š Overview
Sawyer automatically generates several types of emails to keep your customers informed about their purchases, registrations, and activity recommendations. Understanding what emails are sent, when, and why helps you better support your customers and manage their communication preferences.
ā ļø Make sure to configure your Reply To Settings located under My Account > Settings so emails route correctly.
š³ Transactional Emails
Transactional emails are sent directly to your customers to inform them about purchase confirmations and account activity. These emails are sent through Mandrill and include:
Purchase confirmation emails: Sent for scheduled activity purchases, products (gift cards, packs, memberships)
Refund notifications: Confirmation when a refund is processed
Payment plan emails: Updates related to payment plan activity
Failed payment notifications: Alerts when a payment attempt fails
Gift card emails: Recipient confirmation and balance notifications
š Abandoned Cart Emails
An automatic abandoned cart email is sent 5 days after a customer adds items to their cart but does not complete their purchase.
Note: The email is only sent if:
The item in the customer's cart is still active and has availability
If the activity is in the past or no longer available (sold out or canceled), the email will not be sent
The purchase URL where the customer added the item is respected (for example, if they were shopping on your unique Sawyer registration link or via the Sawyer marketplace)
š Triggered & Reminder Emails
š± Online Activities Reminder Email
An automatic reminder email is sent 30 minutes prior to a scheduled online activity start time. Make sure the Class Link field is filled out in your scheduled activity setup to ensure students receive reminders with a direct link to join.
š Parties Emails
Emails related to parties include:
Client party general inquiry confirmation
Party payment request
Party booking confirmation
Birthday reminder emails (referred to as "Parties Reminder Email") are sent to customers 60 days before a child's birthday, but only if you have active party packages.
Managing Birthday Reminder Emails Globally
The "Parties Reminder Email" notification is a global feature. When enabled, birthday reminder emails are sent to all your customers. It is not possible to turn off these reminders for individual customers.
Click here to learn more on how to manage birthday reminder emails
Click here to learn more on how to manage birthday reminder emails
To disable birthday reminder emails for all customers:
Log in to your Sawyer dashboard
Click your name in the top right corner to access Settings
Navigate to the Email tab
Toggle off the setting labeled Parties Reminder Email
To prevent birthday reminder emails for a specific child only:
While you cannot selectively disable notifications for individual customers when the global setting is on, you can delete that child's profile. (Important: Deleting a profile removes them from your system, so consider this action carefully and back up necessary data beforehand.)
š¬ Reviews Collection Emails
Automatic emails prompting customers to leave reviews. See the Reviews Collection Emails guide for details on when, how, and why review emails are sent.
ā³ Optional Trigger Emails
These features need to be activated from My Account > Settings:
Waitlist emails: Notifications when a spot opens up on a waitlist
Free trial follow-up emails: Reminders after a customer completes a free trial
š Transfer Emails
When a student is transferred from one scheduled activity to another scheduled activity (different date, time, etc.), a transfer confirmation email is sent.
š¬ Messages from Rosters & Reports
You can send custom messages to customers directly from Rosters and Reports. For more information on sending messages and what can be included, see the Messaging from Rosters & Reports guide.
š¢ Sawyer Marketing Emails
Upon creating an account with Sawyer, customers can opt-in to receive marketing communications. Our marketing emails connect you with activity recommendations for your children, free events in your area, helpful content for parents and families, and more.
Types of Marketing Emails Sent
We send a variety of email types to customers who have opted in to receive marketing communications. This list is not exhaustive, but includes:
Recommendations: Data-driven emails that match activities with families looking to book
Category round-up emails: Highlighting trending topics like pod-based learning or outdoor activities
Blog posts and parenting content: Expert content on topics from educational activities to entertainment recommendations
Free activities: Featuring free classes and trials that let families try a business before purchasing
Seasonal and break activities: Highlighting summer camps, school holiday programs, and seasonal events
Camp content by age and category: Targeted newsletters based on child interest and age
Why Customers Receive Sawyer Marketing Emails
Customers receive Sawyer marketing emails because they agreed to opt-in when creating their account. This is standard across registration platforms and e-commerce sites. Sawyer cross-promotes recommendations to families for other activities, which helps parents discover new options while giving providers visibility to potential customers.
Why Sawyer Promotes Other Businesses
Sawyer's mission is to help children fall in love with learning. We operate as a community of parents and children's activity businesses where there's room for everyone to succeed. Many customers take multiple classes a week across several provider businesses. Our recommendations serve as a way to save parents time when searching for options and promote the providers we work with (including you!). We view this as enhancing a parent's overall experience rather than detracting from it.
Standard Opt-In Language
The user creation sign-up flow is standard across Sawyer and not customizable or removable for any business. During sign-up, customers see options to opt-in to both your business emails and Sawyer marketing emails. This is consistent with best practices across registration platforms and e-commerce sites.
Getting Featured in Sawyer Marketing Emails
We try to feature a variety of providers on our emailsāwhether they are personalized recommendations, activity round-ups, subject deep dives, blog posts, or dedicated emails. If you have a specific event coming up, let Sawyer support know and we'll try to include it in our marketing calendar if there's space. Feel free to tag @HelloSawyer in your social posts so our social media team can check it out!
āļø Managing Email Preferences & Opting Out
How to Opt-Out of Sawyer Marketing Emails
If you decide you no longer wish to receive Sawyer marketing emails, you can opt out by pressing the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or reaching out to the customer support team.
How Long Does Opt-Out Take?
Most of the time, opt-outs happen within 48 hours. However, unsubscribe requests can sometimes take up to 10 business days to process, depending on when you unsubscribed.
Important: Transactional Emails Continue After Opt-Out
We never unsubscribe users from order confirmation emails. These transactional emails ensure we can communicate when transactions successfully go through. Opting out of Sawyer's marketing communications does not opt customers out of transactional emails or emails sent directly from your business.
ā Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why am I still getting emails after I unsubscribed?
Click the arrow to view the answer
Click the arrow to view the answer
If you unsubscribed from marketing emails, you will still receive transactional emails (like purchase confirmations and refunds). We cannot unsubscribe users from order confirmation emails to ensure we can communicate about successful transactions.
Can I customize what emails my customers receive?
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Click the arrow to view the answer
You have control over optional trigger emails like waitlist notifications and free trial follow-ups, which you can enable or disable from My Account > Settings. You can also globally disable birthday reminder emails. Transactional and system-generated emails cannot be customized. For more information, contact support.
How do I get included in Sawyer marketing emails?
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Click the arrow to view the answer
If you have a specific event or offering you'd like featured, contact Sawyer support and we'll try to include it in our marketing calendar if there's space. You can also tag @HelloSawyer on social media so our team can discover your activities.