001 The Summary
ToastMail’s founders were tired of seeing their emails go straight to the spam filter: emails to staff, investors, and customers going unseen, leading to lost deals and damaged reputation. They decided to solve the problem of spam once and for all, simply and easily.
Jetpack Labs led the research and scoping, designed the user interface and brand, and shaped a product strategy that made email warming accessible to non-technical users, all while gently educating customers on the “why” as much as the “how.”
002 The Client
ToastMail is a SaaS email warming platform targeting sales teams, founders, and businesses whose emails are landing in spam folders. The platform connects to existing email accounts and automates the warming process that builds sender reputation with major email providers like Google and Outlook.
003 The Challenge
During the research and scoping phase, Jetpack identified two crucial issues: education and barriers to entry.
Key challenges included:
- Complex topic (email warming, spam filtering, sender reputation) needing clear communication to a non-technical audience
- Onboarding process that is technically complex for users less comfortable with email infrastructure
- User retention at risk if customers don’t understand the “why” behind email warming
- Competitive market with established players requiring strong brand differentiation
004 The Approach
Jetpack mapped out user flows and defined the product scope while continuously cross-referencing with user personas. The team talked directly with potential customers to learn about their pain points and what they needed from an email warming tool.
The interface was designed to embrace simplicity and ease of onboarding. The user journey was structured to gently educate users about email warming as they move through the product, making the “why” as clear as the “how.”
005 The Solution
Key improvements included:
- Simple, intuitive onboarding designed for non-technical users
- Clear communication of email warming concepts within the product flow
- Integration with Outlook, Google, SMTP/IMAP for broad compatibility
- Stripe-powered subscription billing
- UX improvements that significantly improved user retention rates
- Brand identity: quirky, memorable, designed to encourage word-of-mouth virality
- Website development with user journey that converts visitors to signups
Technology: Laravel, SMTP/IMAP, Outlook, Google, HTML/CSS, Stripe. Deliverables: User Research, UX/UI Design, Branding, Product Strategy, Website development, Release Strategy.
006 The Result
- Month-over-month sales more than doubling since launch in summer 2023
- User retention rates dramatically improved through UX simplification
- Growing market tailwind as Google and other providers increase hostility toward cold email
- ToastMail team already in conversations with Jetpack about Version 2
ToastMail arrived at exactly the right moment. As email deliverability becomes a critical business problem for more companies, ToastMail’s simple, well-designed platform is positioned to become essential infrastructure for any team that relies on email to reach customers.