Back To School Email Marketing: 24 Amazing Examples From eCommerce Brands

Need inspiration for your Back To School emails? Here's where you start: 24 Back To School email examples from eCommerce stores that you can try out today. 

Let’s go!

24 Really Cool Back To School Email Examples For Your eCommerce Store

1. Create a checklist for parents

2. Help school-goers find a routine

3. Help them show off their kids’ first day of school

4. Get them to prepare for Back To School season

5. Launch a sitewide sale (with a side of inspiration)

6. Reward early birds – launch early access with a ‘Black Friday’ deal

7. Educate parents on how to help their kids with school

8. Remind shoppers to order in time for a surprise 😉

9. Give out a gift card to help plan purchases

10. Show off a custom Back To School collection

11. Cover all ages in your Back To School emails

12. Help start a wishlist for teachers

13. Get high-schoolers to prepare for a new kind of school – college

14. Show how your products fit into daily school routines

15. Get your brand ambassadors together to create a Back To School lookbook

16. Show how you’re solving a problem – with proof 💪

17. Help pets cope with Back To School routines

18. Run a ‘Back To School’ flash sale

19. Send a 1:1 follow-up for abandonment

20. Create ‘looks’ to provide logical value bundles (or gifts)

21. Remind there’s a community discount

22. Give early access to your existing shoppers first

23. Remind your audience that BTS is for them (even if they’re not in school)

24. Send a thank you note

1. Create a checklist for parents

Brand: M.C. Squares

Subject Line: Ready, Set, Organize

Preview Text: Your Ultimate Back To School Checklist 📚 ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Acts as a reminder to plan early, which makes life easier for parents 
• Works as a perfect first email for a Back To School drip email campaign 
• Provides easily trackable neatly organized product categories 
• Color-coded products with easy font formatting to help easy scannability

🔸 Key takeaway: Act like a personal shopper in your Back To School emails – personalize your recommendations by creating segments out of users who engage with suggested product categories in your emails.  

FURTHER READING: 24 Amazing Drip Email Campaign Examples That Actually Drive Sales

2. Help school-goers find a routine

Brand: Blume

Subject Line: IT’S BACK 🌟 3 for $65!!

Preview Text: build your own routine ­ ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Short email length 🙂
• Is quick to offer value quickly through the subject line (note the “3 for 65” in the subject)
• Showing diversity through the email’s hero image 
• Using personalization to offer a custom bundle through a quiz 
• Animated product images on offer to show the product ranges, really quickly 

🔸 Key takeaway: Consider offering some form of personalization in your Back To School emails like customizing a bundle for a specific pain point, or, recommending products based on purchase history. Doing this helps deliver a sound valid proposition.

P.S. Remember to keep your Back To School emails visually appealing, as Blume does with pastel colors and animated images.

FURTHER READING: 20 email personalization templates (examples from great brands)

3. Help them show off their kids’ first day of school

Brand: Fig & Dove

Subject Line: Back to it! 🍎✏️

Preview Text: Prep your front door for the school (and game) days ahead! ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email? 

• Markets to the exclusivity-driven luxury shopper
• Written solely for parents (showing that the brand knows who their average buyer is)
• Doesn't offer a discount – instead, the email helps parents brag
• Uses the preview text to drive the open rate (note the “prep your front door” part)
• Shows pictures of the first day of school, from real shoppers

🔸 Key takeaway: Use user-generated content in your Back To School emails to create a fear of missing out (FOMO). Here’s why: pride is an extremely important factor – luxury shoppers want to show off – or, see that other luxury shoppers are showing off the product they’re about to buy. 

FURTHER READING: Luxury eCommerce Email Marketing: 27 Stunning Examples (& What You Can Learn From Them)

4. Get them to prepare for Back To School season

Brand: Natural Vitality

Subject Line: It’s Almost Back To School Time…

Preview Text: Save 20% OFF CALM        

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Sent during June, which helps parents plan out in advance
• Preview text establishes the offer – the first fold of the email reaffirms the same offer
• Shows a strong nudge through a limited-time coupon code “23JULY20” (which is the month in which school reopens in some states)
• Copy shows how the products will help parents cope with the school season – while showing a ‘how to use the product’ with product ingredients
• Social proof on offer below the product images as a quote from a review

🔸 Key takeaway: Start sending your Back To School campaigns from as early as June. Here’s why: one in five shoppers have already started shopping for the school year ‘24/’25 in June (and, the number's only gonna go up).

