Attracting new customers is one task, but getting them to stick around is another thing entirely. The biggest faux pas you can make is cutting all communication as soon as you think you’ve landed a new customer. In fact, shoppers today expect you to stay in touch with them at all stages of the sales cycle—when they add items to their cart, when they make a purchase, and even after they’ve received their shipment.
Transactional emails that are automatically sent to customers when they take a certain action are crucial to building customer relationships and maintaining your brand image at scale.Ninety-eight percent of consumersreceive transactional messages every day and spend between15 to 20 secondsreading them. For 64%, they are the most important type of email.
With incredibly highopen rates hovering between 40% and 50%, and click-through rates upward of 10%, transactional emails provide the perfect opportunity to make more sales and improve customer happiness.
What is a transactional email?
A transactional email is anautomated emailthat’s triggered after a customer takes a specific action with your brand. It contains information about the transaction they have taken and is a unique email sent to each individual customer.
There are four common examples of transactional emails:
- Cart abandonment emails
- Order confirmation emails
- Shipping confirmation emails
- Customer feedback emails
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How is a transactional email different from a regular marketing email?
Transactional emails are triggered by an action. They are 1:1 broadcasts rather than mass emails sent to a group of users at the same time, like a newsletter. For example, purchasing a product will trigger an order confirmation email to that specific customer—no one else.
The best part is that transactional emails are easy to automate. Most email marketing tools have a feature that triggers transactional emails when customers take a specific action.
Why are transactional emails so important for store owners?
Transactional emails let you deliver the right message at the right time. Timely and relevant communicationbuilds trustbetween your brand and buyers, but it can also be a great way to providepersonalized offersto promote more sales.
Think about it: If a shopper has added an item to their cart, there’s a high chance they’re interested in your products. If a shopper has made a purchase, there’s a strong possibility they might be interested in other products from your line. If a shopper has just received their shipment, they might be ready to make another purchase. You get the gist.
Transactional emails target shoppers with relevant emails based on where they’re at in the purchasing cycle. Consistent communication like this improves customer relationships and keeps your brand front of mind.
The 4 essential transactional emails every ecommerce store needs
1. The shopping cart abandonment email
Baymard Instituteshows the averageshopping cart abandonment ratesits at nearly 70%. That's a lot of revenue left on the table. What can you do to get those customers back to your checkout page to complete their order?
Abandoned cart emails reach customers who have recently added items to their cart but haven’t yet made it to checkout. They act as a reminder, but you can also increase the chances of conversion byadding an incentiveto the mix—like 20% off or a freebie if the customer purchases within the next hour.
The stats speak for themselves:45% of cart abandonment emails are opened, 21% of those opened lead to a click-through, and 50% of those who click through end up making a purchase.
Perigold includes a “Top picks for you” section in its abandoned cart emails to introduce shoppers to other items.
Alex Mill offers shoppers 15% off if they click through and complete their purchase.
Make sure your abandoned cart emails hit the spot:
- Put the main message in text formatso customers will see it right away without having to enable images. Include a link back to their shopping cart so they can easily complete the transaction.
- Remind the customer about an item(s) in their cartthat is awaiting purchase so they can get excited about it again. Highlight specific features and show offhigh-quality product photos.
- Communicate a specific incentiveto return to their carts, such asfree shippingor discounts. If an item is running out of stock, let customers know as a courtesy while also instilling a sense of urgency.
- Dress up emails with reviews and other relevant product suggestions. If a shopper has shown interest in one product, there’s a good chance they’ll be interested in others.
- Use a clear, compelling call to action.Keep it concise and limit yourself to a single CTA. Multiple CTAs can distract from the action you really want customers to take: to complete their purchase.
Learn more:16 Amazing Abandoned Cart Emails to Recover Lost Sales
2. The order confirmation email
Order confirmation emails confirm that an order has been placed. This gives customers peace of mind and marks the start of their post-purchase relationship with you—one of the most pivotal points in thecustomer journey. Get this moment right and you can secure a customer for life.
当订单确认的最终目标mail is to let shoppers know you’ve received their order, it can also be a good opportunity to highlight other relevant products in your catalog and build trust. The key is to be smart with how you do it. A well-timed order confirmation email with a relevant selection of product suggestions and a personalized message from your brand can work wonders since confirmation emails have the highest engagement rates ofanytype of email. We’re talking65% open rates, 17% click-through rates, and 3.77% average order rate.
Allbirds keeps things light and on-brand with its order confirmation emails.
