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Transactional Email Templates

Updated

Transactional email templates allow you to send rich HTML emails with images, CSS styling, and custom branding for triggered events like order confirmations, shipping notifications, and abandoned cart reminders. Unlike plain-text system emails, transactional templates give you complete design control and access to a wider array of dynamic variables.

Important: Navigate to Marketing from the top navigation bar → Select E-Mail Templates → Click the Transactional E-Mail Template tab
🔍 Before You Start - Important Information

How Transactional Templates Replace System Templates

When a transactional email template is Active, it automatically disables the corresponding system email template. 

  • If Transactional Shipping Notification is marked Active, then System E-Mail Template Shipping Confirmation becomes Inactive
     
  • If you activate Transactional New Order Confirmation, the System E-Mail Template New Order Email is automatically disabled

For example: If you activate Transactional "New Order Confirmation", the System "New Order Email" automatically becomes inactive.

Reminder: You can only have ONE active template per email type. Activating a transactional template will automatically deactivate the system template, and vice versa.
📝 How to Set Up Transactional Email Templates - Step-by-Step

Access Transactional Email Templates

1Navigate to Marketing > E-Mail Templates

2Click the Transactional E-Mail Template tab

3Review the list of available transactional email types and click Edit to open the email configurations 

What You'll See: A list of transactional email templates including New Order Confirmation, Shipping Notification, Abandoned Cart Reminders (3 levels), and other system-triggered emails.

Step 2: Configure Global CSS Styling

Set up the CSS styling that applies to all transactional emails:

1Click on Styles (css) to edit the CSS styling applied to ALL transactional emails

CSS Support Warning: Pulse Commerce support does not provide assistance with custom CSS modifications. Always save a backup of your CSS before making changes so you can revert if needed. Test thoroughly before activating.

Step 3: Customize Individual Email Templates

1Click on the specific email template you want to customize (e.g., Shipping Notification, New Order Confirmation)

2Configure the email settings as needed:

  • Subject: Customize the subject line using text and variables (e.g., "Thank you for your order, {{Order Number}}")
  • Email From Name: Set the sender name that appears in the customer's inbox
  • From: Set the sender email address
  • CC/BCC: Optionally add CC or BCC recipients if you need internal notifications
  • Background Image: Upload a background image for the email (optional)
  • Right Widget Option: Select widget display if you have a storefront configured (options include No Right Widget, Custom Right Widget, or Cross-sell items based on purchase history)

3Review the Supported Variables section to see which dynamic fields you can use in this template

4Customize the email content in the Email Header, Custom Message, and Email Footer sections using the WYSIWYG editor

5Add variables to personalize the content (e.g., {{Customer FirstName}}, {{Order Number}}, {{Shipping Name}})

6Set the template status to Active to enable it

7Click Update to save your changes

Important for Images: All images in the WYSIWYG editor must use fixed path URLs (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/images/logo.png). Relative image paths (e.g., /images/logo.png) will not work because email clients need the complete URL to retrieve the image.

Finding Variables: To view all available variables for a specific email type, click the Supported Variables link in the email template editor. Each email type has access to different variables based on the data available at trigger time.
🧪 Testing and Previewing Transactional Emails - Before Going Live

How to Test Transactional Email Templates

Before activating your transactional emails, you can preview and test them to ensure they display correctly with real data.

Preview Email Templates

1Navigate to the transactional email template you want to test

2Look for the Preview/Test link next to the email template name

3Click Preview to see how the email will look when sent

What You'll See: The preview shows the fully rendered email with all HTML, CSS, images, and variables populated with sample data. This lets you verify formatting, branding, and layout before sending to customers.

Send Test Emails with Real Order Data

1Navigate to the transactional email template you want to test

2Click the Preview/Test link

4Enter an Order ID to so the email message can use this order's data for the test email 

5Enter the email address where you want to receive the test email

6Click Test

Pro Tip: Test emails use real order or shipment data from your system, so you can verify that all variables populate correctly with actual customer information. This is the best way to catch formatting issues or missing data fields.
✅ Best Practices for Transactional Email Templates

Design and Branding

  • Use the Common CSS feature to maintain consistent branding across all transactional emails (always save a backup before editing CSS)
  • Create a professional header with your logo and brand colors
  • Include contact information and support links in the footer
  • Always use fixed path URLs for images (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/images/logo.png), not relative paths
  • Test email rendering across multiple email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.)
  • Customize the Subject line with variables to personalize each email
  • Configure Email From Name to match your brand name for better recognition

Variable Usage

  • Review the Available Variables list for each email type before customizing
  • Use variables to personalize emails (customer name, order details, tracking numbers, etc.)
  • Test all variables with real data to ensure they populate correctly
  • Avoid using variables that might be empty for some orders (or provide fallback text)

Abandoned Cart Strategy

  • Use escalating incentives: first reminder has no discount, second includes 10% off, third offers free shipping
  • Space reminders strategically: 10 minutes, 24 hours, 3-7 days
  • Make the first reminder helpful, not pushy
  • Include customer support contact info in later reminders
  • Remember that only logged-in customers receive abandoned cart emails
  • Learn more about Abandoned Cart Emails

Testing Before Launch

  • Always preview templates before activating them
  • Send test emails to yourself using real Order IDs and Shipment IDs
  • Verify that images load correctly in test emails
  • Check email rendering on mobile devices
  • Test all links to ensure they point to the correct pages
  • Verify that order settings are configured to send emails automatically

Maintenance and Updates

  • Review transactional email performance regularly (open rates, click rates)
  • Update seasonal messaging (holiday greetings, seasonal promotions)
  • Keep contact information and support links current
  • Test emails after any major system updates or branding changes
🎥 Video Tutorial & Additional Resources

Watch this comprehensive video tutorial that walks through the complete transactional email setup process, including system vs. transactional templates, variable usage, image requirements, and abandoned cart configuration.

What's Covered: This video demonstrates navigating to transactional email templates, configuring common elements (header, footer, CSS), setting up abandoned cart sequences, understanding variables, image URL requirements, and testing/previewing emails.

Related Email Guides

  • How to Configure and Customize System Email Templates: Learn about plain-text system emails for simple setup without HTML
  • How to Create and Use Custom Email Templates: Create manual email templates for vendor communications and promotional campaigns
  • How to Set Up Abandoned Cart Emails

Need Help?

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide, contact support with:

  • The specific transactional email template you're working with
  • Screenshots of your configuration and any error messages
  • Example Order IDs or Shipment IDs used in testing

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