Case study: How the trigger emails rebuilding helped Stripo to improve email marketing results

Trigger emails are vital in many projects because they allow you to automate and personalize interactions with customers and subscribers and make email marketing more effective. Generally, trigger emails are created once when and then continue to be generated as required, allowing the email marketer to focus on other tasks.

At some stage, you are likely to want to amend these trigger emails to increase their effectiveness. You will then be faced with the task of updating your trigger emails, which may be daunting, as you may already have multiple active trigger emails.

And you need to amend all these at the same time.

In this case study, we share our experience. We talk about why we redesigned the trigger emails, what helped us speed up the redesign process, and what results we obtained.

What were the goals of the trigger email changes?

The goal of an email redesign is never just to “make emails look better.” All products change, and it is important to monitor trigger emails along with such changes.

Our marketing goals were as follows:

1. Consistency of external communication in email with communication on the website, account, and social networks to strengthen the trust and security of the emails.
2. Improving texts, messages, and calls-to-action, taking into account the development of the product, experience, and understanding of clients.
3. Introduction of new formats and functionality to improve the ease of use and effectiveness of the emails.
4. Preparation of a library of stored modules for quick building of new triggers in the future and use of synchronized modules.
5. Refinement of some emails, so that they begin to give better results.

The Stripo product does not stand still. It continues to evolve, and the ways in which we communicate with users also need to evolve to meet the needs of our product. New features are being added, the flow is changing, and the account has completely changed. This affects communication, including trigger emails.

Oleksandr Dieiev,

Email marketing specialist at Stripo.

What trigger emails have been changed

Between January and March 2024, Stripo’s marketing team redesigned more than 30 trigger emails sent to clients and subscribers. 

They can be grouped as follows:

• welcome emails;
• emails related to billing and transactions;
• emails to support user engagement (engagement emails);
• emails to renew subscriptions to our product;
• service and system messages.

Key approaches to changing Stripo’s trigger emails

Some emails have undergone a complete overhaul. In others, only a few blocks have been added. And of course, all the design elements have been completely updated.

When we analyzed the trigger emails, we identified the following issues:

• the email style did not correspond to the updated style used in other communication channels;
• some emails were too long;
• texts and calls-to-action were ineffective;
• some emails did not allow users to be accurately directed to the required actions;
• the process of creating and updating emails was complex and time-consuming.

The solutions we used in the redesign process are summarized below:

1. We redesigned the emails to ensure that all became consistent with the general style of the brand.
2. We updated texts, messages, and calls-to-action for each email.
3. We added new action blocks and banners, such as ones asking users to leave feedback on other platforms and contacting the help center.
4. We changed the structure of links to direct users to the appropriate sections of their accounts.
5. When creating the updated emails, we used modules that were added to the library in order to use them in the future to create new trigger emails more quickly.
6. Synchronized modules were used to, if necessary, update information, for example, in the footer, to quickly do it at once for all emails at the same time.
7. We reduced the length of emails to make them quicker to read.

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Examples of changes to specific emails

Here are some examples of how we improved the trigger emails:

Email with an invitation to register

One of our most important emails is the one that invites users to register with Stripo. Previously, this email contained a lot of information. We redesigned this email to make it cleaner in terms of its design elements and clearer in terms of its information content by focusing on one main action — clicking the button to confirm the invite. 

This led to a significant increase in the number of clicks — up from 31% to 57%. It also generates the highest number of subscriptions and promotes active use of the product.

(Source: Stripo email)

Email purpose: Invites users to the Stripo editor.

Changes: Optimizing the content of the email, simplifying the structure, and focusing on one main action.

Results: These changes led to an increase in the percentage of clicks on the target button from 31% to 57%. In addition, the percentage of unsubscribes from this email dropped from 1.1% to 0%. This email generated the most subscriptions among the trigger emails. Users then began to use the product, creating their first email and exporting what. 

Subscription renewal email

We also updated emails related to transactions, such as subscription renewals. We added information about changing the billing method and tips on checking payment information before renewing or changing your subscription. This takes into account problems with payment methods, such as card expiration or changing the card for the subscription. These changes resulted in a decrease in the number of unsubscribes.

