Transactional emails: Templates, examples, and tips for surefire delivery

You ordered cool new headphones but received no order confirmation in your email. You start worrying about getting scammed and thinking of ways to get your money back. Experiences like this show how important transactional emails are. They're not just confirmations; they play a big part in the customer experience, letting you know about sign-ups, order statuses, or cancellations. In this article, we'll dive into how to configure, write, and make the most of transactional emails.

What are transactional emails?

When customers shop online, they expect to receive a confirmation email, i.e., a transactional email. This type of email is sent automatically and contains personalized information about the user’s activity, such as the items ordered and the amount to be paid.

Transactional emails always have high open rates, as users expect to receive them.

The best part for any marketer is that users don’t need to subscribe to receive them. At the same time, you could include a link to manage preferences if customers would rather receive push notifications or SMS.

How do you differentiate between marketing and transactional emails?

The main difference between marketing and transactional emails is that customers must opt in to receive marketing emails. Your collection, processing, and handling of customers' personal information must comply with GDPR, the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL), and other region-specific regulations.

You will regularly send both marketing and transactional emails. The table below provides examples of when to use each type.

16 transactional email examples and templates you can use out of the box

All transactional emails should be concise and provide only relevant information about a user’s actions. Before we jump to templates and use cases, let's scrutinize specific email elements with references to the best practices on how to write them. 

The anatomy of a transactional email

Order and activity confirmation transactional emails

Order confirmation

Order confirmation emails reassure customers that their orders have been successfully placed. They usually include order details and delivery information. For e-commerce businesses, these emails are also an opportunity to cross-promote products where local regulations allow it.

Here's an example of an order confirmation email sent by iHerb.

Order confirmation email template

If you're looking for guidance on creating an effective order confirmation email, starting with a pre-made template can be a good choice. For example, consider this email template ready for use in Pushwoosh. Its layout includes a customer’s name, order details, and clear information on what to expect next. 

Shipping confirmation

A shipping confirmation email should include three key pieces of information:

1. A notification that the product has been successfully shipped

2. Details of the order

3. Tracking information.

Tracking information helps to keep customers informed about their purchases and the next steps they need to take.

Look at this example of a shipping notification email from ASOS.

Payment confirmation

The payment confirmation email should confirm that the payment has been made for a product or service. It needs to include the exact amount charged and how the payment was processed.

Check out how Bolt delivers all this information at a glance.

Delivery confirmation

When creating your delivery confirmation email template, include the order tracking number, list of shipped items, payment details, expected delivery date, and support contacts.

This well-structured example from DHL gives users all the information they expect.

Return confirmation

Having an effortless return process is crucial for customer satisfaction. Return confirmation emails are an integral part of the post-purchase email strategy, and Bata excels in this aspect.

The email below includes essential details such as the return and refund timeframe, product name and price, quantity, and order number.

Refund confirmation

Sending prompt refund confirmation emails helps customers feel at ease when doing business with you, knowing they'll get their money back soon. Include the refund amount, the timeframe for the money return, and your contact information in this template.

See how Trolley’s team wrote it for their customers.

Appointment confirmation

Personalize your appointment confirmation email with as many variables as necessary to make the customer feel validated. It should include all essential information, such as the appointment's date, time, and subject. Also, include your contact details if the customer needs to make changes. 

HotDoc included all the useful info for their patients in the appointment confirmation email.

Cancellation confirmation

When a customer cancels an order or a subscription, the cancellation email confirms their request and gives marketers a chance to win users back. In Hulu's example, the only thing they ask users to do is to come back. The email is short and to the point, with two ideas: the first confirms the cancellation, and the second focuses on reactivation.

Account and security notification transactional emails

Account activation

The account activation email example from Headspace contains essential information for recipients. It explains why the customer needs to verify their account, what they need to do to complete the process, and when the verification link will expire.

Security alerts (e.g., suspicious login attempts)

When creating a security alert email, it's important to make it direct and personal and include a clear CTA. Ensure that all necessary details, such as location, time, and device type used for account login, are included. Additionally, a friendly touch like 'Sent with love from Airbnb' sign-off will remind to the user that the company values their account security.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) codes

Two-factor authentication emails provide a strong defense against fraud. This email template should include a code with a short expiration, advice on adding security layers to users' accounts, and your contact information. Deel included all this information for their users.

Password reset emails

Reset password emails will likely be opened as users intend to continue using your service. Capitalize on this opportunity to craft an on-brand message with clear instructions, similar to Netflix's approach.

Service updates transactional emails

Subscription renewal emails

When sending subscription renewal emails, it's helpful to include a reminder to customers to add a backup payment method. Doing so could significantly increase successful transactions in the future. Google Play, for example, uses this approach in its subscription renewal emails.

