---
title: "Forms and submissions"
description: "Build forms for your store pages, choose who is emailed when a customer fills one in, and follow every submission from arrival to completion, including spam."
product: "ShoppyConnect"
section: "Forms"
url: https://help.shoppyconnect.com/shoppyconnect/forms/forms-and-submissions
markdown_url: https://help.shoppyconnect.com/shoppyconnect/forms/forms-and-submissions.md
last_updated: 2026-11-05
tags: ["forms", "submissions", "contact form", "quotes", "spam", "form builder", "notification email"]
---

# Forms and submissions

> Build forms for your store pages, choose who is emailed when a customer fills one in, and follow every submission from arrival to completion, including spam.

Forms let customers get in touch with a store straight from its store page, for example to ask a question or request a quote. When a customer sends a form, Shoppy Connect records it as a **submission**, emails the store and the customer, and keeps a full history so nothing gets lost.

This guide covers:

1. [Forms](#forms): creating a form, building its fields, and choosing where it appears.
2. [Notification emails](#notification-emails): what the store receives when a form is sent.
3. [Submissions](#submissions): following each submission, and handling spam and failures.

## How it works

Each time a customer sends a form, the submission goes through these steps in the background:

1. **Functions ran**: any [custom functions](#custom-functions) add extra information to the submission.
2. **Quote created**: the submission is saved as a quote.
3. **Store email sent**: the store gets the [notification email](#notification-emails).
4. **Customer email sent**: the customer gets an email to confirm.
5. **Completed**: every step has finished.

Submissions that look like spam are stopped before the first step, so no quote is created and no emails are sent. You can still release them if they turn out to be real. See [Spam](#spam).

## Forms

Go to **Settings** › **Forms** to see all of your forms.

![The Forms page, listing the Contact Store form with the date it was last updated and an Add Form button](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/01-forms-list.CX1LiBMs_1iLvj6.webp)

- Click a form's name to open it.
- Click **Add Form** to create a new one.
- Use the **⋯** menu on a row to delete a form.

Opening a form shows its name, notification email, and the store it belongs to. Click **Builder** to change its fields and settings.

![The Contact Store form, with Name, Subject, Body, Description, and Store, and the Builder, Delete, and Save buttons](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/02-form-details.-PAgYlCB_Z252TPn.webp)

### The form builder

The builder is where you design the form customers see.

![The form builder, with the elements panel on the left, the Contact Store form with Name, Email, and Message fields in the middle, and the field settings panel on the right](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/03-form-builder.DAQtdUo3_ZvIqqy.webp)

The builder has three panels:

- **Left**: the elements you can add (**Add**), and a list of the fields already on the form (**Outline**).
- **Middle**: a live preview of your form. Click a field to edit it, or drag it to move it.
- **Right**: the settings for the selected field, or a list of keyboard shortcuts when nothing is selected.

The bar across the top shows the form's name and status, such as **Draft**, and has these controls:

- **Build** and **Settings** switch between designing the form and its [settings](#form-settings).
- **Undo** and **Redo**.
- **Desktop preview** and **Mobile preview**, to check how the form looks on each.
- **Save draft** saves your work without changing the live form.
- **Publish** makes your changes live on your store pages.

### Add fields

In the **Add** panel, click an element to add it to the end of the form, or drag it to where you want it. Use **Search elements** to find one quickly.

| Group       | Element            | Use it for                                    |
| ----------- | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Fields**  | **Short text**     | A name, email address, phone number, or rego. |
|             | **Long text**      | Messages and notes.                           |
| **Choices** | **Dropdown**       | Picking one option from a list.               |
|             | **Multi-select**   | Picking several options from a list.          |
|             | **Button choices** | Quick picks, such as days or sizes.           |
|             | **Checkbox**       | Consent, or a yes or no answer.               |
|             | **Switch**         | An on or off preference.                      |
|             | **Slider**         | A number in a range.                          |
| **Content** | **Heading**        | The form title.                               |
|             | **Subheading**     | A section title.                              |
|             | **Small heading**  | A label for a group of fields.                |
|             | **Paragraph**      | Instructions or notes for the customer.       |
|             | **Divider**        | A visual break between sections.              |

### Edit a field

Click a field on the form to select it. A toolbar appears above it, and its settings open on the right.

