Transactional email

A transactional email is automatically sent when triggered by user actions, like purchases or password reset requests. Transactional emails are also sent when a brand needs to share information with a subscriber, like order confirmations or payment received notifications. These are typically templatized and personalized since they’re only relevant to a particular user’s action. Because transactional emails are automated, most brands collaborate with an email service provider (ESP) like Mailgun, which sends the emails via an Application Programming Interface (API).

Transactional emails shouldn’t be confused with marketing emails, which are used to send newsletters, announcements, and event invitations.