Subscription expiration notices

Subscription expiration notices should be friendly yet straightforward. Bold the most essential elements for easy scanning. If the subscription renewal is automatic, it should function as a simple courtesy notice. If there are any questions or concerns, encourage replying to the email to get in touch, just like the team at Reincubate suggests.

Billing updates or invoices

A billing update email is meant to verify that the payment information we have on file is accurate. It's a pre-dunning email to help avoid customer churn due to outdated payment details.

Let's review Lyft's approach. This email stands out because of the prominent product image that clearly shows where to update payment information within the app.

Changes to terms of service or privacy policy

The email describing the changes in terms and conditions is typically longer than the transactional emails we've reviewed today. Let's analyze the email from Figma. It clearly explains how users can adjust their AI settings, gives an overview of the new AI terms, and specifies when the terms will come into effect.

8 best practices when working with transactional messages

1. Ensure top-class email deliverability with proper configuration.

Optimize email deliverability by following these five configuration steps:

• Authenticate your sender's domain with your web hosting provider by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. This helps establish your email sender's authenticity and increases the chances of your emails landing in the inbox.
• Build a strong sender reputation by gradually increasing the volume of your emails over time. This step allows you to gain the trust of email providers and improves your deliverability rates.
• Avoid using spam triggers in your emails, such as excessive exclamation points, all caps, or overuse of HTML. 
• Regularly clean your email list to reduce bounce rates and remove invalid email addresses. 
• Promptly address any email complaints to prevent being blacklisted. 

2. Leverage the power of integrations to send transactional emails that best suit your needs.

First, make sure that your email service provider can handle different email volumes without compromising performance (Pushwoosh can 😎). Next, use APIs and SDKs to integrate email-sending functionality directly into your product for seamless operation.

3. Hone user experience at each step of the journey.

Create customizable, on-brand templates for each transactional action you need. Include CTAs above the fold. Use clear, action-oriented subject lines to match the email's content and increase open rates.

For example, when reaching out to customers who've left items in their shopping carts, your subject line could read: "{item name} is still waiting for you." 

Always include a 'ReplyTo' address so customers can easily reach out to you. Also, provide an option to unsubscribe to maintain your sender's reputation.

4. Use omnichannel communication to boost reach

Managing communication preferences is similar to curating a playlist. Just like you choose the perfect song for each playlist, users can pick their preferred way of getting messages. Ask users if they'd like to get transactional messages via push notifications, in-app messages, or SMS to ensure that the message is opened and read. 

At the same time, choose a backup channel that will be automatically activated for critical alerts. Collaborate with your team to ensure the brand's voice is consistent across all channels, maintaining a smooth user experience.

In Pushwoosh, you can integrate multiple channels into a single user journey and manage them all in one place—Pushwoosh Customer Journey Builder. The platform allows you to perform reachability checks and if users are not reachable via email, you can send them your transactional communications through other channels, for example, SMS and WhatsApp.

5. Personalize content to enhance user experience

Use dynamic content in your transactional email templates to incorporate recipient-specific details. For example, in order confirmation messages, you could dynamically insert a delivery date.

To take personalization a step further, tailor transactional messages based on customer segments (e.g., VIP, new, or returning customers), offering each group customized content and relevant next steps to optimize engagement.

6. Make sure your emails look great on mobile devices

Transactional emails are often opened on mobile devices, especially for actions like password resets or order confirmations. Ensure that emails render correctly on various screen sizes and use readable font sizes for mobile users. Make it easy for users to take action on their mobile devices.

Pushwoosh's email drag-and-drop builder automatically adapts your emails for both mobile and desktop devices, and you can preview them in real time across different screens.

7. Comply with regulations in your region

Handle user data carefully and comply with relevant regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. It is crucial to adhere to anti-spam laws like CAN-SPAM and CASL to avoid legal issues.

Additionally, provide a clear and user-friendly way for users to unsubscribe from transactional emails.

8. Continuously test & optimize

1️⃣ Perform a pre-launch test series by sending test emails to different email clients and devices to identify potential issues.

2️⃣ Run A/B tests to determine which subject lines, copy, or layouts work best for your audience.

3️⃣ Assess your success by tracking key metrics such as open, click-through, and bounce rates.

In Pushwoosh, A/B/n testing and email statistics are built-in features. You can run tests as well as analyze the performance of your emails at every level—from single messages to entire campaigns and aggregated dashboards .

A seamless communication flow: The true power of transactional messages

Transactional messages are intrinsic to any customer communication strategy. We hope our recommendations and examples have encouraged you to enhance your transactional messages for a seamless user experience across all channels. Pushwoosh is here to support your omnichannel communication strategy with a simple setup and surefire delivery of transactional messages.