To activate notifications and alerts to users and admins via E-Mails, you need to have a mail server, you can explore some of the free options that you can depend on as a mail server for your store:

• Zoho
• sendinblue
• Gmail

Nevertheless, the linkage process is almost the same, in this article we will explain how to add a mail server to your store in few simple steps:

You can reach the mail server or the E-Mail notifications settings through the store settings as follows:

ExpandCart provides two methods for the Mail Server:

• ExpandCart Mail Server
• SMTP 

1- ExpandCart Mail Server:

This is the traditional way, where E-Mail notifications are sent to admins and customers when a customer creates an account or places an order through the ExpandCart server's email with the store's name.

• Mail Protocol: In this method, we will select ExpandCart Mail Server
• Additional Aler E-Mails: In case you want to add more E-Mail addresses to receive the notifications with the primary email address
• New Order Alert Mail/New Account Alert Mail: To receive E-Mail notifications you and the admins added in the previous field whenever a customer places an order or creates an account

Note: Customers will receive only E-Mail notifications when they place an order or create an account when using this method, you won't be able to send them marketing E-Mails notifications or sale alerts and so on, this method is limited comparing to the other method.

2- SMTP:

The simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) depends on sending the E-Mails through your own E-Mail address using the E-Mail address's data, you can activate it with mail servers that have a free plan such as Gmail and Zoho and more of the mail-server providers like:

https://gsuite.google.com

https://sendgrid.com

https://sendpulse.com

https://serversmtp.com/

https://www.mailjet.com/

After completing the subscribing process by choosing a free plan or paying for a paid one, you will have access to the SMTP information of the E-Mail you've just created, you need to get it from your account and add it to the E-Mail Notifications settings in ExpandCart as follows:

• Mail Protocol: In this method, we will select SMTP
• Additional Aler E-Mails: In case you want to add more E-Mail addresses to receive the notifications with the primary email address
• Mail Parameters: The E-Mail address the emails will be sent from, you can leave this field empty
• SMTP Host: The E-Mail or the username of the E-mail address you just created depends on which one you use to login into the E-Mail address, most probably, it will be written within the SMTP information you accessed through your account.
• SMTP Password: The password of the E-Mail address or the one written with the SMTP information if it's different.
• SMTP Port: The mail server provider's port that will be used to send the E-Mails through it, in most cases, it will be 587 or 465, and you can find it in the SMTP information of your account with the mail server provide.
• New Order Alert Mail/New Account Alert Mail: To receive E-Mail notifications you and the admins added in the previous field whenever a customer places an order or creates an account

You can test if the linkage was done successfully by sending an E-Mail through "Marketing">>"Campaigns", then check the E-Mail address's inbox you sent the E-Mail to: