You already know what email marketing is – but what kind of emails should you be sending from your eCommerce store?
Well, go no further. We’ve surveyed over 500+ eCommerce brands and compiled this list of 30 email marketing examples to take inspiration from.
Let’s go!
30 Best Email Marketing Examples from eCommerce Brands
> Must-have Emails / Transactional Emails
1. Account Confirmation Emails
Brand: Alo Yoga
Subject Line: Alo Customer Account Invitation
👉 Key takeaway: Use account confirmation emails to get subscribers towards their first (or second) purchase – here's how you do it:
- Tease elements like an unlockable discount
- Follow up with how close they are to unlocking the discount (in case of inactivity)
- Show user activity from your socials (as Alo Yoga does)
- Reaffirm and explain brand benefits like quick shipping, BNPL options, etc.
FURTHER READING: Turn boring transactional emails into cash cows: 10 proven ideas
2. Welcome Emails
Brand: Pretty Little Thing
👉 Key takeaway: Use welcome emails to educate shoppers while helping you map out their interests – make sure you:
- Start with the benefits teased in your account confirmation email (like welcome discounts, BNPL payment, etc.)
- Offer ways to collect subscriber information like birthdays, anniversary dates, etc.
- Showcase the latest drops/collections based on sizes, gender, etc. (so that you can track which links get clicked and collect user preferences)
- Introduce trust-building elements like trust badges, logos of press mentions, etc.
FURTHER READING: 15 Incredible Examples of Welcome Emails (eCommerce)
3. Activation Emails
Brand: Patrick Ta
Subject Line: Hey Friend, Complimentary Lip Gloss Inside
Preview Text: Exclusive first-time gift + 15% off your order
👉 Key takeaway: Segment your activation emails by tracking engagement from your welcome flow – here are some ideas:
- Opened the welcome email and browsed: Recommend products based on browsing history with a reminder of the discount
- Opened the welcome email but didn’t browse: Remind about the welcome discount in ‘$’ value and offer free shipping/samples (like the example does)
- Didn’t open the welcome email: Send them to your re-engagement flow
FURTHER READING: 18 Welcome Email Best Practices To Drive More Sales
4. Policy Update Emails
Brand: Satomi Kawakita
Subject Line: An Important Reminder: Price Increase Effective May 1st
👉 Key takeaway: Policy updates don't exactly fall under marketing emails – but you can use them to announce:
- Changes to your product manufacturing processes
- Modifications to your ongoing programs like loyalty programs
- Updates on brand milestones like the number of returns handled, impact on recycling etc.
FURTHER READING: 25 Tips to Increase Sales Through Email Marketing (+ Amazing Examples)
> Abandonment Emails
5. Browse Abandonment Emails
Brand: Dooney & Bourke
Subject Line: The Gretta Brenna is Calling Your Name!
Preview Text: Take another look at this iconic style with 10% off.
👉 Key takeaway: Consider changing the incentives for existing shoppers in your browse abandonment emails – and, experiment with the following:
- Recommending products based on their purchase as well as browsing history
- Reminding about indirect incentives like redeemable loyalty points
- Offering direct incentives like discounts on their next order
FURTHER READING: How To (Actually) Drive Sales Through Browse Abandonment Emails
6. Cart Abandonment Emails
Brand: Session
Subject Line: 2 hours left.
Preview Text: Your 10% off code will expire soon
👉 Key takeaway: Create a flow for your cart abandonment emails to build urgency – here's a cart abandonment flow you can try:
- Start with a simple reminder like “We’ve saved your cart”
- Follow up with “Your cart will be expiring soon”
- Offer a flash discount to non-engagers with a countdown timer
- Offer limited-time free shipping / extra warranty for engagers who haven't made a purchase yet
- Do a final follow-up (example above)
- End the flow
P.S. Consider changing the incentives in your cart abandonment emails – experiment with free gifting options, and other brand benefits that shoppers may be interested in.
FURTHER READING: 40 Abandoned Cart Email Examples That Actually Win Back Lost Customers
7. 1:1 Emails
Brand: The Inside
Subject Line: 20% off expires tonight! ⏰
👉 Key takeaway: Plain text emails feel immensely personal – consider using them for:
- Cart abandonment flows
- Announcing VIP sales
- Taking feedback from shoppers returning items / leaving negative feedback
- Re-engaging subscribers
P.S. Overusing plain text emails will lead them to lose value.
FURTHER READING: eCommerce Email Copywriting: 20 Game-Changing Tips
> Sales Emails
8. Early-Access Emails
Brand: Nike
Subject Line: Classic first move, — 👌
Preview Text: Now check out the Nike App and see what else is waiting for you.
