Optional — Configuring Transactional Email Notifications with Mailchimp

The following article will guide you through how to configure transactional email notifications through Mailchimp

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Written by Support
Updated over a week ago

sticky.io's partner integration with Mailchimp allows merchants to configure transactional emails, marketing emails and custom email flows. This article will provide you with an overview of the different transactional events that can be used to trigger email notifications, a list of the values sent to Mailchimp when your chosen event-based triggers are enabled and a step-by-step walkthrough for configuring email notifications for your BigCommerce store.

Without further ado, let's begin!


How Email Events Work

When one of the supported subscription trigger events is enabled within the sticky.io Subscriptions application, it allows sticky.io to send specific subscription-related information to Mailchimp when the event occurs. These events allow you to create Mailchimp Email Templates with information personalized to each consumer. This supports both transactional and marketing-related email notifications to your consumers.

The following customer information is passed with each subscription event.

*|EMAIL|*
*|FNAME|*
*|LNAME|*
*|PHONE|*
*|ADDRESS|*

Every event is sent with a URL so that you can create a call-to-action in the email template body that drives the consumer to their specific subscription into the consumer portal. This link is one of the fields that is passed as a part of the event-specific properties.


How to Configure Transactional Email Notifications in sticky.io Subscriptions

Now we will walk through the steps to configure email notifications within the sticky.io Subscriptions app for BigCommerce:

1 - Obtain your API Key and Server Prefix (https://mailchimp.com/developer/marketing/guides/quick-start/)

2 - Once you have obtained your API key, copy it to your clipboard.

3 - Return to the sticky.io Subscriptions app in BigCommerce and navigate to the Notification Settings tab.

4 - Once you've selected this tab, the top box on the page will be titled Email Service Provider Settings.

5 - Ensure that Mailchimp is selected from the Provider drop-down. Paste your API key into the Public API Key / Site ID field and click Save. Copy and paste your Server Prefix into the relevant field and click the “Fetch Lists” button to fetch back the available lists from your Mailchimp account.

Select the relevant list that you would like all of your subscribers’ contact information to be added to. If you do not have an appropriate list for subscribers, you can log into the Mailchimp terminal and create a list for this new context.

6 - Turn on your desired events in the sticky.io Subscriptions app using the toggles within the Subscription Notification Settings field. Toggling on a given event will ensure that the sticky.io Subscriptions app sends the event trigger to Mailchimp. Please note that if you configure an email flow that uses a given event but you have the event toggled Off in sticky.io Subscriptions, the flow will not proceed.

7 - Contact your sticky.io Onboarding Specialist to finalize the enablement of each event. Once the toggles are turned on, each event must be fired manually by the onboarding specialist before you proceed with the next steps listed below.

8 - Configure your email templates in Mailchimp. For more information, please reference these articles from the Mailchimp help center.

9 - Configure your automations in Mailchimp. For more information, please reference these articles from the Mailchimp help center.

Note - Classic Automations are supported.


Email Event Contexts

There are seven total subscription-specific events that can trigger a transactional email or marketing email flow in Mailchimp.

  • Subscription Created

  • Subscription Reminder (Upcoming Rebill)

  • Rebill Success

  • Rebill Decline

  • Subscription Paused

  • Subscription Resumed

  • Subscription Cancelled


Subscription Created

This can be used to notify the consumer when a new subscription chain has been started.

Here are the event-specific values (or payload) that are being sent to Mailchimp that can be used to hone your email flows or enrich the body of your email templates with personalized information.

  • Event Name: subscription_started

  • Event Payload:

    • *|EVENT:subscription_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_name|*

    • *|EVENT:billing_model_name|*

    • *|EVENT:next_recurring_date|*

    • *|EVENT:member_portal_link|*

Here is an example email template for the "Subscription Created" event.

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

Thank you for subscribing to *|EVENT:product_name|*. Welcome to the club!

If you would like to modify your subscription, please log into your account and make any changes that you feel are necessary here:
*|EVENT:member_portal_link|*


Subscription Reminder (Upcoming Rebill)

This can be used to remind the consumer of an upcoming rebill event for their existing subscription. You, as the merchant, can define how many times and how many days before the rebill these reminders are sent. For example, you can configure your notifications to remind the consumer 7 days and 3 days before their next rebill.

Here are the event-specific values (or payload) that are being sent to Mailchimp that can be used to hone your email flows or enrich the body of your email templates with personalized information.

