Jimmy KimCEO & Founder, Commerce Roundtable · Marketer of 17+ Years, 4x Founder. Former DTC/Retailer & SaaS Founder. Newsletter. Host of ASOM & Send it! Podcast. DTC Event: Commerce Roundtable

Where Transactional Emails Cross the Line

20 Dec 2025 · 1 min

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In this segment of the video, Jimmy Kim and Speaker A discuss how to draw a clear line between permissible promotional elements and intrusive advertising within transactional emails. They propose a spectrum approach: a small, clearly separated recommendation section at the bottom of the email is generally acceptable, whereas a large banner promoting unrelated sales at the top is a definite violation. The core guideline emphasized is that transactional information must remain immediately visible, clear, and usable without distraction. Any promotional content should be subtle, positioned away from the primary message, and must not bias the user’s ability to act on the transactional purpose.

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This is like, think about it as a spectrum here. I think a small contextual recommendation section at the bottom that's clearly separate from the transactional content, that's probably okay. Keyword being probably. But a giant banner across the top promoting an unrelated sale, I'd say that's definitely crossing the line. That's pretty black and white. That's pretty crystal clear. I think the key here is can the customer easily find and use the transactional information without being distracted and bombarded by promotional content? And look at that really through a lens of not being biased.
I like that guideline. Transactional information first, always visible, always clear, right? If you want to include a little small recommendation section, keep it subtle at the bottom. Make sure it doesn't confuse or distract from the primary purpose of the email.