👉 Key takeaway: Use your early access emails to offer exclusive access and other loyalty program benefits. Periodically track engagement, and send these emails to:
- Subscribers who open more than 50% of all emails sent
- Recent purchasers who match (or are close to) your store’s AOV
- Subscribers who’ve completed a micro-conversion (like signing up)
FURTHER READING: 15 amazing drip email campaigns that actually drive sales
9. Pre-Order Emails
Brand: Kendra Scott
Subject Line: Your First Look at Disney | Kendra Scott
Preview Text: The countdown is on! So, let’s plan your buy.
👉 Key takeaway: Other than offering early access, consider building your pre-order email flow with:
- A sneak peek of your upcoming collection/product with an explainer
- An exclusive flash sale to active email subscribers 72 hours, prior to the launch
- A countdown email to the launch event
FURTHER READING: The Right Way to Calculate Email Marketing ROI in eCommerce
10. Live-Stream Announcement Emails
Brand: Ann Marie
Subject Line: Watch the Replay: Live Makeup Suggestions from Annmarie Skin Care!
Preview Text: Makeup Suggestions from Annmarie Skin Care
👉 Key takeaway: You can use your live-stream emails to build up solid hype – here’s one example live stream email flow:
- 1st email: Announce the details of the live stream – like topic, dates, platform, etc.
- 2nd email: Follow up with an expanded detail of why the live stream is being held – feature some social proof regarding guests/hosts
- 3rd email: Post-live summary, showing takeaways and suggestions (like the example above)
P.S. You can level up the exclusivity, by announcing that exclusive discounts will be given – and only live-stream attendees will have access to the post-live recording and discount.
FURTHER READING: 25 Ways to Grow Your Email Click Through Rate Quickly (eCommerce)
11. Mystery Emails
Brand: Nine West
Subject Line: 🎉 Congrats, You've Unlocked a Secret Offer
Preview Text: Click to reveal
👉 Key takeaway: Delivering personalization as well as gamification, drives intrigue PLUS sales – here are some ideas you can implement:
- Use the subject line and preview text to pique the sense of intrigue and exclusivity (note how this example does this)
- Offer a tiered discount that shows the discount the user has unlocked and the ones they can unlock if they cross a $X threshold (adjust X to your AOV)
- Or gray out the offer and ask subscribers to click – which will lead them to a custom landing page
- You can also consider using a dynamic counter in the email to update how many subscribers have gotten a discount
P.S. You can use this type of email to collect user data – check how Nine West can easily map shoe sizes to a shopper’s profile – all they have to do is track which sizes get clicked on. 😉
FURTHER READING: eCommerce Email Mobile Optimization: 35 Guidelines For Store Owners
12. Product Launch Emails
Brand: Color Standard
👉 Key takeaway: Space your product launch emails to create a lasting impact – here are some ideas:
- For the 1st email: Show the product from different angles to bring out the key benefits paired with USPs like “a short you can wear all day, minus the odor”
- For the 2nd email: Follow up with more social proof (like creators wearing your product) and reaffirm the product’s USP with different copy
- For the last product launch email: Try segmenting by engagement – for engaging subscribers, send browse abandonment emails offering an incentive to try the product out – and, for the rest, re-introduce the product, once more
P.S. Feature the newly launched product periodically in your monthly newsletters (Color Standard does the same).
FURTHER READING: 10 product launch email examples that drove massive sales (+ templates)
13. Holiday / Seasonal Emails
Brand: Crocs
Subject Line: Father’s Day Gifting Made Easy
Preview Text: Show Dad he’s #1 with all-day comfort and Dad-approved styles. Free shipping on qualified orders.
👉 Key takeaway: Seasonal emails are perfect for showcasing your humor – but you should use them for curating products – because shoppers are looking for inspiration – here are some ideas you can try:
- Start early and remind subscribers to buy at a discounted price (early shoppers are always down for discounts)
- Introduce collections or product ranges in line with the seasonality (like red white and blue napkins for the 4th of July)
- Close to the end of the sale, offer shoppers express delivery options like next-day delivery or pick-up in-store
- End your seasonal flow with a newsletter email, thanking shoppers for shopping
FURTHER READING: Best-Performing Holiday Email Templates for eCommerce (+ Brand Examples)
14. Upsell / Cross-sell Emails
Brand: Vaporfi
Subject Line: Price Drops ↘️ Kits Starting at $7.99
Preview Text: Quality Kits at Rock Bottom Prices
👉 Key takeaway: Combine upsells with cross-sells by categorizing intelligently (Vaporfi does this by sorting products by price). Other than that, you can also try these ideas for upselling/cross-selling:
- Show a product comparison chart in your emails out of your recommendations
- Offer pre-created bundles (or create their own bundle) out of your product recommendations
- Use the decoy effect – which means you should change some attributes of a listing to make it more attractive
- Showcase seasonality in your upsells/cross-sells
P.S. Avoid recommending more than 3 products in a row – this will help you avoid creating choice paralysis for shoppers.
