What is a transactional email?
A transactional email is a type of email message that’s triggered by a specific action on a website or mobile app. Some common examples of transactional emails include password resets, order confirmations, automated abandoned cart emails, account notifications, social media updates, welcome emails, and any other confirmation emails that are sent via automation. These automated emails are typically sent programmatically through an email API or SMTP server.
Transactional email vs. marketing email
Transactional messages are triggered in real-time by a specific user action, and they’re sent on a one-off, individual basis. Email marketing campaigns, on the other hand, are one-to-many communications promotional emails that promote a product, service, sale, or other events. Although a user has opted-in to receive this communication as subscribers, these marketing emails are usually not user-driven in the same way transactional emails are. Since the best transactional emails contain information a user specifically requested, they tend to have much higher open rates than email marketing campaigns, and thus have better email deliverability.
Types of transactional emails
Popular transactional emails include action emails, notification emails, as well as password reset requests and welcome emails. Think about the last time you used an ecommerce company like Amazon. They send smart emails tailored to your recent actions, often with add-ons and other features you might like. These emails are well-received because they feel customized to you.
Abandoned Cart Email
Sent to customers who added items to their cart but didn't complete the purchase, often including a reminder or incentive to finish their order.
Welcome Email
Sent immediately after a user signs up or creates an account, welcoming them to the service and offering key information or next steps.
Order Confirmation Email
Sent to confirm that an order has been successfully placed, including order details and expected delivery information.
Invoice Email
Sent to provide a digital receipt or invoice for a purchase, outlining the transaction details such as amount, payment method, and date.
Opt-In Email
Sent to confirm a user's consent to receive marketing or promotional communications, often as part of a subscription sign-up process.
Activity Notification Email
Sent to alert users of important actions or events on their account, such as logins, changes in account settings, or billing updates.
Shipping Confirmation Email
Sent once an order has been shipped, providing tracking information and an estimated delivery date.
Delivery Confirmation Email
Sent after an order has been delivered, confirming successful delivery and sometimes asking for feedback or offering post-purchase support.
Subscription Renewal Email
Sent to notify users when their subscription or membership is approaching its renewal date, encouraging them to continue the service.
Payment Failure Email
Sent to notify users when a payment attempt has failed, often with instructions on how to update payment information or retry the transaction.
Account Verification Email
Sent to new users to verify their email address, often containing a link to confirm account creation and secure the signup process.
Feedback Request Email
Sent after a transaction or service interaction to request feedback or reviews to improve the customer experience.
Refund Confirmation Email
Sent to inform users that a refund has been processed, including details of the transaction and when the funds will be returned.
Event Registration Email
Sent to confirm successful registration for an event, webinar, or appointment, with details and any preparation information.
Account Deactivation Email
Sent to notify users when their account has been deactivated or suspended, often with information on how to reactivate or appeal.
Finding a transactional email service
Sending transactional emails shouldn’t be hard with the right transaction email service. With an email service provider or simple email service like Mailgun, you can easily send and track emails like these. Mailgun gives you insight into analytics and mailbox provider performance, so you can see how Google’s Gmail, Yahoo, and other providers handle your messages. Our goal is to help you achieve high delivery rates and keep your transactional emails out of the spam folder. Try Mailgun and see what you can accomplish with the world's best email delivery platform.
Improve your sending reputation
Wondering whether your transactional email messages are getting through to targeted email addresses? See whether or not your emails have been delivered through API or within the control panel. Take proactive steps to build a positive reputation with a dedicated IP address and email validation service.
Integrate with your application
Worried about sending one-size-fits-all email campaigns? With a single API call, you can send more than 1,000 personalized emails. Mailgun supports streamlined integration with better functionality, so you can send emails directly from your web application with ease.
Get help when you need it
Need immediate assistance? With 24/7 support, help is always available. Mailgun offers world-class ticket, chat, and phone support to solve your tricky problems. For customers looking for more proactive help, Mailgun’s Deliverability Service provides account monitoring, ongoing deliverability consulting, and expert guidance on best practices for your specific use case.
Start sending your transactional emails today
Your business needs an email service provider that successfully reaches users, and Mailgun delivers via its cloud-based transactional email service. Using an email provider like Mailgun can boost the reach of your marketing platform and increase your email open rates, which in turn will increase sales and customer loyalty.
Sending over 100,000 messages per month? Check out our plans to bundle together features for better deliverability.
Explore beyond transactional email
Mailgun has a variety of features for companies in need of Transactional Email.
Products
Solutions
Overcome email challenges