In addition, we segmented users and created emails for each user group. For example, users on the Basic plan now receive information about the option to switch to the Medium plan, and Medium plan users receive information about the Pro plan. Such user segmentation enabled more relevant information to be provided and increased the effectiveness of communication.

The introduction of personalization is an important step forward. This helps to create a sense of an individual approach, which positively affects the user experience.

(Source: Stripo email)

Email purpose: To encourage users to continue their subscription or change their payment method.

Changes: This email was completely redesigned — information about tariff plans and payment methods were added, and redundant elements were removed. We also added upgrade buttons for various subscription plans.

Results: These changes reduced the unsubscribe rate and improved the user experience. The addition of the subscription plan upgrade buttons resulted in 53.8% of users on the Basic plan expressing interest in the Medium plan and 36.3% of users on the Medium plan expressing interest in the Pro plan. Also, this email led to 41.1% of users actively searching the content of the help center rather than contacting customer service. In general, the number of subscriptions and registrations from this email has increased.

Email about difficulty processing renewal payments

A problem relating to withdrawing funds was a frequent cause of unsubscribes, which required urgent attention. We’ve made significant changes to the emails reporting this problem. Previously, such emails contained only a message about the concern, but now they include step-by-step instructions and a link to the help center. This allows users to quickly find the necessary information and solve the problem on their own without extra effort.

We have added a link to the help center in most emails, which allows users to independently find solutions to common issues. Previously, the only way to contact support was by email. Now, users can easily find answers in the help center, which contains all the necessary information, with detailed instructions and screenshots.

Oleksandr Dieiev,

Email marketing specialist at Stripo.

(Source: Stripo email)

Email purpose: Report an issue and encourage users to resolve it in order to continue their subscription.

Changes: Adding step-by-step instructions and a link to the help center.

Results: The number of clicks on the target button in the email increased more than doubled: from 41.7% to 85.7%. Also, 14% of clicks received a link to the help center.

Email about the end of free exports

We also made significant improvements to the emails announcing the end of free exports from Stripo to ESP. These emails now contain clearer information and a call-to-action, which significantly increased the number of clicks on the target button. This affected not only the number of clicks but also the performance of targeted actions, such as paying for subscriptions or registering new users.

(Source: Stripo email)

Email purpose: Notification about the terms of use of additional exports.

Changes: Added clearer information, a call-to-action, and a link to the help center.

Results: The clearer CTA worked, with 73.5% clicks on the target button, compared to 47.2% before the changes (nearly 2 times increase). The number of clicks on the subscription plan upgrade button remained unchanged. At the same time, the number of events decreased.

And it's not just clicks on dashboards. I can see that increasing also affects targeted actions, that is, paying for certain subscriptions, or registering, or useful actions, such as creating or exporting emails, if this is the aim of the email.

Oleksandr Dieiev,

Email marketing specialist at Stripo.

Email about the tariff extension

In this email, we solved the problem of how to increase the number of positive reviews on external platforms, for example, Trustpilot, Capterra and others. To do this, we added a call-to-action block to the subscription renewal triggers.

If the user continues to subscribe, they like our product, so logically we can put a block in such a trigger that if you like everything, come in, and leave a review.

We can't say with 100% certainty, but after we added the call-to-action block, the number of organic reviews on other platforms increased.

(Source: Stripo email)

Email purpose: Thanking the user for switching to a more expensive plan and requesting feedback.

Changes: Adding a block with a call-to-action and a link to our page on external platforms.

Results: The main metrics did not change, but the number of unsubscribes decreased significantly. The number of organic reviews on external sites also increased.

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Additional changes to trigger emails that improved efficiency

1. Inclusion of a unit with the option to book a product demonstration for 40 minutes to explain the features and answer questions. This greatly facilitated the process of adaptation of new users and increased their satisfaction with the product.
   
   
2. Creating emails with proposals for upgrading and expanding subscription plans. To better understand the attitudes of users toward subscription plans, we included short surveys with the emails. These surveys were clickable and allowed users to easily express their opinions, which helped us collect valuable feedback.
   
