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Customize Billing Emails (Email Template Builder)

Updated

The Email Template Builder is Submatic's powerful email editor, giving you full control over the billing emails your customers receive. You can create custom HTML email templates with live preview, dynamic tokens, and AI-assisted content generation.

Getting Started

  • Go to the Templates page
  • Click Manage on any template
  • Click Communications
  • Click on the Email Template Editor button

If your store has access to the new Email Template Builder, you'll be taken to the builder automatically. Otherwise, you'll see the legacy email editor.

Creating a New Email Template

  1. From the Email Template Builder list page, click + Create New Template
  2. You'll see a Template Library with pre-built starter templates to choose from:
    • New Subscription/Membership — for enrollment (first order) emails
    • Subscription/Membership Renewal — for renewal emails
    • One-Time Purchase — for single purchase receipt emails
  3. Click on a starter template, then choose how you'd like to edit it:
    • Use AI Editor — describe what you want in plain language and AI will generate the content for you
    • Edit Manually — open the HTML editor and make changes yourself
  4. Customize the Subject Line — you can include dynamic tokens like {{customer.first_name}} or {{store.name}}

The Editor Interface

The editor has two main areas:

  • HTML Editor: Use the code editor to write and modify your email's HTML directly
  • Live Preview: Click Show Preview in the toolbar to see a real-time rendering of your email as customers will see it. Optionally toggle between Desktop and Mobile view. The preview processes all tokens with sample data so you can see exactly how the final email will look.

AI-Assisted Content Generation

The Email Template Builder includes an AI editor powered by Google Gemini to help you create and modify email content. To use the AI editor:

  1. Click the AI Editor button in the toolbar
  2. In the modal that appears, describe what you want in plain language. For example:
    • "Create a warm, friendly welcome email for new subscribers"
    • "Add a section highlighting our member benefits including the 10% discount and the monthly coupon"
    • "Make the tone more professional and formal"
  3. By default, the AI starts from your current editor content. Uncheck "Start from current editor content" if you want to generate from scratch.
  4. Click Generate and the AI will produce updated HTML content

The agent is aware of all available tokens and will include them appropriately in the generated content.

Using Tokens

Tokens are dynamic placeholders that get replaced with real customer and order data when the email is sent. They use the format {{token.name}}.

Quick Insert Buttons

Commonly used tokens are available as quick-insert buttons above the editor:

  • First Name: {{customer.first_name}}
  • Full Name: {{customer.name}}
  • Store Name: {{store.name}}
  • Plan Name: {{subscription.template_name}}

Click any button to insert the token at your cursor position in the editor.

Full Token List

Click the expand arrow next to the quick insert buttons to see all available tokens, organized by category:

  • Customer Information: name, email, phone
  • Order Details: order number, date, subtotal, tax, shipping, discount, total, balance, and more
  • Store Information: store name, logo, address, phone, email
  • Subscription Details: frequency, plan name, next renewal date
  • Common Components: pre-built HTML blocks for product tables, order summaries, transaction logs, shipping addresses, and more
  • Conditional Blocks: show or hide sections based on context (e.g., {{#if_gift}}...{{/if_gift}} for gift orders, {{#if_trial}}...{{/if_trial}} for trial subscriptions, {{#if_wallet}}...{{/if_wallet}} for mobile wallet passes)

Component Tokens

Some tokens insert entire pre-formatted HTML sections into your email:

  • {{component.product_table}}: itemized list of products/services
  • {{component.order_summary}}: subtotal, tax, shipping, discounts, and total
  • {{component.transaction_log}}: payment history for the order
  • {{component.shipping_address}}: customer's shipping address block
  • {{component.store_address}}: your store's address block
  • {{component.wallet_buttons}}: Apple Wallet / Google Wallet buttons (only shown if enabled for your store)
  • {{component.promo_codes}}: any applied promo codes
  • {{component.gift_card_info}}: gift subscription details
  • {{component.pay_invoice_button}}: payment button for outstanding balances

Linking Email Templates to Subscription Plans

After creating an email template, you need to link it to one or more subscription templates for it to be sent to customers.

  • Link to All Subscription Templates: From the email template list page, click the Link All button next to any enrollment or renewal template. This will:
    • Link the email template to all of your store's subscription templates
    • Automatically replace any previously linked template of the same type
    • Mark the newly linked template as active
  • Each subscription template can have one enrollment email and one renewal email linked to it
  • When you link a new email template, it replaces the previous one of the same type
  • If a subscription template has no linked email template, customers will receive the default Submatic email

Tips for Creating Effective Emails

  • Preview your template in both desktop and mobile views before linking it
  • Use component tokens for order details rather than building tables manually - they're pre-formatted and responsive
  • Do not include the unsubscribe link ({{link.unsubscribe}}) in your template (unless you have an explicity reason to do so).  A footer with this link is automatically appended to all emails
  • Use conditional blocks to tailor content - for example, wrap gift-specific messaging in {{#if_gift}}...{{/if_gift}} so it only appears for gift orders
  • Let the AI editor do the heavy lifting: describe changes in plain language and refine from there, but be as specific as possible
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