email notifications

7 Great Examples of Transactional Email Templates

Angela Stringfellow Last updated on September 26, 2024

Transactional emails are sent to users based on various triggers. Such emails contain timely information regarding some transaction that the user completed, such as making a purchase. Some transactional emails need users to take action, such as changing their password. Quality content and timely delivery are two primary factors that make some transactional emails more effective than others.

Since transactional emails are sent on triggers, a predesigned template is populated with the relevant information before the emails are sent to the user. When designing transactional emails, there are a few things to keep in mind to make your messages as effective as possible:

  • Key information is highlighted for easy legibility
  • It’s small in size for fast delivery
  • Action buttons are given prominence if some action is required by the user
  • Less relevant information can be sent as an attachment
  • Maintain the hygiene of the IP from which emails are sent
  • Use dynamic email templates for easy personalization
  • Image elements are loaded from a CDN to decrease the size
  • Use inline CSS
  • Use responsive design to adjust to different screen sizes

To learn the best practices for designing transactional emails, it’s helpful to look at some examples and templates. Below, we’ll take a look at 7 examples of transactional email templates commonly used for all kinds of businesses.

Welcome Email Template

Welcome Email Template
Welcome Email Template

After subscribing to an online service or email newsletter, the user receives a welcome email. This email contains all the necessary information that the user should know about the service. A welcome email may include links to different guides or articles regarding the service. There could also be a prominent button to direct the user to the service’s web portal. The trigger event for welcome emails is user signup. These emails can be set up to be sent a certain time after the signup is completed. This free email template can be accessed from the BEE website.

Verification Email Template

Verification Email Template
Verification Email Template

When signing up for a service, an email ID is generally used. The email ID has to be unique and should be verified before the user can complete the signup procedure. Typically, a verification link is sent to the email ID provided, and the user clicks the link to confirm their email address. The email template in the image above can be downloaded from SendGrid.

Reset Password Template

Reset Password Template
Reset Password Template

When a user forgets the password to a web service, their identity is verified using their email address. The link sent via email can be used to reset the password. Cybercriminals use the reset password feature to try to hack into user accounts. The HTML template for the email in the image above can be downloaded from GitHub.

Invoice Template

Invoice Template
Invoice Template

Invoices are one of the most common and important of all transactional emails. The most essential information in any invoice is the sender, items ordered, and the amount. This information should be displayed prominently in the mail. A button to direct the user to a specific page can also be included. Other information pertinent to the invoice can be provided in the body of the email.

In most instances, invoice emails are transactional messages that are purely informative in nature. But it can also have a direct link for payment of the invoice, such as when an email is sent to remind the recipient that they need to make a payment. That can be a prominent button in the body of the mail. You can find the HTML template for the invoice above at GitHub.

Abandoned Cart Template

Abandoned Cart Template
Abandoned Cart Template

E-commerce shoppers don’t always complete purchases in one session. Sometimes, they add products to the cart and exit the website without completing the purchase. In these cases, it can be helpful to send an email to the customer to remind them that they have items in their cart. This tactic is often used to increase sales without significant marketing effort. Abandoned cart emails should have the same branding as the e-commerce store. This free template can be downloaded from the BEE website.

User Invitation Template

User Invitation Template
User Invitation Template

The best way to reach new customers is through recommendations from existing users. Current users can be given incentives to send an invite to their friends and acquaintances. These types of emails should contain information on who is sending the invite, brief information about the service, and a link to sign up for the service. This template can be downloaded and customized at Postmark.

Survey Template

Survey Template
Survey Template

Surveys are used to collect feedback on products and services, and email is a useful tool for asking users for their feedback. The body of the email may have the survey questions and various answer choices. Clicking on one of the answers automatically records the response and redirects the user to a predetermined webpage. In other cases, a simple survey link is sent with messaging encouraging recipients to complete the survey by clicking the link. This survey template can be downloaded for free from the BEE website.

Transactional emails can take many forms, and it’s often challenging to know how to design these emails and what messaging and information to include for the best results. Download these templates for your own use or use them as inspiration to design a custom transactional email template to meet your needs.

Looking for more inspiration? Search hundreds of transactional email examples at really good email.com

MagicBell email layouts are currently beta. We'd love your feedback — please get in touch and let us know how it can be improved.

If you're curious what our team is working on, see our roadmap and follow us on Twitter!