Let your order confirmation emails shine:
- Send order confirmation emails as soon as a customer has made a purchase.
- Showcase your brand personalityin the copy, images, and design of your order confirmation emails.
- Add relevant content, like product reviews,upsells, and customer photos and videos.
- Include relevant product suggestionsto introduce shoppers to other items in your catalog.
3. The shipping confirmation email
Shipping confirmation emails are sent out when a product is dispatched to a customer. They are valuable because your customer is already excited about receiving their order—their anticipation and excitement mean they’re likely to engage with the email.
They’re also an underused opportunity to get creative and delight your customers. This email from Native is a stand-out example:
Think outside the box if you want to convert more customers. How can you use your shipping confirmation emails to drive action and deepen a customer’s relationship with your brand? Instead of asking customers to make another purchase for themselves, encourage them to buy a gift for someone else.
Tradesy uses the shipping confirmation email to promote its referral program, encouraging customers to gift their friends and family $20 off.
Learn more:How to Create a Referral Marketing Strategy [+Definition]
发货确认邮件特别效果ive when the CTAs are personalized to the customer’s purchase. If, for example, a customer purchases a pair of men’s slacks, product recommendations could focus on matching shirts and ties, instead of something less relevant like a full suit or women’s clothing.
Ways to improve shipping confirmation emails:
- Make it easy for your customer to track their order.Include the expected delivery date and tracking number linked to the shipping company so people can click once to see exactly where their order is in the shipping process.
- Suggest that the customer refer a friend通过转发链接到他们购买的产品. Incentivize word-of-mouth marketing byimplementing a referral programwith rewards.
- Include product suggestions that match a customer’s purchase.Make sure you’re asking shoppers to purchase something they’ll actually be interested in.
4. The customer feedback email
客户反馈邮件触发一次购物per has received their product and had enough time to use it and enjoy it. Getting feedback in this way can help you improve the customer experience and ensure shoppers are satisfied. It can give you detailed insights into areas you can improve, as well as where you’re succeeding, so you can continue tooptimize the fulfillment process.
Soliciting feedback can be as simple as sending a survey or a single question about the customer’s shopping experience. You’ll want to send these requests after a customer has presumably received and used the product they ordered.
Here's an example survey fromDeath Wish Coffee:
You can also send customers to a survey available on your website. This makes it easy to prompt a satisfied customer to start shopping once their review is complete.
What about those who are less than happy with their previous purchase? Follow-up is essential here—first to prompt a response and next to figure out how you can improve the experience for future customers.
Make the most of customer feedback:
- Focus on customer satisfaction,not sales, so you can get your customers’ thoughts on their purchase. Track these metrics over time and look for actionable insights you can implement in your business to improve over time.
- Place the review/survey form on your websiteso the customer can see related offers and products after submitting their feedback.
- Include the review on the product pageas user-generated content to boost future buyers’ confidence.
How to set up transactional emails in Shopify
Shopify Emailhas all the tools and features you need to automate these important transactional email messages.
To get started:
- Log in to your Shopify store and go toMarketing.
- Click on Automations and create a new automation.
- Choose one of the many pre-made templates or upload your own.
Once you’ve created an automation, you can choose what action triggers it in real time, like a purchase, an abandoned cart, or a successful delivery.
While Shopify offers the ability to optimize your transactional emails for sales with features likeautomatic abandoned cart discounts, you can also integrate your favoriteemail service providerfor even more powerful capabilities. Shopify integrates with the best ecommerce email tools available, includingKlaviyo,Omnisend, andMailchimp. A/B testing through these tools can help you identify which variations of your transactional emails get the best results.
Post-purchase touchpoints are crucial
当你发邮件给你的客户,你tarting a conversation in their closely guarded inbox. You need to make your messages count, or risk losing your chance to build a connection.
Getting creative with transactional email campaigns can be an effective way to not only offer transparency about customers’ purchases but also get them back to your store for repeat sales. Get these notifications right and you’ll reap the benefits.
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Transactional emails FAQ
What is a transactional email?
What’s the difference between transactional emails and regular marketing emails?
What are some common transactional emails used in ecommerce?
- Abandoned cart emails
- Order confirmation emails
- Shipping confirmation emails
- Customer feedback emails
- Welcome emails
Do transactional emails need an unsubscribe link?
What should I look for when choosing a transactional email service?
- Powerful automation functionality
- Email deliverability and speeds
- Reliable customer support team
- Pricing and value
- Customizable email templates
- Flexible email workflows