Looking for a way to spruce up your holiday emails? Here are a few tips, sure to catch the eye!
1) HOLIDAY SHAPES
These emails cluster products together to form holiday shapes. You can go many directions with this idea — snowflakes, stockings, presents, etc. The sky is the limit!
From: Charming Charlie
Date: 11/30/16
Subject Line: Wrap up all the GIFTS on your list today!
See it animated
Charming Charlie took the extra effort to add twinkling lights on their “tree.” I also like that they chose products with coordinating colors.
From: Ulta
Date: 11/27/16
Subject Line: Favorites for Under the Tree + Cyber Monday Preview
Ulta created a tree out of gold gift boxes and stacked the products on top. In a brilliant move they list each product individually below with a CTA. The products are also staggered and tilted for great flow. Awesome job.
2) FESTIVE FONT
Even the smallest change, like a font, can make a big statement.
From: aerie
Date: 11/29/16
Subject Line: 40-50% Off & FREE All End Tonight. For Real.
See it animated
Aerie introduced a new font for the holiday season. The capital letters now give the feel of a magical winter wonderland.
From: Starbucks
Date: 11/27/16
Subject Line: The Cyber Monday clock is ticking
Starbucks is using a new cursive font, minimally, in the key words of their headlines. It’s a sure way to make certain words POP and set a tone for the email.
3) HOLIDAY GRAPHICS
From: Gymboree
Date: 11/29/6
Subject Line: Cyber Deals On The Run! ENDS AT MIDNIGHT
I like Gymboree’s creative way of displaying their sale promotions. Each deal is listed as if it’s a road sign at the North Pole. The little characters at the base of the sign are a nice touch too. Very cutesy and on-target for a kids’ clothing store.
From: Sur La Table
Date: 11/30/16
Subject Line: Get Gifting with Our Holiday Catalog
Sur La Table’s red ribbons not only add a festive feel but also dimension and flow to the design. They’re precisely placed to accent each image and point to the next section. The staggered and tilted images also help to add to the flow. The white negative space really helps to keep all the images from feeling overwhelming. Love.
From: Michaels
Date: 11/26/16
Subject Line: Get Ready for Christmas – 50% Off Christmas Trees, Décor & More
There’s a lot going on in this email (it’s overly long with a mix of styles), but I do like how Michaels lists their categories on gift tags in this section. They are a great way to add a holiday feel while giving a pop of color, and making your call-to-actions stand out.
From: Starbucks
Date: 11/16/16
Subject Line: It’s spiced. It’s iced.
I love the chalk-drawn spruce & leaves surrounding the products in this Starbucks email. They are a nice wintery touch with sophistication. The monotone color doesn’t distract from the products, but works as a nice accent. They also create great flow between products.
4) ANIMATION
From: Anthropologie
Date: 11/28/16
Subject Line: Just hours left for free ship + extra 30% OFF sale!
See it animated
Anthropologie’s stacked, wobbling packages create a fun holiday feel. I love the hand-crafted look as if it’s cut and pasted watercolor gifts, complete with drop shadow. It’s a very stylized and unique look, sure to catch the eye.
From: HomeGoods
Date: 12/02/16
Subject Line: You have a gift for giving.
HomeGoods included this fantastic stop-motion animation of products being placed into a box and wrapped up. It’s so much fun to watch. It’s a nice way to show a variety of products available for gifting. I would love to see each product called out by name with CTAs below.
5) CLEVER COPY
From: Starbucks
Date: 11/20/16
Subject Line: The more Mondays, the merrier
What says festive more than ‘Twas the night before Christmas? Starbucks created their own version of this classic poem in this email. They continue the poem down the page as it coordinates with products:
Then $20 more bagged, brewed and poured
is 80 stars toward a free drink reward.
And finally something to sip and to savor
Half off any frappuccino size or flavor.
Creative and fun to read.
From: Uncommon Goods
Date: 11/16/16
Subject Line: You’re Going to Need a Bigger Tree…
What better way to make your email memorable than to plant an “ear worm” in someone’s head? Song lyrics for headlines or subject lines do just the trick. Uncommon Goods uses, “Make Spirits Bright” as a title to their message about a custom whiskey barrel.
From: Neiman Marcus
Date: 12/01/16
Subject Line: 12 gifts of Christmas: Candles, cashmere + more
Here’s a fun use of the 12 days of Christmas. The items from the classic song are replaced with products:
7 days of sipping (cocoa mix and mugs),
6 ballerinas leaping (ballerina shoes),
5 tiiiiiiiiny treasures…
I can’t help but sing it while I’m scrolling. I especially love that they took care to picture the correct amount of products. The design has nice flow with staggered products that overlap into the next section.
These are just a few ideas to inspire you. Don’t forget to have fun and be memorable. Happy holidays and to all a good night!