Transactional email is the programmatic email sent by an application in response to user actions, like payment receipts, account verifications, and password receipts. This type of email is different from sales email (eg. Hubspot, Salesforce), marketing email (eg. Klaviyo, Mailchimp), and client email (eg. Gmail, Outlook).

These messages help your users make their way around your product and are key touchpoints within your product communication. They play a significant role in retaining users and gaining new ones, so it's important you're familiar with the different use cases you can implement for your app.

💬 Transactional Email Types

There are many different types of transactional emails you can send to your users to keep them engaged, informed, and completely satisfied with your product. In this guide, we've broken them down into 4 main use cases:

Account Info and Management
Event Info
Payment Processes
Product Updates

📁 Account Info and Management

Transactional Email Type	Description
Account Confirmations	Emails sent to users after they've signed up for an account. These messages ask the user to confirm they signed up for their account by making them verify their email address.
Magic Sign In Links	Emails sent to users to help them log in to their accounts. These messages allow users to log into their accounts by clicking on a link within the message instead of typing in their username and password. They're similar to password reset emails except that they're passwordless.
New Login Attempt Notifications	Emails alerting users of a login from a new or different device. These are important emails for your users' security.
New User Added Emails	Emails sent to an account after they've added a new user. These messages are used to confirm that the correct user was added to the account and that they have the proper user controls in place.
Password Resets	Emails sent to users to help them reset their passwords. These are triggered messages sent to your users after they request to reset their passwords by clicking on the "Forgot Password" link. It's important that these emails get to the inbox very fast because people are waiting for them eagerly to get back into their account.
Reactivation Emails	Emails sent to users to get them re-engaged with your product. These messages are typically sent to unengaged users who were previously more involved with your product. These types of emails are a great way for you to remind your users of the value you can provide them and get them back to becoming fully engaged users again.
Trial Expiring Emails	Emails sent to inform your users that their free trial period with your product is expiring soon or has already expired. These messages are really important because they are sent to users who are using the free version of your product and service, and can get them over the edge to become a paid user. Make sure you give them the opportunity to upgrade to a paid plan or subscription, remind them of the benefits they'll receive from upgrading such as additional features or responsive customer support, and make it easy for them to upgrade or renew their subscription by providing clear instructions.
Welcome Emails	Emails sent to new users after they sign up for your product or service. These messages are an opportunity for you to make a great first impression with new users. You should put together a warm and engaging message that outlines what they should expect from you, and offer any deals or discounts you may have for future purchases.

📣 Event Info

Transactional Email Type	Description
Abandoned Cart Emails	Emails sent to customers to remind them that they've left an item or multiple items in their shopping cart. You should list the items and include recommendations for other items to consider as well. This is also a chance for you to offer them any special deals or discounts, such as a first-time buyer coupon code.
Delivery Confirmation Emails	Emails sent to confirm the item or items the customer ordered were delivered. These messages are a great way to ensure the customer received their product and were satisfied with their order. If any issues arise, you can provide replacement or refund options within these emails to help resolve them quickly. This is a great opportunity to get feedback from your customers.
Event Reminders	Emails sent to users to remind them of upcoming events. These messages could be for any event, whether it be an online webinar or a live event like a conference. They should inspire excitement and get users to eagerly anticipate what's to come.
Order Confirmation Emails	Emails sent to users to confirm their order after they make purchases and to notify them that the orders are being processed. These messages should include any relevant info relating to the order like shipping info or tracking links. These are important emails because they provide buyers with reassurance that their order is being processed and give them the info they need to track/receive their order.
Shipping Notifications	Emails sent to users to notify them of an item or items' shipping status. These messages should include a tracking link so that users know when to expect their order.
Update Notifications	Emails sent to users to alert them of any updates related to a specific event.
Website/App Extension Emails	Emails sent to users to connect them to your website or app. These messages increase engagement with users by giving them the option to engage with you on their preferred device and bridging the gap between different channels.

💳 Payment Processes

Types of Transactional Email	Description
Credit Card Expiration Emails	Emails sent to users to notify them that their credit card has expired. These messages should include an easy way for them to update their payment with a new card so that they can continue using your service.
Invoices	Emails sent to users to bill them for your product or service. It's important that you make it easy for them to pay you within these messages.
Payment Failure Emails	Emails sent to users after their payment failed to process. These messages are vital alerts and should be delivered right away so that the user can remedy the situation with a new card and get the payment processed.
Purchase Receipts	Emails sent to users after they've purchased your product or service. These messages should include all relevant details to the purchase - total amount, items purchased, etc. You could also point the user towards similar products to consider within this email.
Subscription Cancellations	Emails sent to users after they've canceled their subscriptions to confirm that it's been processed. These messages could ask users for feedback as to why they decided to cancel their subscriptions.
Subscription Downgrades	Emails sent to users after they've downgraded their subscription plan to confirm that it's been processed. These messages should include information about the new plan and what users should expect from it.
Subscription Renewals	Emails sent to users to remind them to renew their subscriptions with you. These messages can be educational and should inspire FOMO. You can tell your users about new features they'll get with their renewal and the benefits they'll receive if they continue with you.
Subscription Upgrades	Emails sent to users after they've upgraded their subscription plan to confirm that it's been processed. These messages should generate excitement and include valuable information about the upgraded plan and what users should expect from it.
Updated Banking Info Emails	Emails sent to users after they've updated their banking information. These messages reassure the user that the new information they input has been changed.
Wire Transfers	Emails sent to users after they've initiated a wire transfer. These messages provide users with information about their bank transfer and when to expect their money to be placed in their account. It's important that you include a support contact within these emails in case any issues arise.

💡Product Updates

Transactional Email Type	Description
New Product Features Emails	Emails sent to users to update them on any new features you will be releasing soon or have just released. These messages should create excitement and should educate users on the value they'll receive from the new product updates.
Product Usage Digests	Emails sent to users to keep them up to date with important notifications related to their product usage. These messages could include account activity info from any timeframe (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
Product Usage Reports	Emails sent to users to give them in-depth reports on their product usage within a certain time period (daily, weekly, or monthly).
Product Usage Summary	Emails sent to users to give them summaries of their account activity and product usage within a certain time period (daily, weekly, or monthly).

Requested Content from Users

There is a multitude of content that could be included here, but here are some examples

Examples of Requested Content
CSV files
Data Export or Download
E-books
Flight Itinerary Details
PDFs
Return Labels