Confirmation Email
Go beyond automated confirmation emails and create brand experiences that build trust and credibility.
What is a Confirmation Email?
A confirmation email is an automated email message that is sent based on a particular action that the end user has completed. Confirmation emails are used for online purchases, account registrations, form submissions, and event registrations.
Confirmation emails are important because they reassure your users or customers that their action has been processed correctly. Confirmation emails will contain details about the action, such as providing an order number, shipping details, or account information.
Who uses Confirmation Emails?
Any organization that conducts transactions or interacts with users online will benefit from using confirmation emails. This may be as simple as confirmation emails on contact requests for B2B organizations or more complex shipping and product order receipts for e-commerce brands.
What to include in a Confirmation Email?
There are a lot of factors to consider when building a confirmation email. Here are some of the email elements to consider.
| Email Design Element | Best Practices |
|---|---|
| Send Time | Send an email immediately to reassure users their action has been recorded correctly. |
| Sender | Use a reputable email address with a friendly sender and a valid reply-to email address. |
| Subject Line | A clear and concise subject line that indicates that the email is a confirmation. |
| Preview Text | Use the preview text to provide a summary of the content of the email and encourage the user to open it. Avoid repeating the subject line. |
| Body Content | Provide relevant details and instructions, such as the order number, event details, or account information. |
| Call-to-action (CTA) | Encourage the recipient to take any necessary action, such as confirming their attendance or verifying their registration details. |
| Personalization | Use the user's name or other relevant details, such as their order history or account information. |
| Branding | Use the brand logo in recommended resolution; use brand fonts and colour scheme. |
| Footer | Standard branded footer with email, telephone, and full address. Provide clear contact information in case the user needs assistance with their interaction. |
Anatomy of a Confirmation Email
Let’s look at an example from Australia Post.
Why marketing teams love Knak
95%better, faster campaigns = more success
22 minutesto create an email*
5x lessthan the cost of a developer
50x lessthan the cost of an agency**
* On average, for enterprise customers
** Knak base price
Confirmation Email Examples
Inbound 2022 - Ticket order confirmation
Confirmation email for Inbound’s 2022 marketing conference.
What works well:
- Clear, trustworthy language
- Helpful links, including accessibility considerations
- Minimalistic design
Medium - Finish creating your account
Final step in setting up a Medium blogging account is verifying your email account.
What works well:
- Short and sweet design
- Prominent CTA
- Succinct copy
Google Domains - Automatic domain registration
Google Domains notification that the domain will automatically renew in 30 days.
What works well:
- Unique illustration
- Copy is to the point
- Minimalistic
Scribd - Confirm Email + Sign Up CTA
Scribd uses a combination of white space, simple layout, and popular titles to entice recipients to sign up for a free trial.
What works well:
- Urgent CTA
- Personalized book recommendations
- Simple and effective confirmation email
Founder Mantras - Subscription Confirmation
Founder Mantras sends a confirmation email to a new client.
What works well:
- Short and simple
- Singular clear CTA
- Minimalistic design elements
Knak - Winning at email marketing in 2022
Registration confirmation for Knak’s “Winning at email marketing in 2022” webinar.
What works well:
- Details placed prominently
- Strong branding elements
- Icons to easily add to calendar
Confetti - Email Confirmation
Confetti sends a confirmation email to a new customer.
What works well:
- Single clear CTA
- Graphic support objective of email
- Entire email directs towards one clear purpose
Mastercard - Upcoming Webinar Confirmation
Mastercard sends an email to a new registrant to their upcoming webinar on recent travel trends and transitions.
What works well:
- Essential information is easily spotted
- Offers opportunity to add the event to calendar
- Singular CTA limits any confusion
Vimeo - Upcoming Event Confirmation
Vimeo thanks a registrant for signing up to their event, reminding them of key details like time and location.
What works well:
- Includes a link to add to calendar
- Visually striking imagery and design
- Key points are highlighted in bold
Create emails - like this one - in less than 22 minutes*
*on average for Enterprise customers
Confirmation Email FAQ
A confirmation email is an automated email to confirm a user's action, such as a purchase, registration, or booking.
Confirmation emails help reassure users and establish trust in your brand. They can also provide important information and instructions related to the action that the user has taken.
A confirmation email should include a clear and descriptive subject line, relevant details about the action that the user has taken, any necessary instructions or next steps, and a clear call-to-action.
To make your confirmation email stand out, consider using eye-catching visuals, a personalized message, or a unique design consistent with your branding.
The subject line of a confirmation email should be clear and descriptive and include relevant details such as the order number or event name.
Including a call-to-action in your confirmation email can help to encourage users to take the next step, such as completing their profile or viewing shipping information.
Personalizing your confirmation email can help to make it more engaging and relevant to the user. This could include using the user's name, including information about their order history, or dynamic content based on their preferences or actions.
The best practice is to obtain permission before sending any email marketing communication. However, confirmation emails often are used to confirm purchase or registration actions, and in this case, it can be assumed the customer has given permission for limited communication. It is important to obtain the user’s permission before adding them to your general email marketing or newsletter list.
Depending on the action that the user has taken, it may be appropriate to send a follow-up email after a confirmation email to provide additional information or encourage further engagement.
You can track the success of your confirmation emails by monitoring open rates, click-through rates, and reply rates.
A confirmation email should look very simple and easy to scan. Whether the goal is to display necessary details or to direct towards a CTA, the purpose should be highly visible and uncrowded - do not include anything other than what is strictly necessary to avoid confusion.
A confirmation email should explicitly state the details of what is being confirmed and reassure the recipient that their request has been processed.
Want to learn more?
There are even more email example categories to explore.
