Operational Emails – Don’t Let This Email Fall Between the Cracks

The emails we receive from companies and businesses are not the same. Each of them has a different purpose and role. There are two types of emails, which are usually distinct and differentiated, and there is also a third type that falls between the cracks. First, let’s mention the obvious and distinct types of emails.

Marketing Emails

These are emails that are sent with commercial intent – usually to promote products, services, or as part of some marketing campaign. They are usually sent as a mass “blast” to a distinct list or segment of recipients. Common examples include: newsletters, promotional offers or coupons, product announcements, various campaigns, invitations to events, and other content designed to nurture leads or encourage a purchase. Marketing emails typically have a clear call to action (CTA) like “buy now,” “sign up for a webinar,” or “download the guide,” etc.

Because these emails are promotions in the broadest sense, recipients don’t always expect them at a specific time, and engagement rates can vary greatly. Many businesses send marketing emails on a regular schedule and at a regular pace (for example, weekly newsletters or monthly product updates). In many territories, including in Israel, marketing emails require consent and the ability to remove themselves from marketing emails. As a side note: following Amendment 13 to the Privacy Protection Law, many businesses will be required to update their terms of use and privacy policy.

Transactional Emails

Unlike marketing emails, which are sent to a wide audience, transactional emails are one-on-one messages that are triggered by a user’s action. As far as I’m concerned, the litmus test by which I examine whether to send a particular email as a transactional email is exactly that: is it an action that the recipient has taken and expects to receive an immediate response to in the email.

Transactional emails come in response to the action of a specific recipient, as opposed to marketing mailings, which are usually sent to more than one recipient. Classic examples of transactional emails include: order and receipt confirmations, account or newsletter sign-up confirmations (as long as the first welcome email can be sent immediately after registration), password reset emails, two-factor authentication (MFA) codes, in these emails, the user’s interaction-specific content – for example, an order confirmation contains details about a specific user’s just made purchase, while a password reset email contains a unique link for that user.

The purpose of transactional emails is to provide real-time information or allow the user to take action, rather than sell something. Often, they don’t call for marketing action at all (except maybe something that falls into the gray area – sometimes brands add subtle sales messages in a banner or a note in a footer, if at all.

Many of them are immediately triggered by systems (e.g., an automated email sent just after placing an order or when a user requests a password reset). Because recipients expect these emails as part of their interaction (they even search for them in the spam folder), engagement rates with transactional emails tend to be very high compared to marketing emails. These high engagement rates reflect the value and urgency of transactional messaging for recipients. This is also what allows transactional mailing servers to build and maintain a high reputation.

Legally and regulatory, in some territories transactional emails are exempt from the stringent requirements that apply to marketing emails, as long as they strictly contain transactional or customer-related content without skewing in the direction of promotion.