With every passing year, there seem to be new predictions of email marketing’s ever-imminent demise. But statistics point towards a different fate. Email continues to generate $42 for every $1 spent – which equates to a shattering 4,200% ROI – or that four fifths of marketers would rather give up social media than email marketing.
Such evidence points to the ability of email marketing to keep on renewing its power and relevance over time. But what does good email marketing practice look like today, from a strategy perspective?
The below 10 ecommerce email examples should go a long way to answering that question for you. These are brands that we greatly admire for their inventive ecommerce email marketing ideas, showing that the broader art of email marketing – at its best – is still as compelling as ever.
#1 Ollie’s personalised subscription offer email
The Ollie healthy dog food brand here shows how impactful an email marketing campaign can be when the key elements of communication are pared down to the basics. A strong, simple call to action is combined with the nice, personalised touch of referring to the pet’s name (Rosie needs this box!).
Why it works:
- It immediately highlights the incentive
- The clear and obvious call to action drives urgency
- The intro is minimal, but includes personalisation
#2 HelloFresh’s winback email
HelloFresh is a brand synonymous with recipe box deliveries, but it’s also very good at recapturing the attention of past customers with emails like this one. Again, boldness and simplicity are key here, with a key offer at the centre to drive impact.
Why it works:
- It’s a brilliantly executed winback email
- One clear CTA – ‘Come back’
- Sets out a straightforward offer
#3 Morgan & Milo’s newsletter
Known for its kids’ shoes that blend timeless style with superb day-to-day comfort, Morgan & Milo also impresses with its clear and straightforward email communication, as is appropriate given its audience of time-pressed parents. Readers can digest this charming email immediately, with the two calls to action first softly asking the user to take a look, and then further down, asking them if they would like to shop.
Why it works:
- A simple message aimed at parents
- Takes a few seconds to read
- Two clear CTAs
- Limited text, with clear separate messaging
#4 BlackMilk’s welcome email
BlackMilk takes pride in its distinctiveness as a clothing brand, and its welcome email does a great job of conveying what the subscriber can expect. There’s no fluffy unnecessary content here – it is made obvious what you get as a reward for signing up, alongside the succinct appeal to check out the brand’s social media pages, too.
Why it works:
- A modular image-focused layout
- A colourful header image with an obvious headline
- A second focus on social media, encouraging fans to follow on the major channels
#5 Saturdays New York City’s subscription confirmation
The American apparel and lifestyle brand’s email sent to confirm a user’s subscription is concise even by the standards of some other entries in this list. That’s no accident; the brand has evidently done its research, and realised that male shoppers can’t be bothered to spend a lot of time browsing online. This email therefore gets straight to the point, making it the polar opposite to many other brands’ welcome emails.
Why it works:
- The brand shows it understands and relates to its customers
- A simple, to-the-point message
#6 Modkat’s newsletter welcome email
For cat owners, litter boxes are an essential, but unglamorous purchase. Modkat, though, uses plenty of charming feline imagery in its welcome email to help remind the reader of the furry bundle of joy they’re going to all of this trouble for. Such pictures are interspersed with text that directly addresses the needs of the reader, and communicates the ways Modkat can help.
Why it works:
- It understands the audience’s needs
- Cleverly illustrated with pictures of cats
- Clean, modular blocks for easy skim-reading
- Promise of a refund and a clear offer as a new subscriber
#7 O’Neill Women’s welcome email
Not everyone who receives a given brand’s welcome email will necessarily be interested in the same category of products. The Californian surf wear brand has clearly recognised this, with its email that eschews conventional navigation in favour of the use of clear blocks each denoting a different collection of clothing in its range. The evocative photography doesn’t hurt, either.
Why it works:
- Clear blocks to direct readers to collections of clothes
- Striking imagery, minimal text and two offers as an incentive
#8 Pura Vida’s loyalty program email
If you wish your own brand’s loyalty scheme emails to evoke that feeling for your customers of joining an ‘exclusive club’, you could do a lot worse than following the example of Pura Vida. The seller of handcrafted bracelets and jewellery makes clear to its new joiners that they are now a “#PVInsider”, as well as that they don’t even need to buy anything to start earning points.
Why it works:
- Offers customers loyalty rewards for every dollar they spend
- Easily explains how a shopper can earn points without necessarily making a purchase
#9 Death Wish Coffee’s voucher email
We’re probably all familiar with that feeling of needing a caffeine pick-me-up on dreary mornings – but can one brand’s commitment to offering the “world’s strongest coffee” also translate into highly lucrative email marketing? It would seem the answer is “yes”; according to an ecommerce marketing podcast, Death Wish Coffee’s email list value is worth millions of dollars, which it achieves in part by presenting exclusive email-only offers.
Why it works:
- A simple welcome message with a powerful ‘redeem your cash’ statement
- A clutter-free design
- An incentive-focused headline to encourage positive engagement
#10 Magic Spoon’s newsletter
If the cynicism of adulthood has led you to believe there’s no such thing as a breakfast cereal that is both delicious and healthy, Magic Spoon’s high-protein, low-carb offerings could be just the antidote. Its newsletters carry on many of the same themes evident on its website, including the use of vibrant colours, evocative photography and appeals to childhood memories.
Why it works:
- Fully utilises brand colours and modular separation
- Simple, but efficient copy that speaks directly to the target audience
- Well-placed testimonials and effectively used CTAs
What’s next?
The work of these brands shows that the best Shopify email marketing techniques don’t always have to be complicated – many can be disarmingly simple. These compelling ecommerce email examples also demonstrate that there is plentiful scope to use an email marketing campaign to fire the imaginations of target audiences, even once they have subscribed to your newsletters.
Why not work with UWP to unlock the potential of your own brand’s ecommerce emails, thereby helping to deliver visits, sales and growth for your business?
Looking to up your email game?
In our free email marketing ebook, we reveal how you can drive impact in your customers’ inboxes. And trust us when we say this guide is truly comprehensive.
From acquisition tactics to flow enhancements to landing page optimisations, we’ve got every facet of your email marketing strategy covered.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking to reboot your brand, download our free handbook, packed with expert advice from UWP's Email Marketing Specialist, Chris Marcantonio.
