I wondered whether SFMC is one of its kind (it certainly is) and what are email service provider alternatives for large companies to configure and send dynamic, personalized emails. For example, what kind of service could handle millions of triggered emails within a busy e-commerce site or a global airline platform.
Serendipitous Discovery
If you studies the Amazon logo closely, you notice that it communicates to offer products from A -> Z. The largest e-commerce and cloud company has also a mailing service called Amazon Simple Email Service. I came across a project for triggered emails in SES during a ‘watercooler conversation’. I don’t have experience in cloud products other than Salesforce but looks like email development skills are somewhat transferable between cloud platforms. SES has rich technical documentation I would be comfortable building dynamic, personalized emails triggered with REST API.