Event-Triggered Email
Automated emails sent in response to specific user actions or system events, like purchases or signups.
Definition
Event-triggered emails are automated messages sent when a specific event or action occurs. These events can be user actions (signup, purchase, cart abandonment), time-based triggers (birthday, anniversary), or system events (subscription expiring, threshold reached). Triggered emails are highly relevant because they respond to specific recipient activities.
Why It Matters
Triggered emails are among the highest-performing email types because they arrive at relevant moments. Welcome emails sent immediately after signup have 4x higher open rates than regular campaigns. Purchase confirmations have near 100% open rates. Timely, relevant triggers drive engagement and revenue.
How It Works
Your website, app, or system sends events to your email platform when actions occur. The platform monitors for these events and triggers corresponding emails. Events include data like product IDs, amounts, or user attributes that personalize the triggered message.
Example
Common event-triggered email examples:
User Action Events: - signup_completed → Welcome email - purchase_made → Order confirmation + receipt - cart_abandoned → Cart reminder sequence - product_reviewed → Thank you + share prompt
Time-Based Events: - birthday → Birthday discount email - subscription_expiring_soon → Renewal reminder - inactive_30_days → Re-engagement campaign
System Events: - payment_failed → Update payment method prompt - usage_threshold_reached → Upgrade suggestion
Best Practices
- 1Send triggered emails immediately or with appropriate short delays
- 2Include relevant context from the triggering event
- 3Test trigger conditions thoroughly before going live
- 4Set up fallback handling for missing data
- 5Monitor triggered email performance separately from campaigns
Event-Based Automation
Trigger emails based on any custom event from your application with Sequenzy's flexible event API.
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