FURTHER READING: eCommerce Email Mobile Optimization: 35 Guidelines For Store Owners

5. Launch a sitewide sale (with a side of inspiration)

Brand: Giant Vintage

Subject Line: I❤️GV: 30% OFF SITE WIDE!

Preview Text: Back To School Styles Out Now!

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email? 

• Exclusively written for high-schoolers 
• Ditches the CTA buttons – and gives off a ‘back to ‘90s’ yearbook vibe
• Shows the products from different angles on appropriately aged models
• Shows off social proof through a teen influencer (check the ‘as seen on Hailey Beiber’ section)

🔸 Key takeaway: Try providing some form of/featuring age-appropriate influencer-backed content in your Back To School emails. Here’s why: it shows your brand is ‘kid-approved’ – all while helping parents make faster decisions. 4 in 5 parents agree that their children are the top motivators for their Back To School shopping. 🤙

6. Reward early birds – launch early access with a ‘Black Friday’ deal

Brand: Staples

Subject Line: 🚨NOT A DRILL: Black Friday in July!!

Preview Text: Get a sneak peek at our Black Friday sale

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• There's something for every type of Back To School shopper 
• For kids and parents, there are discounts on electronic devices, '90s pricing for school items like crayons
• For teachers, there is a limited-time discount on printable banners
• Shows off next-day delivery (with a $35 minimum threshold) and flexible return policies

💡 Convertcart Pro Tip

Offer early access to sales with a slightly higher than usual discount (12% instead of 10%) on new products and ‘half off’ discounts on slow-selling products. 

The idea is to not make Back To School shoppers wait for sales days that occur between June and July—like Father's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Prime Day, and more.

FURTHER READING: 35 Slightly Different Black Friday Email Examples (That Actually Get Attention)

7. Educate parents on how to help their kids with school

Brand: Brain MD

Subject Line: Must-Read Articles For Back To School 🔔

Preview Text: Common ADD myths debunked, best study snacks + more! ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• The email is a newsletter, curated for the Back To School season 
• Shows links to articles, aimed at solving pain points of shoppers (like attention deficiency in kids)
• Announces a brand partnered live stream event (note the “reaching the underachieving child” section)

🔸 Key takeaway: Don't always rely on discounts to relay a message. Instead, try educating parents – consider pairing your product with common pain points in your emails.

Remember: not everyone excels in school, but everyone wants to (applicable to teachers, kids, and parents). 🙂

FURTHER READING: eCommerce Newsletter: 20 Ways To Stand Out And Actually Drive Sales

8. Remind shoppers to order in time for a surprise 😉

Brand: Labels4School

Subject Line: Claim your exclusive voucher code before it's gone!{name}, here's a discount for being an organised parent! 🌞

Preview Text: nil

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email? 

• Reminds shoppers to stock up before school starts
• Conducts a giveaway of a 10% discount on all orders > £9, in exchange for ordering early 
• Offers bundles with slashed prices and charm pricing (using a “.99”)
• Personalization on offer within the subject line

🔸 Key takeaways: 

• Start offering giveaways and discounts (like this example does) a month before school reopens
• Slowly increase the urgency across your Back To School emails – end with a ‘last chance’ offer for express doorstep delivery, in the nick of time

Here’s why you should do the above: Almost all kinds of Back To School shoppers look for the best discounts, except for the last-minute ones. They require convenience like ‘reasonably low-priced’ next-day doorstep delivery or free 'buy online pick up in-store.' 

