Does this scenario sound familiar? You spend hours shopping for the perfect gift, find a great deal and place the order. And as you wait for your package to arrive, you end up repeating the same steps: searching your inbox for the confirmation email, finding the tracking number and following a string of links to see your delivery status.
With the holiday season coming up fast, it won’t be long before your inbox is filled with more order and shipping confirmations, tracking numbers and even the occasional delay notification. So this year, Gmail is introducing new features to help you save time and stay on top of all your shipments.
In the coming weeks, Gmail will show a simple, helpful view of your package tracking and delivery information right in your inbox. For orders with tracking numbers, Gmail will prominently display your current delivery status in your inbox list view and in a summary card at the top of individual emails. Package tracking will be available across most major U.S. shipping carriers and will provide important details at a glance, such as estimated arrival date and status — like “Label created,” “Arriving tomorrow” or “Delivered today.”
You can opt in to receive package tracking updates right from your inbox or in Gmail settings. Gmail will then automatically look up order statuses using your tracking numbers and surface them in your inbox. You can opt out at any time through your Gmail settings.
We also know how it feels to be waiting on a package, only to discover that it was delayed. In the coming months, Gmail will help eliminate some of that surprise. It’ll proactively show a delay label and bring the email to the top of your inbox so you don’t miss a beat (or a package).
There’s a lot to keep track of during the holidays. But with these new features, and even more to come in Gmail, we hope to cross at least one of those to-do’s off your list — so you can spend less time waiting by the door and more time celebrating with your loved ones.