from the shop. If multiple photos are available, all can be downloaded for free. Since this is rarely desired, please consider carefully whether you want to offer this product.
Please note that downloads offered through your production tab (if applicable) are not sent via the system. We therefore recommend not using this feature.
Timeline
Once a customer places a download order, they will receive an email notification upon successful payment processing. This message will inform them that the delivery of their order may take up to 24 hours. We added this time frame to cover for different scenarios. In cases where no manual revision is required, the download is typically made available within a few minutes. Once the downloads are available, your customer will receive a second email notifying them that their photos are ready to be downloaded. The following section outlines specific scenarios in greater detail.
What can influence the delivery time of downloads?
If you have activated Manual Revision in your Advanced job settings, it depends on your download settings, if customers will receive their downloads immediately after the payment was processed:
- If you selected the option "Exclude download-only orders," those orders will be released immediately. If this option is not selected, downloads will only be delivered to your customers after you have released the order from manual revision and the system has regenerated any updated files. This process typically takes just a few minutes.
- Mixed orders that include physical items and download orders will remain in Manual Revision until you have revised and released them from Manual Revision.
- Prepay and Prepay+ orders: Downloads will only be accessible to customers once the orders have been populated (images selected) and released from the prepay order collection-unless the order has been routed to Manual Revision first.
Are downloads in batch shipping orders delayed until the batch is released?
No. Unless the order is sent for manual revision after payment has been processed, customers will receive their download orders within 24 hours-typically within minutes.
Can I track whether a customer has downloaded their photos?
You can verify the photo download under the status overview on the order overview page (see screenshot below). However, the status will indicate if the photos have been downloaded. Please be aware that this status also updates if you, as the photographer, download the files, so it may not exclusively reflect customer activity.
How long is the download link valid?
The download link remains active for 6 weeks. This is a fixed data privacy measure and cannot be adjusted. If the link expires, customers can reactivate it themselves directly from their order overview, see also The download link for digital products isn't working anymore.
What if a customer entered the wrong email address when placing a download order?
If a customer entered an incorrect email address in the shopping cart, it can’t be changed afterwards. But you can still make sure your customers get their downloads by sending them the direct link to their order overview. You’ll find this link in the 'Additional Data' section on the order page. Just copy the link and send it to your customers. That way, they have not only access to their files, they can also access their order details.
Other helpful articles about customer downloads
- The download link for digital products isn't working anymore.
- Add a Print Release for Digital Orders
- My customer received duplicate downloads in their package.
- Downloads: My customers can't open their photos on mobile devices.
The Takeaway
Clear communication about download delivery times helps manage customer expectations and reduces support requests, especially during peak seasons. Most downloads are delivered within minutes, unless manual revision is required. Add this information to your FAQ to keep your customers informed and your workload lighter.