Transactional emails are not just regular emails but ones with high open rates, up to 50%, and click-through rates averaging 4.8%. For comparison, non-transactional messages have a CTR of only around 3.1%.
Transactional emails vividly demonstrate your interest in solving your consumers’ problems, satisfying their cravings, and making them happier, all boosting your brand reputation and growing your bottom line.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little. Before we dig into the depths of transactional emails, let’s find out what they are and what makes them different from regular emails. Then, having this knowledge, we can review the most effective tools to write a compelling transactional message.
Without any further ado, let’s dig into it.
What is a Transactional Email?
Transactional emails are messages triggered by a user’s action or an event, for example, an order confirmation email. These emails provide information necessary to complete a transaction or some other target action.
As a rule, transactional emails contain:
- Payment details
- Product info
- Notifications about order status, payments, password changes, etc.
- Transaction receipts
- Messages about payment errors
- Subscription notices
- Confirmation emails
Transactional emails are a convenient and reliable way to establish customer trust. For instance, an email with detailed information about the journey of an ordered product from your warehouse to the delivery address will present you as a professional, convincing the recipient that you value their trust and adhere to a policy of transparency and honesty towards your buyers.
Transactional Emails vs. Marketing Emails
Marketing emails are messages that:
- intended for a large number of consumers
- sent at the same time
- include advertising elements or consist entirely of promotional offers
How New Brands can Engage their Early-Stage Email Subscribers
In contrast to transactional notifications, marketing texts are aimed at brand promotion, attracting customers, and prompting the recipient to take a specific action: visiting a website, signing up, making a purchase, etc.
Transactional vs. Marketing Emails
| Characteristic | Transactional emails | Marketing emails |
| Content | Information (sometimes with ad elements) tailored individually to each recipient | Promotional content identical for each recipient |
| Purpose | Action confirmation and providing data necessary for further collaboration | Brand promotion and selling a specific product or service |
| Sending | Automatically generated and sent upon user request or interaction | Can be sent at any time |
| Audience | Only users who triggered an email by their action | The entire target audience of the brand, including cold and warm leads |
Important note: According to the legal norms of certain countries, marketing emails can only be sent to customers who have given explicit permission to receive promotional communications. Therefore, if your emails contain advertising elements, pay attention to the jurisdiction of the country in which you operate.
What Makes Up a Great Transactional Email Service?
You can use one of the numerous web services to create the best transactional emails and auto-send them to your subscribers.
Here are the four main aspects to consider when choosing your transactional email delivery assistant:
- Ease of Setup: The easier it is to grasp the new tool, the quicker you’ll incorporate it into your workflow, reaping its benefits. That’s why flexible customization and a clear interface are key criteria when choosing a transactional email service.
- Analytics Tools: Regular comprehensive reports on all emails sent are a must to be able to refine your email content. Most transactional email providers enable detailed reporting on the number of clicks, opens, and more, as shown below
Source: Inner Trends
- Pricing: Some companies offer free transactional email services for a trial period. Take advantage of this opportunity to get the hang of the platform without overcommitment.
- Customer Support: Round-the-clock customer support via live chat, email, and phone calls will help you solve issues faster so as not to delay the email design and outreach process.
Undoubtedly, the best transactional email service can ensure consistent email delivery, reliable communication, and high-end service.
Best Email Services for Transactional Emails
SendGrid
Sendgrid offers a huge library of free customizable transactional email templates, which you can adjust to your specific campaign needs. The standard subscription plan starts from $14.95 per month, with four premium packages costing from $89.95.
Advantages:
- High delivery rate
- Two-factor authentication
- Delivery monitoring and technical support
Mailchimp
Mailchimp helps you automate email marketing, customize advertising campaigns, and generate performance reports alongside various email types. As an app, Mailchimp allows you to send transactional emails through API or SMTP integration. For a block of 25,000 emails, the service charges $20.
Advantages:
- Free for up to 500 monthly emails
- Detailed API documentation
- Transactional SMTP service
- Client pathway optimization settings
Postmark
Postmark focuses solely on sending transactional emails, offering simple step-by-step instructions for setting up the email outreach routine. The service easily integrates with WordPress websites and costs from $15 per month while supporting 100 free transactional emails monthly.