![The settings for the Email field: Label, Answer type, Placeholder, Help text, Required, and the Advanced options Field key and Disabled](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/04-field-settings.DBQY6U7B_Z260DLa.webp)

| Setting         | What it does                                                                                                                                                 |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Change type** | Turns the field into a different element, for example from **Short text** to **Long text**.                                                                  |
| **Label**       | The question the customer sees.                                                                                                                              |
| **Answer type** | For **Short text**: **Text**, **Email**, **Phone**, **Number**, or **Website**. Shoppy Connect checks the answer matches, for example a valid email address. |
| **Placeholder** | Example text shown in the empty field.                                                                                                                       |
| **Help text**   | A hint shown under the field.                                                                                                                                |
| **Required**    | Customers must fill this in before they can send the form.                                                                                                   |
| **Field key**   | Under **Advanced**. The name used to insert this answer in the notification email, for example `{{email}}`.                                                  |
| **Disabled**    | Under **Advanced**. The field is shown but can't be filled in.                                                                                               |

The toolbar above a selected field lets you:

- **Move up** and **Move down**.
- **Stack fields**: place the field next to the one before it, or back on its own row. For example, the Contact Store form shows **Name** and **Email** side by side.
- **Duplicate** the field.
- **Delete** the field.

The **Outline** tab lists every field in order, with required fields marked with a red **\***. Fields shown side by side appear indented under the field they sit next to.

![The Outline tab listing Name, Email, and Message, next to the mobile preview of the form](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/06-outline-mobile.CcNmMTVV_Z1PlkFx.webp)

**Keyboard shortcuts**

| Action          | Mac      | Windows               |
| --------------- | -------- | --------------------- |
| Undo / redo     | ⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z | Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z |
| Duplicate field | ⌘D       | Ctrl+D                |
| Delete field    | ⌫        | Backspace             |
| Move field      | ⌥↑ / ⌥↓  | Alt+↑ / Alt+↓         |
| Save            | ⌘S       | Ctrl+S                |
| Deselect        | Esc      | Esc                   |

### Start from a template

To save time, click **Start from a template** at the bottom of the **Add** panel.

![The Start from a template dialog, with Request a quote, Contact us, Feedback, Waitlist, and Blank form](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/05-templates.BZ9u9lC8_1L66wu.webp)

| Template            | Includes                                  |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Request a quote** | Vehicle, service, and contact details.    |
| **Contact us**      | Name, email, and a message.               |
| **Feedback**        | A single comment box.                     |
| **Waitlist**        | An email field to collect early sign-ups. |
| **Blank form**      | Nothing, so you can start from scratch.   |

Choosing a template replaces everything on the form. If you choose one by mistake, click **Undo**.

### Form settings

Click **Settings** at the top of the builder.

- **Details**: the form's **Name**, and a **Description** that only your team sees.
- **Notification email**: see [Notification emails](#notification-emails).
- **Stores**: tick the stores whose store pages should show this form. Use **Select all** to add it to every store, or the search box to find one.
- **Delete form**: see [Delete a form](#delete-a-form).

You can also choose a store's forms from the **Forms** card on the right of its **Details** tab. See [Managing stores](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/shoppyconnect/stores/managing-stores.md#what-you-can-set-on-a-store).

### Publish your changes

When you're happy with the form, click **Publish**. Until then, the form shows as **Draft** and you can click **Save draft** to keep your work.

If you try to leave the builder with unsaved changes, Shoppy Connect asks you to save first. Click **Save draft** or **Publish**, or leave the page to discard your changes.

### Delete a form

Use **Delete form** in the builder's **Settings**, or the **⋯** menu on the Forms list.

> **Important:** Deleting a form removes it from every store and **permanently deletes all of its submissions and quotes**. To stop using a form for a while, untick its stores under **Stores** instead.

## Notification emails

Every time someone sends the form, the store is emailed. Set up this email in the builder's **Settings**, under **Notification email**.

![The Notification email settings, with Subject, Body, and buttons to insert the customer's answers and store details](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/07-notification-email.9wHyJRd6_1Og42r.webp)

1. Enter a **Subject**, for example "New enquiry from your store page".
2. Write the **Body**. You can format it with headings, bold text, lists, and links.
3. Insert information where the cursor is:
   - **Insert an answer from the form**: one button for each field on the form, such as **Name**, **Email**, or **Message**.
   - **Insert store details**: **Store Name**, **Store Contact**, and **Date**.
4. Click **Save draft** or **Publish**.

Inserted information appears as a placeholder in double curly brackets, such as `{{storename}}` or `{{email}}`, and is replaced with the real values when the email is sent. A field's placeholder matches its **Field key**.

