Transactional email

What is a transactional email?

A transactional email is an automated message sent to a single recipient as a result of an action they performed on a website or app.

There are many types of transactional emails, and you have surely received one not long ago.

Some of the actions that trigger the sending of a transactional email include password recovery, validating a purchase, confirming registration from a form, verifying the validity of an email address, requesting a service review, tracking an order, etc.

Unlike mass mailings, transactional emails are sent to a single person. Their purpose is to communicate something important or an action that is required of, or generated by, the user.

A well-known example is a transactional email containing an order summary. These are highly useful because they provide us with a personal record of our purchases.

But there are many more:

Subscription confirmation emails
Emails containing account login details
Or order status updates

All of these provide relevant information for a specific user and must arrive immediately at the right time.

Characteristics of transactional emails

To sum up, the key characteristics of a transactional email are:

Single trigger: It is sent automatically after a specific action by the user (e.g. a purchase or sign-up).
High relevance: The user expects it, which leads to very high open rates.
Personalized content: It includes data unique to the recipient (names, order numbers, links).
Functional purpose: Its goal is to inform or confirm, not to sell in bulk.
Immediacy: It must be delivered in real time to be effective.
No mandatory unsubscribe: Since it is service information, it usually doesn’t need an unsubscribe link.

Advantages of transactional emails

Transactional emails are crucial for any business, and you should care for their content just as much as you do when creating an email marketing campaign.

Some of the advantages of transactional emails are:

They increase loyalty. Sent at the right time and in the right way, this type of email builds loyalty and gives a sense of closeness.
They raise brand awareness. Customers usually want to receive transactional emails as they provide valuable information and create a clear opportunity to improve your branding strategy.
They free up customer service workload. By providing customers with updated information, you can reduce the number of inquiries about order status or general questions.
They improve the user experience. They are very valuable in ensuring a satisfactory experience in any type of situation.
They personalize communications. Although they are automated, they are sent individually to each contact, which adds a personal touch for each customer.
They enable cross-selling and up-selling. Since these emails are expected by the customer, their open rate is very high, making them a key element for increasing sales.

Differences between email marketing and transactional emails

Sending mass emails or email marketing campaigns is very different from sending transactional emails. Here we explain the differences between both types of email communications:

Email marketing lets you reach many recipients at the same time, whereas transactional emails are more personalized communications, as they respond to a specific action taken by a particular person.
In transactional emails, there is no obligation to include an unsubscribe link, whereas it is necessary when creating mass email campaigns.
The recipients of a transactional email are people who have interacted with our website or app (they don’t necessarily have to be customers), whereas in email marketing the recipients are established or potential customers.
Transactional emails must be delivered as quickly as possible, as an immediate response to an action. In contrast, email marketing campaigns can be scheduled since the recipient is not expecting an immediate response or notification.

Is it possible to send transactional emails using a mass email service?

Although mass email tools, such as Mailrelay, are designed to send large volumes of emails to thousands of contacts, they sometimes also include tools for sending transactional emails.

Below we look at the alternatives, all of them available in the free Mailrelay account.

► Transactional emails sent from the user interface itself

As mentioned, mailing tools are used for sending large volumes; however, there are situations where sending a transactional email is necessary.

For example:

Subscription confirmation emails (double opt-in)
Automated emails (in response to a subscription, on a birthday, upon registering for a new list, etc.)
Even to confirm an unsubscription

All of these emails are usually managed from the email marketing tool’s dashboard, which allows you to edit, schedule, and track them.

Once configured, you won’t need to do anything else, as the software will handle the sending process and deliver them at the right time.

What about other types of emails, such as purchase summaries?

In this case, they are not sent from the platform itself because there is no direct communication between the external tool and Mailrelay.

Even so, it is possible to use Mailrelay to send transactional emails for an online store.

► Transactional emails sent via SMTP

Today, most e-commerce platforms, such as:

Prestashop
WooCommerce
Magento
Shopify

Allow you to configure sending via SMTP.

These platforms normally use the server where they are hosted to send emails, with the usual limitations.

At first, when your e-commerce site is “fresh out of the oven”, you likely won’t notice anything or run into any problems.

However, as your store grows in sales volume and sends out more emails, you will likely hit the limits imposed by hosting services.

Keep in mind that many emails can be sent:

Purchase summaries
Purchase status updates
Potential errors or modifications
Related product promotions
Etc.

All of this has to be sent constantly, every day.

And there comes a point where doing this with a hosting service is no longer viable.

In that case, you can easily configure Mailrelay’s SMTP so that these emails are sent from the email marketing tool instead of the hosting.

This provides an immediate solution for delivering all these transactional emails from an efficient sending platform.

► Transactional emails sent via API

The last option for sending transactional emails with Mailrelay is to use the developer API.

This is an effective alternative for use with apps, CRMs, or similar systems, integrating that software with Mailrelay to send transactional emails in a wide variety of situations:

When the user performs a specific action
Based on certain conditions (usage time, preferences)
As a confirmation or event reminder
Etc.

These are very diverse actions and therefore hard to manage from a conventional email marketing application. Having an API that lets you connect both tools is the best option.

Examples of transactional emails

1. Account management

Welcome: Confirmation that the account has been created after sign-up.
Verification: Code or link to confirm the email address.
Password reset: Temporary link to change the password.
Security alert: Notice of a login from a new device.

2. Purchase cycle (e-commerce)

Order confirmation: Summary of the products purchased and the total paid.
Receipt or invoice: Attached legal document or details of the payment made.
Shipping notice: Notification that the package has left the warehouse.
Tracking: Link to see the package’s location in real time.
Delivery confirmation: Final message when the product arrives at its destination.

3. Activity and notifications

Terms update: Notice of changes to the privacy policy or terms and conditions.
Activity summary: Weekly or monthly usage report (common in finance or health apps).
Comments or mentions: Notice that someone interacted with the user on a social platform.
Support request: Confirmation that a help ticket has been received.

4. Events and bookings

Appointment confirmation: Reminder of the date and time for a service (doctor, hairdresser, etc.).
E-ticket: Delivery of tickets for an event, flight or movie.
Cancellation: Confirmation that a booking or subscription has been cancelled.