What is a transactional email?
A transactional email is an email that is automatically triggered and sent by an activity of an Internet user.
Since transactional emails are always part of a transaction, the recipient's consent is not required for sending them, as they knowingly trigger the sending themselves.
This leads to another difference to regular newsletter communication. Transactional emails do not require an unsubscribe link, as they represent an individual necessary communication in an existing context.
In order to implement transactional mails optimally, instead of the unsubscribe link in the mail header, a URL is specified that leads to a web page that provides information about the context of the transaction. In the event of complaints, this URL can be used to quickly check the nature of the transactional emails and whether they were sent legitimately.
Requirements for the web page of the list-help link
- The list help URL must lead to an active website via HTTPS, HTTP is not sufficient.
- The web page must contain the information why the recipient received the mailing.
- The web page must contain information on how to unsubscribe from further emails or why unsubscribing is neither possible nor necessary.
When is a transactional email used?
Transactional use cases:
- Custom double opt-in emails
- Order, shipping and delivery confirmations
- Registration, login and logout confirmations
- Account status changes
- Automatic notifications
- Social media comment notifications
- Billing, order, reservation and purchase order confirmations
- Password requests and password changes
- Transactional mails on demand
Configuration
The setting whether it should be a transaction mail or not, as well as the so-called list help link for the transaction mail are configured in Evalanche in the eMail template.
Under "eMailing Header" the checkbox "Use as transactional mail" has to be activated first.
Under "List-Help-Link for the transaction mail" the default link to the explanatory web page for the specific transaction use case is configured.
Under "eMailing Header" activate the option "Use as transactional mail" and under "List-Help-Link for Transactional Mail" enter the link to the web page provided for this purpose. This link can be modified individually in every eMailing based on this template.
Once these items are configured, all new eMailings created now, based on the template, will be transactional emails. In each of these transactional emails, the link help link can also be customized later.
It is recommended to use a copy of an existing template and to assign appropriate names in order to distinguish between transactional emails and regular newsletters afterwards.