Triggered Email
An automated email sent in response to a specific action, event, or condition.
Definition
A triggered email is an automated message sent when a specific condition is met or action occurs. Unlike scheduled campaigns sent to everyone at once, triggered emails are individualized responses to recipient behavior (signup, purchase, cart abandonment), time-based events (birthday, anniversary), or system conditions (subscription expiring). They are highly relevant and timely.
Why It Matters
Triggered emails consistently outperform batch campaigns because they arrive at the right moment with relevant content. Welcome emails have 4x higher open rates than promotions. Cart abandonment emails recover 5-15% of lost sales. Triggers are among the highest-ROI email tactics.
How It Works
You define trigger conditions ('when subscriber signs up', 'when cart is abandoned for 1 hour'). When conditions are met for an individual, the corresponding email sends automatically. Trigger data personalizes the content - the abandoned cart email shows their specific items.
Best Practices
- 1Start with high-value triggers (welcome, cart abandonment, post-purchase)
- 2Include relevant personalization from trigger data
- 3Set appropriate time delays for each trigger type
- 4Monitor triggered email performance separately
- 5Test and optimize triggers continuously