FURTHER READING: eCommerce Upsell Emails: High-converting Examples (+ Templates)
15. Discount / Promotional Emails
Brand: Origins
👉 Key takeaway: Try framing your discounts in such a way that shoppers can’t afford to miss them – note how Origins makes customers feel they will lose out on a ‘just for them’ offer:
- The email copy feels extremely personalized (note the “our bestsellers just for you”)
- Shows animated images in the hero section to show different combinations of bundles
- Changes the value of the offer in each email to maximize the value proposition (note how the second email shows “$186 value” instead of “$99 value”)
P.S. You can use this exact method to clear out your slow-moving inventory (all while increasing your AOV).
FURTHER READING: 40 Discount Email Templates (& Examples) for eCommerce Stores
16. Newsletter Emails
Brand: Stumptown Coffee Roasters
👉 Key takeaway: Use your newsletters as a way to connect with your customers – and, celebrate them – here are some ideas to include in your newsletters:
- Monthly roundups of brand updates, bestselling products, newly launched collections
- Factoids on products, showing research, and testimonials
- Community roundups, showcasing user-generated content, or sowing ideas for a cause
- Celebrating seasonal events like New Years, Back to School, etc
- Post-purchase education, showing customers how to take care of their purchases
FURTHER READING: eCommerce Newsletter: 20 Ways To Stand Out And Actually Drive Sales
> Post Purchase Emails
17. Thank You / Order Confirmation Emails
Brand: MeUndies
Subject Line: Order Received (Thanks!)
👉 Key takeaway: Order confirmation emails can be fun and light-hearted, but must be deeply functional. Remember to:
- Follow up with an account confirmation email, to help convert shoppers who’ve made their first purchase using guest checkout.
- Include a section showing how to use the product a customer has purchased
- Provide a breakdown of your order with clear delivery instructions and date
P.S. Consider modifying this template for sending at the end of giveaway campaigns – try showcasing social proof with photos and videos of giveaway winners with the products. If you’re running a giveaway for a cause, show your impact on the cause (like no. of donations raised, amount raised, etc.).
FURTHER READING: Top 20 eCommerce Thank You Email Examples That Convert
18. Shipping Emails
Brand: Vuori
Subject Line: Your Order Is Making Moves
👉 Key takeaway: Always offer content to handle post-purchase regret – along with options to:
- Track rewards and increase user retention
- Option to download invoices
- Check policies regarding warranty, shipping
- Option to find service points
FURTHER READING: 29 easy-to-copy confirmation email templates (eCommerce)
19. Review Emails
Brand: Chewy
Subject Line: Tell us what you think
👉 Key takeaway: Apart from dynamically loading products from past purchases and asking shoppers to review those, try following up in this manner:
- For negative reviews, follow up with a separate survey and winback flow (offer benefits like flat $X off or flat X% off)
- For positive reviews, show them that you’ve featured their review on your website
- For non-engagers, ask what went wrong – and, offer incentives to review (like a referral bonus)
P.S. Make sure you aren’t triggering review emails, way too quickly – for example, products with a longer shelf life should be ideally followed up within 20 to 30 days of usage (like cellphones, earphones, etc).
FURTHER READING: 17 Unconventional Post-Purchase Emails (+ How to copy them)
20. Survey Emails
Brand: Ocean Saver
Subject Line: Your chance to spill the tea ☕
Preview Text: Your feedback will help us create the future
👉 Key takeaway: Not all survey emails have to tease a reward – a common call can also help deliver the impact. If you’re wondering who you should send these survey emails to, try people who:
- Had a chat with your chatbot/live chat agent
- Made a return/complaint
- Left positive feedback
- Left negative feedback
- To non-engaging subscribers
FURTHER READING: Reduce eCommerce Returns with Intelligent UX (+ Smart Handling ideas)
> Loyalty Emails
21. Giveaway Emails
Brand: Act + Acre
Subject Line: Enter To Win Your Dream Hair
Preview Text: Win your custom summer hair routine valued at $200
👉 Key takeaway: Start with the impact first – use the $ value to reel in subscribers.
- Showcase the value and the goal in the subject and preview text
- Show the product(s) in use along with some proof
- Follow up with your brand benefits (check the iconography above the footer)
FURTHER READING: 12 eCommerce Brands Acing Cause Marketing in 2024
22. Anniversary Emails
Brand: The Baby Cubby
Subject Line: It's Your (First Purchase) Anniversary!
