Legal customization requirements

Overview

2Checkout is the Merchant of Record for orders performed and payments processed using our platform. From a legal standpoint, this means we are responsible for the information provided to your shoppers via the emails sent, on your behalf, through our platform.

Consequently, there are several mandatory requirements to account for when customizing your emails. These requirements depend on the type of emails sent. 2Checkout emails generally fall into two categories:

• Transactional emails. According to CAN-SPAM rules, these emails facilitate an already agreed-upon transaction or update the customer about ongoing transactions. They usually contain order, payment, or customer-specific information.
• Marketing (commercial content) emails. According to CAN-SPAM rules, these emails advertise or promote commercial products or services.

Check the documentation available here to see the emails in each category.

Email requirements

Do not remove mandatory information when you customize the content of your emails.

Transactional email requirements

• Always include the reference to 2Checkout acting as Merchant of Record in Transactional emails (optional for Marketing emails). The structure we recommend using is the one in our default templates: “2Checkout acts as an authorized reseller of <Your Company Name> online products and services.” Localized versions are available for all default templates.
• Show 2Checkout support information in all Transactional emails. This includes the access link to the shopper myAccount along with the email address needed to log in. Keep in mind that we are the ones offering order and payment support, so make sure you provide shoppers with access to all support channels. This weighs a lot in turning them into loyal, long-term customers.
• Display merchant (your company) support information in all Transactional emails. This includes support email and phone numbers. This is critical to your shoppers when they need additional product/subscription information, troubleshooting services, or access modifications.

Marketing email requirements

• Include an unsubscribe option in all Marketing emails. Make it as clear, explicit, and simple to use as possible. We recommend keeping/including an unsubscribe link at the bottom of your message. You can use the UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK variable that takes the shopper to an unsubscribe page.
• Gmail and Yahoo updated their requirements for bulk senders making it mandatory to have one-click unsubscribe option in the header. This means that all emails with the exception of order confirmation, payment receipts, electronic delivery, access links and others will have an unsubscribe option in the header. 
  
  • The current unsubscribe mechanism ensures that the unsubscribe scope is limited to either a specific sale, lead or subscription. Take for example the case where you have configured 5 manual renewal reminders. The shopper receives the first manual renewal reminder and clicks on the “unsubscribe” link. The shopper will no longer receive any manual renewal reminders for that subscription renewal, but he would still be eligible to get the same type of reminder for other subscription(s) and even for the next renewal of the same subscription.
  • The below platform emails will have the one-click unsubscribe option in the header:
    
    • Abandoned cart (lead management)
    • Affiliate newsletter
    • Free trial download expiration
    • Manual renewal reminder
    • Recurring payment failed (Direct Debit)
    • Recurring payment failed (dunning notification)
    • Recurring payment failed (instant payment methods)
    • Unfinished payment (Direct Debit)
    • Unfinished payment (lead management)
    • Unfinished payment (Purchase order)

Shared requirements

• Always display the 2Checkout logo in either the header or the footer of the email. Make sure it is visible and distinctive against other elements. You can use the 2CHECKOUT_LOGO variable that shows the image at optimal dimensions.
• The subject line of your emails needs to be reflective of the content they communicate. Choose a relevant subject line to ensure your shoppers will continue opening emails sent on your behalf and keep these emails out of the spam folder.
• The content of your emails should always be related to the event triggering the email. For instance, build the Payment receipt email to include information on purchased products or subscriptions, quantities, unit prices, taxes, discounts, and total price, billing, and delivery information. Abandoned cart notifications should include a link to the abandoned cart, that the shopper can use to finalize the order.