FURTHER READING: 21 Tips to Increase Sales Through Email Marketing (+ Amazing Examples)

9. Give out a gift card to help plan purchases

Brand: Scholastic

Subject Line: Tell Them You Think They’re Magical

Preview Text: nil

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Offers a gift card in advance
• Helps convert shoppers who aren't planning to buy, just yet
• Turns a last-minute tactic into a tactic for the preparation stage 
• Shows a sync across online and offline channels
• Appeals to all kinds of shoppers (kids, teachers, and parents)
• Offers multiple delivery options as well as buying options

🔸 Key takeaway: Consider highlighting similar shopping advantages your eCommerce store offers in your Back To School emails – it can be 2X loyalty points (redeemable in-stores), or, easy installment payment options for purchases above a certain threshold. This helps convert shoppers who’re worried about falling short on budget during Back To School season.

FURTHER READING: How to Use Targeted Email Marketing to Drive More Sales (eCommerce)

10. Show off a custom Back To School collection

Brand: Clarks (UK)

Subject Line: Our favorite fun Back To School pairs

Preview Text: nil

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Shows a custom collection launch for style/trend-conscious parents 
• Doesn't overcomplicate the CTAs by looping in sizing/use case – instead, categorizes most collections by gender (note the “buy boys trainers” and “buy girls trainers”)
• Reaffirms brand services (note the ‘measure at home’ and ‘book in-store fitting’) 
• Offers BNPL payment with policy perks like ‘free next day shipping for orders above £50 and over’ and ‘free returns/exchanges’

🔸 Key takeaway: Appeal to the emotional as well as the logical side of parents. Remember to loop in reasons why shoppers should choose your store in your emails (like free curb-side pickup, in-store sizing, flexible shipping policies, BNPL payment, etc.).

FURTHER READING: 19 Product Launch Email Examples That Drove Massive Sales (+ Templates)

11. Cover all ages in your Back To School emails

Brand: Melissa & Doug

Subject Line: Back To School Basics

Preview Text: Get Ready for School with Melissa & Doug!

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Manages to stay crisp yet educate through visuals
• Builds itself as an expert source of advice – offers actionable tips for parents on getting their kids ready for preschool
• Images set the classroom vibe with kids in school uniforms and backpacks, chalkboards on display

🔸 Key takeaway: Create an email drip out of helpful resources, guides, and tips for your Back To School emails. This is especially applicable if you’re sending emails to an audience that doesn’t go to school yet (or will go to one soon, like preschoolers, toddlers, or college goers).

12. Help start a wishlist for teachers 

Brand: Sok-It

Subject Line: Granting Teacher Wishes! (and clearing Amazon lists!)

Preview Text: The Sok-It Fairy is back 🧚‍♀️ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Announces a giveaway for teachers on Instagram (this connects their social media strategy)
• The cause on display actually makes an impact (most teachers pay out of pocket for school supplies)
• Subtle product placement in the email’s hero image

💡 Convertcart Pro Tip

Consider offering a similar functionality like a wishlist that parents can upload. Offer incentives in your Back To School emails like:

• “upload your school wish list and unlock X% off up to $XX” 
• “build your school wishlist and get $XX of school supplies for free.” 

Once they upload, you can set your discount to expire – or create a bundle for abandoners.

FURTHER READING: 12 eCommerce Brands Acing Cause Marketing in 2024

13. Get high-schoolers to prepare for a new kind of school – college

Brand: Instant Brands

Subject Line: Small space cooking? 🍳

Preview Text: We’re here to help! 🤝

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Taps into the lives of high-schoolers prepping for dorm life and late-night study sessions through the copy
• Features three product categories with two products per category (this helps reduce choice paralysis)
• Incentivizes app downloads by teasing recipes to create with the featured products
• Creates a decoy effect through visual cues on featured products (note how some listings have the “Quiet Mode” badge)

🔸 Key takeaway: Use your Back To School emails to feature quick recipes for school and dorm while featuring products that can help prepare the recipes. This can help parents and students adjust to the school/dorm routine. 

14. Show how your products fit into daily school routines

Brand: Outstanding Foods

Subject Line: ⏰ Busy Back To School schedule?

Preview Text: We’ve got you covered! ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Shows how the product improves the lives of parents as well as schoolgoers
• Manages to be outrightly relatable without being salesy
• The infographic-style design shows the daily routine of a parent
• Delivers the product’s USPs (like “dairy-free”, “plant-based”, etc.) without explaining way too much

🔸 Key takeaway: Use your emails to build a connection with your audience – if you're showing why the product fits in, also show where the product fits in (with adequate proof, of course).