   
3. Segmenting emails to make them more relevant to different groups of users. For example, subscription renewal emails are now color coded, depending on the message type — green for positive actions, black for warnings, and blue for plan renewals.
4. Creating tailored emails for system notifications, such as password or email changes. We have highlighted the main steps involved in initiating the action to make it easier for users to navigate and take the necessary actions.
5. Adding variable links to call-to-action buttons. Previously, there was one log-in link for the account, and users had to search for what information themselves. Now both the account design and link architecture have changed. For example, if I wish to highlight extra exports in the email, I can simply add a link that the user can click on to go to the extra exports screen.
6. Simplifying the receipt of checks. The ability to receive a check or statement for the tariff is now one of the main buttons, along with the button for accessing the account.
   
   
7. Automatically sending unsubscribe emails if a user has not renewed their subscription. These contain a link to quickly renew the subscription, which may encourage the user to consider upgrading their plan.

The idea of having one button to upgrade the subscription plan worked — it got many more clicks than when the email had all plans at once. Prior to redesigning the email, 30% clicked on the upgrade button. Now, 89% click on the button.

Oleksandr Dieiev,

Email marketing specialist at Stripo.

Email changes that did not improve the results

Not all changes produced the expected results. Some trigger emails that were relatively effective were only slightly modified, and these modifications did not result in any significant improvement in outcomes. However, none of the updated emails resulted in critical negative consequences.

Here is the only email that led to an increase in unsubscribes after the redesign and a decrease in CTR from 21.1% to 19.3%. However, new subscriptions followed this email. In addition, this email led to what and an increase in reader interaction.

(Source: Stripo email)

How the redesign of the trigger emails affected the audience

Here are the results we’ve seen over the past few months of using the new trigger emails:

• improved conversion thanks to the direction of users to the right pages;
• easier interaction with emails, thanks to a better structure and a clear call-to-action;
• positive feedback from users regarding the consistency and integrity of communication;
• increase in the number of organic responses on external platforms after adding appropriate banners;
• ease of perception of content and improvement in user quality;
• decrease in the number of problem situations and increase in the activity of users in solving them.

What results did Stripo obtain after redesigning the trigger emails

Redesigning the trigger emails not only improved the user experience but also had positive outcomes from a marketing perspective. Here are the main results of using the redesigned trigger emails:

• reduced the time for creating and updating trigger emails thanks to the use of a modular system;
• saved significant time and resources on translations into 9 languages by using the localization capabilities in the Stripo editor;
• increased the effectiveness of trigger email campaigns, as evidenced by improvements in all key metrics for almost all emails — OR, CR, and CTR;
• increased conversion and engagement of new users through effective trigger emails;
• increased profit due to increased user activity and plan upgrades;
• improved user loyalty.

What functionality of Stripo allows time to be saved on redesigning emails

Maybe the only thing that stops you from updating the design of trigger emails is their large number and therefore the large amount of work involved in composing new emails. In this case, we recommend you use the following features of the Stripo editor, which we have found useful:

1. Modular email design — you build some email elements just once and reuse them across multiple campaigns as many times as you need.
2. Synchronized modules — you can quickly make changes to one block that is already used in any number of emails; when you change the entire trigger emails that already exist, it becomes easier and faster to work with them later.
3. Easy translation process — you can upload your custom translations from XLS and JSON files into all emails at once. These translations will be added to the respective elements of emails automatically.

Wrapping up

The trigger email redesign was a successful step toward improving our email marketing strategy, allowing us to improve both the metrics of specific emails and the overall performance metrics of the email strategy.

Based on our case study, here are the main points to focus on when refining trigger emails to improve your results:

• analyze the structure of triggers and make them clear and understandable; identify one useful action and lead to it;
• refine the calls in calls-to-action and try to include only links to specific sections, not to the home page of the account;
• ensure that email design is consistent with the rest of the communication — this builds trust; 
• segment triggers and fill them with relevant content — this allows you to increase sales;
• make sure that the development of the product and service is displayed in triggers — if you have a help center or a demo call — add this to your emails;
• add interactive modules, for example, built-in surveys — this way you will receive encouragement and useful feedback;
• use the modular system to speed up design updates and create new trigger emails.

Experiment and test — we will continue to do this too and continue to share our results.