Transactional Email Hall of Fame – April 2019

Who:

AMC Stubs A-List, the movie theatre chain’s top-tier membership program

What’s Good:

Who doesn’t love free movies? AMC Stubs A-List allows subscribers to see up to three free movies per week and book tickets online with no service fee. (And that’s just for starters.) This order confirmation email makes all of that crystal clear to the customer, showing which movie they’re seeing, at which theatre, when, and the fact that the total cost is a big, fat zero, nada, zilch. 

What’s Exceptional:

This email provides everything the customer needs to know, clearly and concisely, with no unnecessary information, all in a perfectly on-brand package. We love the app promo and hope 🤞 it’s a conditional based on the fact that the user doesn’t already have it. And letting the customer know they can enjoy an adult beverage is great but a reminder about membership concession perks or an ‘upcoming movies you might like‘ section also wouldn’t be out of place. But overall, it’s still a great email.

Who:

Quip, the electric toothbrush company

What’s Good:

A good referral program should reward both parties but even better is when the reward also furthers engagement by making it easy to refer more friends. That’s exactly what this email from quip does. Quip offers reasonably priced electric toothbrushes with subscription-based refills for brush heads and batteries, which both arrive every three months like clockwork.

Despite the slightly awkward phrasing, the subject line clearly lets the customer know they have received a $5 refill credit. And the reason for that credit is someone they referred has signed up.

What’s Exceptional:

Personalizing the email with the referred friend’s name is an exceptional touch, giving the customer the opportunity to say thank you. But beyond that, the email is clean and simple, providing no extraneous information, with a clear and obvious CTA to refer more friends. And that $5 refill credit covers one full refill, so who wouldn’t want to refer more friends?

Who:

Planet Fitness, the fitness center chain

What’s Good:

This welcome email provides the new member with details about their home club and a list of their membership benefits. It’s on-brand and to the point, with a clear CTA to the user’s online account.

What’s Exceptional:

This email looks great while accomplishing exactly what it’s supposed to — getting a new member excited about the gym membership they just purchased and all the associated benefits and perks. Hey, it even made a hugely workout-averse colleague want to sign up, so it must be good. 🏋️‍♀️💪