The email to the customer, and the address it's sent from, are set under **Settings** › **General** › **Email Settings**. There you can also add **BCC Emails**, so a copy of every customer email goes to your team. See [Set up your organisation](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/shoppyconnect/getting-started/getting-started.md#1-set-up-your-organisation).

Include the customer's name, email, and message in the notification, so the store can reply without opening the dashboard.

## Submissions

Go to **Settings** › **Submissions** to see every form your customers have sent.

![The Submissions list, with the All, Pending, Processing, Completed, Failed, and Spam filters, and columns for Created, Form, Store, Status, Attempts, and Reason](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/08-submissions.5H0Tdfjm_Z2nu2kc.webp)

Each row shows:

- **Created**: when the customer sent the form.
- **Form** and **Store**: which form, on which store page.
- **Status**: where the submission is up to. See the table below.
- **Attempts**: how many times Shoppy Connect has tried to process it.
- **Reason**: why a submission was flagged as spam or failed.

Submissions are processed in the background, so a new one may take a moment to finish. Click **Refresh** to see the latest status.

| Status         | What it means                                                                           |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pending**    | Received and waiting to be processed.                                                   |
| **Processing** | Being processed now.                                                                    |
| **Completed**  | Every step finished: the quote was created and both emails were sent.                   |
| **Failed**     | A step couldn't be completed. Check the **Reason** column and the submission's details. |
| **Spam**       | Looked like spam, so it wasn't processed. No quote was created and no emails were sent. |

Use the filters at the top of the table to see only submissions with one status.

### See a submission's details

Click a submission to open it.

![A completed submission, with the customer's answers under Payload and every step marked complete under Progress](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/11-completed-submission.DGSXHe2v_Z1FxesE.webp)

- **Payload**: what the customer entered, field by field. The **Submitted** column is what they typed. The **Enriched** column is the same submission after any [custom functions](#custom-functions) have run.
- **Progress**: each step, with the time it finished. Use it to check that the store and the customer were emailed.
- **Details**: the form, store, quote, the customer's IP address, the number of attempts, and when the submission was created and last updated.

### Spam

Shoppy Connect checks every submission for signs of spam before processing it, for example a name that contains numbers, or a message with no letters. These submissions get the **Spam** status, and the **Reason** column says what was found.

![The Spam filter, showing one submission with the reasons Name contains digits and Message has no letters, and a Not spam button](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/09-spam-filter.6uY98sY1_Z2boU7x.webp)

Open a spam submission to see all of the reasons:

![A submission flagged as spam, with the reasons it was flagged, what the customer entered, and the Not spam — process it button](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/_astro/10-spam-submission.CugJOT9X_Z1APNsV.webp)

If it's a real customer:

1. Click **Not spam** on the row, or **Not spam — process it** on the submission.
2. Shoppy Connect processes the submission as usual: the quote is created, and the store and the customer are emailed.

Check the **Spam** filter every week or so, so real customers aren't left waiting for a reply.

### Custom functions

Custom functions are short pieces of JavaScript that run when a customer sends a form. They can look up information in other systems and add fields to the submission before the quote is created and the emails are sent.

Set them up under **Settings** › **Functions**. They're usually set up by a developer.

## Tips

- Start from the **Contact us** template, then add only the fields you really need. Shorter forms get more replies.
- Make the email field **Required** and set its **Answer type** to **Email**, so you can always reply.
- Use **Help text** to explain anything unusual, such as what a rego number is.
- Check your form in **Mobile preview** before you publish. Most customers use their phone.
- Send yourself a test submission from a store page after publishing, and check it reaches **Completed**.

## Troubleshooting

**A store didn't get the notification email.**
Open the submission and check **Progress**. If **Store email sent** isn't ticked, check the **Status** and **Reason**. Also check that the store's **Email** is set on its **Details** tab, and look in the store's spam folder.

**A real customer's message was marked as spam.**
Open it from the **Spam** filter and click **Not spam — process it**.

**The form doesn't appear on a store page.**
Check that the form is published, that the store is ticked under **Stores** in the form's settings, and that the store's page is published. See [Shopify store pages](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/shoppyconnect/stores/managing-stores.md#shopify-store-pages).

## Related

- [Managing stores, trading hours, and store pages](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/shoppyconnect/stores/managing-stores.md)
- [Getting started with Shoppy Connect](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/shoppyconnect/getting-started/getting-started.md)