What is a Transactional Email?

The digital marketing world loves to use jargon and acronyms to when discussing many daily marketing activities. And we know that sometimes convoluted explanations about trending marketing terms can just leave readers more confused. If you’ve been scratching your head, wondering about the meaning behind ‘transactional email’ or similar terms, this post is here to help!

What are Transactional Emails?

A transactional email is sent to a single contact, lead, or customer to help facilitate or follow-up on a commercial action the user has taken with the company.

Unlike bulk emails, transactional emails are a single-send to a specific user that is triggered by that user’s action or inaction.

Product or Service Feedback

Ask for feedback

Transactional emails are the perfect space for this
Retail companies do this by sending a follow-up after an order has been delivered with the ability to rate the products purchased
If your business is not in retail, think of sending a simple yes/no question to gauge their level of satisfaction

Transactional Emails: Best Practices

Always include branding

Make them helpful
Create functional follow-ups
Use specific landing pages
Pay attention to the rules
There are privacy limitations on transactional emails as with all emails. Know the limitations before creating a new strategy

Bottom Line

Taking time to optimize automation efforts is where marketers are increasing returns and nurturing customers

Account Set Up

A user signing up for an account is a potential life-long customer. Use this first confirmation email to shine!

Marketing vs. Transactional: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between marketing and transactional emails comes down to permissions.

To send bulk marketing messages, someone needs to explicitly opt-in to your list and agree to receive messages (e.g., purchase tickets or sign up for an account).
With transactional email, you’re allowed to continue emailing the user only as long as the information is directly related to their commercial transaction.

Order Confirmation

The perfect first step to creating order confirmation emails that build brand affinity is to…well…brand them.

MeUndies is a company that makes sure their branding stands out on their order confirmations with graphic and copy that fits the rest of their marketing materials.

Abandoned Cart

Businesses with an AOV of $100 to $500 recover 4% to 5% of their abandoned carts on average.

Missed Marketing Opportunity

Transactional emails have some of the highest engagement rates because they’re sent after a customer takes an action with your business either in person or on your website.