Preview Text: Enjoy a special gift inside!
👉 Key takeaway: Other than celebrating the birthdays of customers, also celebrate customer and brand milestones like:
- Purchase anniversaries
- Engagement/wedding anniversaries (especially relevant for jewelry brands)
- First school day
- First social media post about the brand
- First review/impact made through reviews
FURTHER READING: 26 Brilliant Ways To Boost eCommerce Repeat Sales
23. Rewards Emails
Brand: Hallmark
Subject Line: You just earned points from Crown Rewards!
Preview Text: Thanks for your purchase.
👉 Key takeaway: make it work as an activation email for new customers
- Show suggestions based on customer history
- Ask to create an account
- Showcase rewards earned with a progress bar showing the top reward that can be earned
- Offer limited-time exclusive email discounts for email subscribers
Do check out: 15 Top Examples of eCommerce Teaser Emails (+ Templates)
24. Replenishment Emails
Brand: Office Depot
Subject Line: {name}, It's time for a refill.
Preview Text: Office Depot® Check your ink. Make sure you have a good supply.
👉 Key takeaway: Persistent personalization is key to driving return sales – however, make sure you:
- Avoid cross-selling on every replenishment email – just offer deals on quantities here (or on shipping)
- Allow users to customize their subscription preferences within the email like frequency of deliveries, adjust product quantities, or even swap out items based on their current needs
FURTHER READING: Writing Replenishment Emails That Convert
25. Referral Emails
Brand: Away
Subject Line: Give $20, get $20
👉 Key takeaways:
- Creates an added incentive for shoppers by keeping referrals as a part of your activation as well as post-purchase flow
- You can also use referrals for days like “National Friends Day” or “Random Acts of Kindness Day” – check this awesome referral email from Kailo:
FURTHER READING: eCommerce Referral Email: 10 Examples That Really Work
> Triggered Emails
26. Quiz Emails
Brand: Estee Lauder
Subject Line: A Flawless Quiz ✨ Find Your Foundation Match
Preview Text: Meet your perfect shade and finish.
👉 Key takeaway: This particular email in essence is a browse abandonment email, but in reality quiz emails can be used to:
- Show influencer-backed recommendations
- Create and upsell routines with products
- Help deliver brand services like finding sizes or saving personalization like vehicle model year and type
FURTHER READING: 17 Proven Ideas to Improve Email Marketing Conversion Rate (+ Examples)
27. Out-of-Stock Emails
Brand: MVMT
Subject Line: We're Retiring These!
Preview Text: Once they're gone, they're gone for good
👉 Key takeaway: Turn your out-of-stock emails into FOMO drivers like MVMT does. Just because out-of-stock emails are transactional, doesn’t mean they can’t have a humorous edge.
For example, you could notify users who’ve got products with low stocks added to a wishlist.
FURTHER READING: 13 Triggered Email Examples That Actually Drive Conversions
28. Back-in-Stock Emails
Brand: Chubbies
Subject Line: IT'S A LIMITED EDITION RESTOCK PARTY
Preview Text: And George Kittle is coming!
👉 Key takeaway: Not all back-in-stock emails have to be an announcement, you can take them a step further and make them limited editions, as Chubbies does.
FURTHER READING: 24 Best Back-In-Stock Email Examples (+Templates)
29. Re-engagement Emails
Brand: Peak Chocolate (AU)
Subject Line: Is everything ok?
👉 Key takeaway: Try being genuine in your re-engagement emails. Why: new subscribers signing up and dropping off is never a good sign (and ultimately leads your emails to be marked as graymail).
Need more ideas for your re-engagement emails?
FURTHER READING: Re-engagement Email Examples That (Actually) Win Back Subscribers
30. Winback Emails
Brand: Carparts.com
Subject Line: It's been a while!
Preview Text: Stock up on parts online.
👉 Key takeaway: Winback emails are for existing shoppers who have dropped off from your emails.
Thus, they require something way more direct – like an incentive along with discounts on products they may need (like car accessories or parts tailored to the subscriber's vehicle model).
FURTHER READING: 11 High-Converting Win Back Email Examples (+ Templates)
RECOMMENDED READING
Fashion Email Marketing: 32 Workflow Ideas (With Real Examples)
Jewelry Email Marketing: 40 Amazing Examples For Online Stores
Brilliant eCommerce Retargeting (and Remarketing) Examples
Ready to put these best email marketing examples to action?
Remember: most eCommerce store owners don’t see email as a serious revenue stream.
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).
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