Advantages:
- Near-instant email delivery (less than 10 seconds)
- Simple and clear settings
- Templates for different types of transactional emails
MailerSend
The transactional email provider offers a drag-and-drop email builder that can help you design an email in a blink without technical knowledge. Likewise, you can leverage ready-made email templates and learn from the instructions on installing transactional email software, domain configuration, and more.
MailerSend is one of the email service providers popular with professional developers due to its vast HTML capabilities.
Advantages:
- Free transactional email services
- Over 30 email templates
- Text formatting editor
- 24/7 support via email and chat
SparkPost
SparkPost allows you to send emails and gather analytics on various parameters: delivery times, delay frequencies, rejection counts, and more. They also provide email statistics across several categories: Spam Traps, Engagement Recency, Health Score, and Reports.
Advantages:
- 500 free transactional emails per month
- Tools for collecting analytics
- Simple setup and community support
- Collection of statistical data across 4 parameters
All these automated email marketing tools will help streamline your work and enhance your company’s productivity.
Transactional Email Examples
Since user actions trigger transactional emails, you can set up specific triggering events for these emails. Likewise, you can make an email template with standardized text where variables can be easily inserted. Each message will correspond to a specific action and contain individual (variable) data.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the best transactional email examples:
- Order confirmation email
Source: SmartrMail
- Password reset email
Source: Really Good Emails
- Thank you email
Source: Campaign Monitor
- HubSpot account login alerts
Source: Really Good Emails
- Order confirmation email on Shopify
Source: Omnisend
To create the best transactional email, choose a reliable service provider, select suitable templates, and customize them to your brand’s concept and image.
Email Marketing Extravaganza at MailCon Show in New York
MailCon is back with a one-day email performance and deliverability conference on July 28th in New York City.
Every attendee will get:
- Productive email marketing sessions reinforced with panels and workshops addressing the most pressing topics for mailers
- Speaking and exhibition opportunities
- Connecting with renowned email marketing professionals and experts
And here’s why MailCon is the coolest email marketing event you can attend:
Here are some of the topics you’ll get covered on July 28th:
- Brand Safety & Better Subscriptions: What You Need to Know, by Ebenezer Anjorin, Lead Product Manager at Google Workspace
- Email Deliverability Starts Where Best Practices Fall Short, by Adrian W. from Email Angels
- The Importance of Securing Your Email Infrastructure and How to Do It, by Kevin A. McGrail, CEO of Peregrine Computer Consultants Corporation, and LB Blair, Head of Deliverability at Email Industries.
- Future-Proof Your Brand Like Beyoncé: Integrating Email & Social Media for Iconic Digital Presence, by Carlos Gil from GetResponse
- Insights from the expertise of renowned email deliverability consultants like Trey Bennett, Keith Kouzmanoff, Jakub Olexa, and more
- Expert panel on navigating the complexities of consumer privacy and compliance regulations, by Eric J. Troutman, Puja J. Amin, and Brittany Andres
- Marketing Crossfire session hosted by Channel Automation™ and featuring industry thought leaders
And so much more!
Get your tickets now before they sell out!
For those new, here’s everything you need to know about MailCon in just 90 seconds:
Discover MailCon in 90 Seconds
Frequently Asked Questions
What is transactional email?
Transactional email definition refers to the automatic sending of a message from a company to a user after a certain action or event. As a rule, these emails notify about activity related to commercial transactions, accounts, or visitor’s actions on the website.
Why do you need transactional emails?
It is necessary to provide customers with important information as quickly as possible. Traditionally, transactional emails include information notifying the user of a transaction, account changes, order status, subscription expiration, etc.
Do transactional emails need an unsubscribe link?
You must add an unsubscribe link if you use advertising elements in your message, and your country of operation’s jurisdiction requires that marketing messages be sent only with the user’s consent. But in most cases, there is no need to include an unsubscribe link because transactional emails do not contain advertising.
Can I use a transactional email service for free?
Yes, most companies offer a free trial period or a limited number of transactional emails per month that you don’t have to pay for.