  • Event Name: subscription_reminder

  • Event Payload:

    • *|EVENT:subscription_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_quantity|*

    • *|EVENT:billing_model_name|*

    • *|EVENT:days_until_rebill|*

    • *|EVENT:next_recurring_date|*

    • *|EVENT:next_recurring_amount|*

    • *|EVENT:next_recurring_quantity|*

    • *|EVENT:product_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_name|*

    • *|EVENT:member_portal_link|*

Here is an example email template for the "Subscription Reminder" event.

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

This is a reminder that the next billing date for your subscription is approaching. On *|EVENT:next_recurring_date|* we will automatically withdraw *|EVENT:next_recurring_amount|* plus shipping and tax from your account.

If you would like to modify your subscription, please log into your account and make any changes that you feel are necessary here:

*|EVENT:member_portal_link|*


Rebill Success

This can be used to notify the consumer of a successful rebill.

Here are the event-specific values (or payload) that are being sent to Mailchimp that can be used to hone your email flows or enrich the body of your email templates with personalized information.

  • Event Name: rebill_success

  • Event Payload:

    • *|EVENT:subscription_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_name|*

    • *|EVENT:billing_model_name|*

    • *|EVENT:next_recurring_date|*

    • *|EVENT:member_portal_link|*

Here is an example email template for the "Rebill Success" event.

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

This email is to inform you that we have successfully charged your card for *|EVENT:product_name|*.

If you would like to make any changes, please log into your account here:

*|EVENT:member_portal_link|*


Rebill Decline

This can be used to notify the consumer of a failed rebill transaction.

Here are the event-specific values that are being sent to Mailchimp that can be used to hone your email flows or enrich the body of your email templates with personalized information.

  • Event Name: rebill_decline

  • Event Payload:

    • *|EVENT:subscription_id|*

    • *|EVENT:decline_reason|*

    • *|EVENT:member_portal_link|*

Here is an example email template for the "Rebill Decline" event.

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

This email is to inform you that we attempted to charge your account but it resulted in a decline for the following reason: *|EVENT:decline_reason|.

If you would like to update your card on file, please log into your account here:

*|EVENT:member_portal_link|*


Subscription Paused

This can be used to notify the consumer of a successfully paused subscription chain.

Here are the event-specific values that are being sent to Mailchimp that can be used to hone your email flows or enrich the body of your email templates with personalized information.

  • Event Name: subscription_paused

  • Event Payload:

    • *|EVENT:subscription_id|*

    • *|EVENT:billing_model_name|*

    • *|EVENT:product_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_name|*

    • *|EVENT:member_portal_link|*

Here is an example email template for the "Subscription Paused" event.

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

This email is to inform you that your subscription has been paused.

If you would like to resume your subscription, please log into your account here:

*|EVENT:member_portal_link|*


Subscription Resumed

This can be used to notify the consumer of a successfully resumed subscription chain.

Here are the event-specific values that are being sent to Mailchimp that can be used to hone your email flows or enrich the body of your email templates with personalized information.

  • Event Name: subscription_resumed

  • Event Payload:

    • *|EVENT:subscription_id|*

    • *|EVENT:billing_model_name|*

    • *|EVENT:product_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_name|*

    • *|EVENT:member_portal_link|*

Here is an example email template for the "Subscription Resumed" event.

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

We would like to let you know that you subscription for {product_name} has been resumed.

If you would like to modify your subscription, please log into your account and make any changes that you feel are necessary here:

*|EVENT:member_portal_link|*


Subscription Cancelled

This can be used to notify the consumer of a successfully cancelled subscription chain.

Here are the event-specific values that are being sent to Mailchimp that can be used to hone your email flows or enrich the body of your email templates with personalized information.

  • Event Name: subscription_cancelled

  • Event Payload:

    • *|EVENT:subscription_id|*

    • *|EVENT:billing_model_name|*

    • *|EVENT:product_id|*

    • *|EVENT:product_name|*

    • *|EVENT:member_portal_link|*

Here is an example email template for the "Subscription Cancelled" event.

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

This email is to inform you that your subscription has been cancelled.

If you would like to reactivate your subscription, please log into your account here:

*|EVENT:member_portal_link|*


Congratulations! You're now an expert on configuring Mailchimp transactional emails within the sticky.io Subscriptions app for BigCommerce.

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