The different approaches to transactional emails
When it comes to transactional emails, there are many different tools and techniques available. How do you choose the right setup for your application? In this guide we’ll look at what are the challenges of transactional emails you should know about, how to navigate the sea of available solutions and selecting the best system for your requirements.
The different options available to create transactional emails
Option 1) Code your emails with HTML with css only
This needs a lot of specialist know-how of various email clients support for html and css. Testing all these email clients, desktop & mobile, dark mode, etc, is no small task.
You can use a testing solution like Litmus but that doesn’t come cheap. Additionally you'll still have to manually debug and fix layout problems, which can be very time-consuming. Overall it’s a tedious process, much more so than your regular front-end work.
Our verdict: 👎 Avoid! Coding HTML emails is a pain.
Option 2) Code your emails using a framework like MJML
A better, easier approach than pure HTML but the testing and debugging pain is still there. Your infrastructure system also has to be set up to transpile those files, which in itself can also be a complex process. In combination with a different templating engine, you might run into issue rendering your emails.
Our verdict: 👍 If you want manage your email setup yourself and code your emails, we definitely recommend using MJML over coding directly in HTML. Keep in mind you'll have to maintain the transpiling insfracture and might loose in efficiency when it comes to translations and inserting dynamic content.
Option 3) Create your emails in a WYSIWYG drag-and-drop editor like Stripo or Mailchimp and export the HTML
This works as long as you don’t have to update the HTML (if you need to modify your email or add dynamic data). Then again you have the issues mentioned previously and a tedious workflow when it comes to editing and maintenance of your emails.
Our verdict: 👎 Not a sustainable, stable long-term solution
Option 4) Use an all-in-one service
Before building Mailbindr, our team tried out all the above-mentioned options.
The frustration with these tedious and lengthy workflows led to the idea of a platform where the creation, sending and maintenance of transactional emails is all contained in one workflow.
Our verdict: 👍 This is the way to go to save a lot of time.
Check out Part 2 of our Developer's Guide to Transactional Emails for tips on how to select an all-in-one service.