15. Get your brand ambassadors together to create a Back To School lookbook

Brand: Woodley + Lowe

Subject Line: THE must-have Back To School items

Preview Text: we asked our Ambassadors & friends for their top picks for Back To School ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Feels personal, like a handwritten note (note the favorite movies, songs, and TV shows sections)
• Shows three relatable and real faces, which makes it all the more trustworthy
• Shares personal experiences as product descriptions for the recommended products
• Features a cause in the form of a ‘giveback’ pledge
• Design feels aesthetically pleasing, hip, and young, laden with a notebook-style design and smileys

🔸 Key takeaway: Always assume that at least some of your email subscribers are teenagers – which is why, featuring teenage content creator content across your emails may be ideal and make them seem more relatable. 

FURTHER READING: 27 Brilliant User-Generated Content Examples (eCommerce)

16. Show how you’re solving a problem – with proof 💪

Brand: Kt by Knix

Subject Line: Straight As for this period kit 🏆

Preview Text: Meet our overachievers. ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Helps parents prepare teenagers for womanhood 
• Clever copy, playing with the school theme (note the headline “the leakproof achiever”)
• Shows product variants with a ‘what’s in the box’ style product image 
• Interactive CTA buttons, clearly showing how where a user will land on (check the ‘let me choose’ CTA)
• Shows two reviews as social proof with images of teen models in casuals and school uniforms, wearing the product

💡 Convertcart Pro Tip

Selling personal care products like Kt by Knix? Consider planning out an email series highlighting stories from college students, or, show a progress bar showcasing the impact of your product.

17. Help pets cope with Back To School routines

Brand: Inkopions

Subject Line: 📚 Back To School Blues for Pets? 🐶🐱

Preview Text: How to handle separation anxiety for pets 🐾❤️ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email? 

• Option to reply to the email
• Addresses the struggle of pets as kids leave for school after summer vacations 
• Helps capture the pet parent as well as the schoolgoer demographic in one go
• Subject line shows a problem – the first half solves the problem – the second part provides longer content on the same topic, for those not convinced

🔸 Key takeaway: Your Back To School emails need not always be about schoolgoers – as a pet store, you can adapt this email strategy to offer support in terms of schooling pets through manners. 

FURTHER READING: 41 Marketing Ideas For Online Pet Stores (With Examples)

18. Run a ‘Back To School’ flash sale

Brand: Emmiol

Subject Line: +80% Off Back 2 School Deals You Don't Want to Miss

Preview Text: Discover irresistible discounts on trendy outfits for the upcoming school season.

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Subject line leads with 80% off while the preview text promises loads of styles
• Leads to a custom Back To School flash sale landing page 
• Shows reduced prices with the percentage of price reduced with microcopy 
• Features added incentive (extra 25% off) to get an app download

🔸 Key takeaway: Use your site analytics to inform your Back To School email strategy. For example, Emmiol’s target audience is largely between the 18-24 age range. This is why most of their email looks straight out of the Y2K era. 

FURTHER READING: 40 Discount Email Templates (& Examples) for eCommerce Stores

19. Send a 1:1 follow-up for abandonment

Brand: Blume

Subject Line: last call 💥 back to basics 3 for $65

Preview Text: nil

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Shows off a level of exclusivity (note the ‘VIP only’ part)
• Breaks away from templated emails – instead goes fully personal
• Features an option to reply to the email 

🔸 Key takeaway: If you’re seeing low conversions from your cart abandonment emails during Back To School season, offer incentives like:

• Sizeable discounts on the next purchase
• Free next-day doorstep delivery
• Free product insurance on electronic products / extended returns on other items

Remember: extra costs, slow delivery period, and unsound return policies are among the top reasons for cart abandonment (Baymard). 

FURTHER READING: 40 Abandoned Cart Email Examples That Actually Win Back Lost Customers

20. Create ‘looks’ to provide logical value bundles (or gifts)

Brand: Bentley & Co. (CA)

Subject Line: Back To School: Level Up! 🎮

Preview Text: You just unlocked 25% off school bags, lunch boxes & much more.

