Additional tips for setting up HTML email notifications

Admin permissions or restricted permissions to Manage Notifications.
The Email Notifications feature is available to both those using items (Inventory > Items), a key feature of our classic version of Checkfront, and those using products (Inventory > Products), a key feature of our newest version of Checkfront.

New to Checkfront - Products ✨

Products (Inventory > Products) is the successor feature to (Inventory > Items) and is available in our newest version of Checkfront.

Not yet on our newest version and interested in upgrading? Please contact our Technical Support team for more information.

Discover more product-related help articles here: Products (New).

In this article, we look at tips on how to set up HTML email notifications.

New to Email Notifications? Be sure to read the first article in this series for an introduction!

Please read the full series of articles, accessed at the side and bottom of this page, to learn more about the full capabilities of the Email Notifications feature.

Sending HTML Email tips

Creating notifications and email that render the same across all email platforms can be tricky since all email clients have their own set of rules. That said, a finely tweaked HTML email can organize your notifications and receipts in ways not available through plain text.

Here are some tips!

Keeping it simple

You aren't building a web page. Overly complex HTML email can cause delivery and formatting issues. Use the minimum formatting to provide an attractive and functional layout.

Using a Table Structure

Many platforms don’t support absolute positioning (float, margin, padding), so tables work much better as the framework for your design.

Using Inline CSS

Inline CSS is more reliable than using CSS in the header. Gmail, for instance, strips out the CSS in all email. If you use inline CSS, then your style won’t get lost for those Gmail recipients.

Adding images to email notifications

How do I add images to content in Checkfront?

Hosting images online

Images and documents need to be hosted online elsewhere, such as on your website. This can be accomplished using the full, absolute link to the location where your image or document is hosted, such as:

https://cdn-production.checkfront.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/About-header2-720x456.png

Google Drive and Dropbox do not work for hosting as they do not support hosting for third-party sites.

Avoiding image-only email

Avoid image-only email. This is a BIG Spam flag and you’re more than likely to end up in the Junk folder.

Avoiding background images

Many email clients don’t support this and your recipient may not see it.

Using ALT tags

Images with ALT tags improve SEO and display descriptive text if, for some reason, the image can't be displayed. Also, correctly size your images before including them in your email and include the size dimensions.

If you don’t specify the height and width dimensions, then some email clients may set their own size for your image which could alter your email design.

Testing your email

Send tests to the most popular platforms and check out what it looks like for yourself.

Many times, email look fine in Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc… but then they look completely different in Outlook.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prevent email notifications getting caught in junk folders?

You may need to add an SPF record to your domain to authorize Checkfront to send on your behalf.

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