Data privacy regulations, such as EU's GDPR, generally require the user's consent before a company is allowed to send them marketing messages.
However, not all emails or SMS messages sent by a company are Marketing messages. There are also Transactional messages, which do not require consent.
In this article, we will explain the main differences between Marketing and Transactional messages, and how you can send them using the edrone platform.
IMPORTANT: This article does not constitute legal advice. Before moving forward, make sure you are aware of and respect the data privacy regulations of the country or countries in which you operate. |
What are the differences between transactional messages and marketing messages?
Transactional messages are automated, individual messages triggered by specific actions or situations. Examples include:
Account setup (updating username, passwords, billing information etc)
Order updates (shipping, payment status etc.)
Abandoned carts recovery
After-sale message
In the edrone system, transactional messages are represented by the ready-to-go automation scenarios.
A transactional will always be sent to the user based on their actions or behavior after a specified period of time and without the need for previous consent, since the action taken by the user constitutes legitimate interest.
However, the content of transactional messages should always be informative. Inform users about the rights and obligations they have as customers of your store by adding information about your store's Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, return policies etc.
Marketing messages, on the other hand, are programmed messages sent to a group of users. The sender decides the date and time in which the message will be sent, and to whom.
Marketing messages usually contain information about sales, new products, time-sensitive campaigns (e.g. Black Friday, Christmas) or content (e.g. blog articles, videos, ebooks etc).
In the edrone system, marketing messages are represented by the different types of Newsletters.
Best Practices
Recipients group
You must pay particular attention to your audience, in other words, the users who will receive your messages.
The edrone system allows you to send messages to the following user statuses:
Subscribed – these are users who have given consent to receive marketing messages.
Unknown – the user has provided an email address (e.g. by creating an account or making a purchase) but has not given consent to receive marketing messages.
Both (subscribed + unknown)
Marketing messages should only be sent to users who have clearly and consciously agreed to receive marketing content ("subscribed" status). Only transactional messages should be sent to unknown users – for example, changes to the store's regulations, information about their order or a reminder about an abandoned cart.
In the edrone system, you can choose whether or not you want to send automated messages to users with "unknown" status. This option is under the Marketing automation plug'n'play scripts heading inside the ENGAGEMENTS section.
Quick overview:
| MARKETING MESSAGES | TRANSACTIONAL MESSAGES |
Use for: | Time-sensitive campaigns, new product releases, distributing content | Automated reminders, information about orders, user account updates |
Audience type: | Group of users segmented by the sender. User status SUBSCRIBED. | Individual, triggered by actions (Segment-of-one). User status SUBSCRIBED and UNKNOWN. |
What information to include: |
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Keep up the good work and don't forget: always consult a legal expert before establishing your marketing and transactional messages strategy!
Need more help?
If you have any further questions about transactional and marketing messages, please do not hesitate to contact us at hello@edrone.me