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Offers logical bundles that parents can shop in one click 
• For example, offering a matching lunchbox with the backpack set for an extra $11.99 is only natural
• Color-coded bundles for girls (in pink) and boys (in blue)
• Extremely fun design with a solid value proposition in the first fold – a discount and a claim of ‘lowest prices’

🔸 Key takeaway: Consider cross-selling products by categories in your Back To School emails. Why: it helps shoppers find the natural next choice. For example, shoppers looking for backpacks will also look for lunch boxes and other items that fit in a backpack (which is exactly what Bentley does).

FURTHER READING: eCommerce Upsell Emails: High-converting Examples (+ Templates)

21. Remind there’s a community discount

Brand: Thinx

Subject Line: College student discount inside 👀 🎓 💸

Preview Text: Save $10 on your $35+ purchase.

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Shows off a brand partnership, which allows them to offer a discount
• Can help generate referrals by making this program open to everyone
• Also links their “Emoji Day” sale, which gives subscribers 17% off
• Quantifies the savings in the preview text (which helps drive opens)
• The email copy is tuned to work on all kinds of subscribers (new or existing) 
• The anchor text on CTA buttons affirms what the product is all about (note the “undies for bladder leaks” or the “period undies for teens”) – and how the discount is on offer

🔸 Key takeaway: If you’re driving signups with a community discount, this email can become a part of the welcome email flow for a Back To School shopper. The next email in this flow can show where to use the ‘student discount’, along with a list of products that most school shoppers purchase.

FURTHER READING: eCommerce Referral Email: 10 Examples That Really Work

22. Give early access to your existing shoppers first

Brand: Nike

Subject Line: {name}, you’ve got early access 🥳

Preview Text: Members get first dibs—shop the Back To School Sale now.

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Offers tiered discounts (20% for $120 to $149, 25% for $150 and above)
• Neatly organized product categories for shoppers to select from
• Extremely minimalistic design with loads of whitespace 

🔸 Key takeaway: Remember to reward early birds and shoppers from last year's campaign with early access. This helps you increase repeat sales as well as build loyalty among your customers.

FURTHER READING: 26 Brilliant Ways To Boost eCommerce Repeat Sales

23. Remind your audience that BTS is for them (even if they’re not in school)

Brand: Scrubs & Beyond

Subject Line: Back To School BOGO! ✏️

Preview Text: Never too early to start checking things off your list. BOGO 30% off starts now! Shop in store and online.

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Offers a callback to school days for medical professionals
• Shows impeccable recommendations, that cater to all types of professionals in the medical field (the stethoscope to the nurse shoes)
• Hero image shows products on sale 

🔸 Key takeaway: Use your emails to clear out old stock – all you need to do is make your email about remembering school days.There's no need to force a narrative – or try to fit your products into the school life.

24. Send a thank you note

Brand: Hoka

Subject Line: The results are in…

Preview Text: Thank you for shopping with purpose

🔸 What do we love about this Back To School email?  

• Incentivizes shoppers to shop more by showing the impact
• Works in sync with on-site competitions or votes on emails
• There’s only one trust badge with a service badge (the ‘locate a store’)

🔸 Key takeaway: Thank-you emails aren’t only for handling post-purchase scenarios. However, you can use a similar format for your Back To School post-purchase emails as well – all you need to do is change the copy to, “missing these from your school checklist?”

FURTHER READING: Top 20 eCommerce Thank You Email Examples That Convert

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Ready to launch your Back To School email marketing campaign?

Most eCommerce store owners don’t consider email a serious revenue stream for running their Back To School sales campaigns.

Ask them about the importance of email marketing, and you'll hear: “we don’t really have a major strategy,” “we mostly use generic templates,” or “we just send emails to people on our list.”

BUT AT THE SAME TIME:

There are stores out there that drive 30%+ of their revenue from email marketing.

Engage can help you do the same – book a free demo.

We’ll show you:

• workflows we can create for your store
• proven ways to drive 30% or more $$ from email alone, and
• successful templates and strategies from your industry (and others).