Situation of HTML mails today - bad idea or accepted?

Question

I'm starting up an online business and through php mail() I'll let the customer receive confirmation emails of their order, as well as a payment link. I'd like to be able to put in some eye candy to make it look more professional - an image and perhaps a colored header background - perhaps even display the order as a <table>.

Are HTML mails acceptable? Will they reach all of my customers? What are the best practices to assure arrival of the mails?

Answer 1

The Email Standards Project tracks which HTML is supported by which email clients, so technically speaking that's a start. They also have some good information on HTML email in general. The major takeaway may be: be careful with Gmail.

I can't speak to whether HTML emails will please all of your clients. Personally, I request plain text versions if they're available.