Transactional emails are those messages sent after the customer takes action. Did you know that transaction emails can have a mind-blowing open rate of 80-85%? Surprising, right? These are the emails customers never ignore. But here's the catch: they often feel robotic and devoid of emotion, simply because we automate them for efficiency.
But what if we told you that transactional emails have untapped potential? This blog post will show you how to transform these seemingly cold messages into conversion machines that forge strong customer relationships.
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1. What is transactional email? 2. Marketing emails vs. Transactional emails |
The emails that seem to be emotionless in fact hold a big power inside. Most marketing emails are happy with 17-28% open rates and 2-5% clicks. Yet transactional emails regularly get 40-50% of recipients to open up. Even better, 10-20% click rate - way above marketing messages. It will be a huge waste if you as a business owner only use these emails to send “robotic” messages.
Transaction emails can do beyond the basic functions! How?
So, the important question is, how to utilize these transactional emails to make the most of them? Simple, with these….
Practical tips to fully use the power of transactional emails
Tip 1: Personalize, personalize, personalize
Avoid sending emails like “Hi there, my valued customer”. It makes recipients realize it’s a mass email you send to all of your “valued customers”. Add a personal touch to your email, simply use their name whenever possible. Personalized subject lines increase open rates by 29-50%! You don’t want to miss this huge profit.
Tip 2: Give them more information
When customers submit a quote request, they're expressing a strong interest in your offerings. However, simply slashing prices to the extreme won't guarantee conversions. To truly seal the deal and turn that quote into cash, it's crucial to demonstrate the unique value your business brings to the table. Take advantage of the RFQ process by highlighting the following added values in your emails:
- Product knowledge: Share insights, tips, and highlight key features and benefits. Help customers optimize product usage and make informed decisions.
- Make comparisons: If customers are considering multiple options, provide a comparative analysis. Show them why your offering stands out and meets their unique needs.
- Success stories or social proofs: People love to hear from other successful stories to build trust and start using themselves.
- Extra value: For example, if you are selling technical devices, emphasize that your customers receive a package with 2 years of maintenance. This way, they perceive they're getting more value and long-term support.
By providing this valuable information, you'll deepen their understanding of your business and foster a stronger sense of trust.
Tip 3: Upselling & cross-selling, why not?
Normally, we use marketing emails to encourage increased purchases. But sadly, most of these emails are not even given a glance from the customers. However, when sending transactional emails during the process of Request-for-quote (RFQ), you can promote related products or services. It would be best if these recommendations were related to the ones they are showing interest in. With some existing automation tools built for Shopify, you can easily access the “Customer also viewed” inside a quote request to know more about their interests and give them tailored suggestions.
Show how extras provide extra benefits. Give discounts for multi-item orders. Clients like saving money. Custom solutions show you understand their needs. It helps form a long partnership, not just one-time sales. The goal is to add as much value as possible every step of the way.
Tip 4: Make it visually appealing
An image of a juicy, flavorful beef hamburger worth a thousand words. Make your emails easier to read with blocks of text, bullet points, formatting, and white space. So your customers can scan and read easily. Some websites to get inspired by the email templates you can find are: reallygoodemails.com; mailbakery.com; and pinterest.com. Or you might use the templates provided in the Shopify applications to quickly have a branded and professional email to send.
Transactional emails are important! Here’s why
Let’s quickly go through the importance of transactional emails during the RFQ Process:
1. Building customer trust
This is an example of the importance of trust, especially in the world of e-commerce, where you make anything delivered to your bed in a click.
David - a photography enthusiast, just submitted a quote request for a specific camera model. After that, he didn't receive anything: no email, no confirmation. Days passed, and David started to doubt if his request had been received at all. The lack of communication left him feeling uncertain and frustrated. As a result, David lost trust in the store's professionalism and decided to explore other options.
2. Enhancing Customer Experience
David’s experience could become more delightful if there were some quick catch-ups after he submitted a quote form. Transactional emails play an important role in providing the customer with transparent communication.
3. Drive revenue growth
There are a lot of tools to set up an automatic flow of sending transactional emails. This contributes significantly to the process of getting more sales from quote requests. A timely transactional email will keep customers like David engaging with the brand and have a higher commitment to the deal provided by your business. Moreover, this kind of email can be a perfect channel for upselling or cross-selling opportunities, which will be discussed in the next part of this blog.
Don't Just Send, Sell: Boost Transactional Emails with Automation
In conclusion, transactional emails are a powerful way to forge strong relationships and drive sales if handled properly. Tactics like personalization, rich information, upselling, and design can transform these emails into powerful conversion drivers.
There are many powerful tools that automate workflows while maintaining a human touch. Businesses can easily set up request forms, automated email sequences, and get detailed reports. This gives the best of both worlds - efficiency through automation, but also a personalized experience every time. Transactional emails are one of the greatest untapped channels - so don't waste any more time utilizing their full power to boost your business.
