The Black Friday weekend represents one of the biggest sales events of the year for merchants.
And if there’s one thing you can bet on merchants doing every Black Friday in addition to heavily discounting their products, it’s that they’ll be sending plenty of emails.
Whether they be your traditional brick and mortar store or colossus ecommerce website, every good retailer will be perfecting their Black Friday email campaigns to maximize sales.
While email marketing is the most profitable marketing channel, you’ll never be up against more competition in making your email marketing campaigns stand out in subscribers’ inboxes.
With so much pressure, we’ve decided to lend a helping hand by showcasing these 10 great Black Friday email examples.
Feel free to use these as your Black Friday email inspiration when coming up with your own design and copy!
Black Friday Email Examples
1) Carhartt’s Animated Black Friday Email
Carhartt’s Black Friday email design includes a simple gif that’s attention grabbing and provides a clever way of announcing that their sale has started.
What’s one firesure way to make your emails stand out? Add an animation to them.
The only thing missing is any mention of what discounts and specials they’re offering.
This is important information when it comes to enticing people to click through. At least they have two clear CTA buttons at the bottom of the email to help with clicks.
Key takeaway:
- When most emails only include static images, a simple gif can go a long way to making your emails stand out.
2) Forever 21’s Anticipation Building Email Design
People love to reveal what’s hidden on scratch cards. That’s what makes this email design from Forever 21 so great (even if they went bankrupt).
By taking advantage of the compulsion to scratch these cards, they’ve effectively ensured that people will click through to see what their additional two offers are.
Unlike other Black Friday emails, this one also includes a customer support phone number and links to FAQs, store locator and mobile apps. This helps to remove any barriers between a customer and their purchase.
Key takeaway:
Thinking outside the box when coming up with Black Friday email ideas will help you create a clever and unique design
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3) ModCloth’s Colorful Black Friday Email
What’s the most common theme between Black Friday emails? The use of black.
That means making your emails stand out can be as easy as just using some color.
ModCloth certainly dials the use of color up to the max, which they can get away with as it matches their brand. Even if your brand doesn’t lend itself to using the full rainbow, experiment with adding a few colors in your email design.
Like every good Black Friday email, this example also states their offer and includes a clear CTA button through to their online store.
Though technically a Cyber Monday email, this design works as both a Black Friday and Cyber Monday email.
Key takeaway:
- Just because it’s Black Friday it doesn’t mean you need to go heavy with the black, experiment with other colors as apart of your Black Friday email strategy.
4) Casper’s Snooze Through Black Friday Email
Another example of both creative email design and creative email copy, Casper’s email encourages people to ditch the traditional Black Friday shopping lines and head to their online store instead.
The image of multiple alarms set is all-too-familiar to many people making it relatable. It’s also sure to create a feeling of dread when some subscribers open the email.
The relief at being able to access the savings straight away is then made that much more welcome.
Key takeaway:
- The clever use of imagery that aligns perfectly with Casper’s business makes this a great Black Friday email.
5) ZAGG’s Email Countdown
One of the biggest mistakes marketers make with their Black Friday email marketing is not starting soon enough.
If you wait until the weekend of Black Friday/Cyber Monday, your emails will be competing with countless others flooding people’s inboxes.
By getting yours out early (ideally a few weeks in advance), you have a much better chance that your emails will be opened and read.
ZAGG takes this a step further by including a countdown in their early Black Friday emails to help get people excited and increase anticipation.
Key takeaway:
- Don’t leave your email marketing to the last minute. Getting your emails out early will help to get people hyped for your Black Friday sale, especially if you include a countdown.
6) Christopher and Banks Creates A Sense of Urgency
A few things stand out about this Black Friday email design.
First, there’s no black in the design. The use of green and red helps tie it into the broader holiday season and Christmas.
Second, the countdown timer at the top of the email beneath the words “FINAL HOURS” creates a sense of urgency which is a great strategy to get people to convert from your emails. Without it, you run the risk of people opening your email and then forgetting about your sales when they don’t head to your online store straightaway.
However this is not the part of the email that immediately grabs your attention. Instead it’s the $19 figure that captures people’s attention by being so large. Whether it’s better for the Black Friday offer or the timer to be most prominent depends on the offer.
Either way, the CTA buttons at the bottom of the email should definitely be made to stand out more. With the design above they disappear into the background of the email, likely reducing click-through rates.
Key takeaway:
- Including a timer creates a sense of urgency that’ll get more people clicking through your email.
7) Herschel’s Black Friday Email
Sometimes you don’t need to include impressive imagery to create a great email design.
Well placed text in a modern, clean font can do wonders for your emails. Just like in this email from Herschel.
Their Black Friday offers and CTA buttons are also clear which makes for a great Black Friday email.
Key takeaway:
- Sometimes less is more when it comes to email design. Being minimalistic and not over-designed makes this is a great Black Friday email.
8) Urban Outfitters’ Weekend Sale Email
Urban Outfitters’ Black Friday email is a great example of Black Friday preparedness.
Not only have they sent out their email over a month in advance, but unlike ZAGG’s email they’re also highlighting their deals.
By giving your subscribers this information before they’re bombarded with other Black Friday offers left, right and center, they have more time to consider your offer and make a decision.
This increases the chances of people deciding in advance to purchase from your store before Black Friday has even begun. Giving you an edge over competitors as you capture a greater share of people’s wallets.
Key takeaway:
- Consider letting your subscribers know about your exact Black Friday offers in advance to stay ahead of your competitors.
9) Peel’s Black Friday Sneak Peek Email
A great Black Friday email marketing strategy is to reward your loyal customers with a sneak peek of your offer.
That’s exactly what this email from Peel does.
The sense of exclusivity also helps to make the email stand out from other Black Friday emails while also enticing the subscriber to click through and see what the offer is.
Key takeaway:
- Making your loyal customers feel valued by offering them an exclusive sneak peek of your Black Friday offer is sure to boost email engagement.
10) Pretty Little Thing’s Colorful Black Friday Email
We’ve saved the most striking Black Friday email for last.
There’s no denying that this email will definitely grab people’s attention when they open it. It’s not only the pink color that stands out compared to the usual black, but also the font choice and imagery.
This email example incorporates a lot of the great elements of others on this list. Such as the clear CTA buttons, explicitly stating their offers and including a countdown timer.
The inclusion of a discount code helps to make their subscribers feel that this is an exclusive offer just for them too.
While your brand might not be suited to such a striking design, it still goes to show that Black Friday emails don’t all have to look alike.
Key takeaway:
- Creating a unique email design will capture your subscribers’ attention when they open your email.
Creating Your Own Black Friday Email Campaign
Now that we’ve gone through 10 Black Friday email examples, it’s time to think about your own campaigns.
Hopefully now you have a good idea of what to include in your email copy as well as some inspiration for your email design.
The truth is however that creating a great Black Friday email is only half of the challenge.
Without a great subject line that entices people to click on, most of your subscribers won’t even open your email. Meaning that all that effort you went through for your email isn’t properly realized.
Luckily we have a list of great Black Friday email subject lines that you can use.
In addition we also have plenty of other Black Friday resources to help you create your best Black Friday email campaign ever.
Looking for even more Black Friday email examples? Check out Really Good Emails.
