Some goodbyes hit harder than others

Today, we break down a sunset email, of a last chance to grab a product before it gets off the shelf by Fly by Jing.

Their sunset of the Black Vinegar is a sharp, urgency-first send that gets straight to the point.

Let's break down what makes this kind of “last call” email work 👇 Let's start with the header block

Here's what we liked and what we’d do differently👇

✔ The headline does its job. “Farewell Black Vinegar” is simple and direct, instantly communicating the message.

✔ The date stamp matters. Calling out the last day to order gives customers a real deadline to act on.

✔ Strong visual focus. The hero bottle is front and center, and the yellow on dark green color palette feels very on brand.

It's Black Friday, Cyber Monday holiday week...

And if you're still looking for final email and sms marketing ideas for your brand, I've got 13 ideas for you below👇

(p.s. send more email this week, your customers are expecting it) 1. The Segmented Gift Guide

Why it works: Shoppers are overwhelmed. A segmented guide simplifies decisions and increases purchase intent by showing products that actually fit their needs.

How to implement:

-Build guides around customer goals or interests instead of demographics.
-Use purchase data or quiz inputs to personalize each send.
-Make every product block feel curated, not copy-pasted.

Strategic tip: Lead with language like “Made for…” or “Perfect if you…” to anchor readers emotionally before they browse.

The best way to learn what works best for this Black Friday, Cyber Monday is to dissect what worked last year and improve upon it.

Today, we review Cosy House Collection’s Cyber Monday email has all the right ingredients for a high-performing holiday send: big savings, clear product showcases, and bold visuals

But while the deals shine, the copy and structure could use a little tightening to match the brand’s luxury positioning

Let’s break it down👇 Let's start with the header block

Here's what we liked and what we’d do differently👇

What We Love

✔ Clear sale message. “Cyber Monday Savings” instantly communicates the promotion, and extending the Black Friday sale adds a sense of urgency and convenience.

✔ Eye-catching visuals. The spark-themed graphics keep it festive without feeling overwhelming.

✔ Hero product focus. Featuring someone cozied up in bed sets the tone and reinforces the comfort-driven brand message.

Cozy Earth’s new Baja Collection launch wasn’t loud, it was intentional.

Across six emails, the luxury bedding brand delivered a masterclass in restraint, pairing slow-build storytelling with timeless visuals and founder-led messaging to turn a simple product drop into a full brand moment.

This series proves that not every launch needs urgency to convert. Sometimes, confidence sells better than hype.

Here’s how Cozy Earth turned a bedding collection into a lifestyle statement👇 1. Something New for the Bed. 10.14.25

Focus: Early teaser for the upcoming launch

Why This Works:

✅ Elegant restraint. The hero visual is calm, minimal, and on-brand for Cozy Earth’s “elevated comfort” aesthetic
✅ Specific launch date builds anticipation and signals confidence
✅ “Sign up to be notified” CTA captures high-intent subscribers without over-selling

What Needs Work:

❌ Could include a subtle hint about what makes the product new or different to intrigue readers
❌ No incentive or reason to click beyond curiosity; a line like “first to access limited stock” could have improved signups

Email and SMS are the bread and butter of retention

But if that’s where your strategy ends, you’re missing out on moments to build deeper connections

Because customers aren’t just scrolling their inbox. They’re also checking their calendars, tapping around your app, and opening their mail

Let’s look at 5 alternatives that deserve a spot in your strategy👇 1. Push Notifications

Push notifications get overlooked because brands assume they’re annoying. But if you use web push or have an app (even just for loyalty or tracking orders) this is a great way to re-engage.

They cut through the clutter and don’t require customers to be inside their inbox. In fact, push has an average open rate of 90% (compared to 20-25% for email).

When to use them:

-Abandoned cart alerts (“You left something behind. Still want it?”)
-Back-in-stock or low-stock notifications
-Last-chance reminders for sales or expiring rewards
-Order delivery or fulfillment updates

Pro tip: Add some urgency to your push notifications to drive more clicks. Avoid being spammy, though. Personalize based on behavior or let users set preferences for the frequency or types of alerts they want to receive.

When it comes to cart abandonment, most brands default to urgency or discount-heavy nudges.

But Experiment takes a different approach, doubling down on brand identity.

This email blends bold visuals, strong copy, and a dash of science to remind subscribers why they added to cart in the first place.

Let’s breakdown what's working, what could be improved, and how you can apply the same principles to your abandon cart email👇 Let's start with the header block

Here's what we liked and areas of improvement👇

Most brands launch products like this: "NEW STUFF! BUY NOW! 20% OFF!"

Rylee + Cru does the opposite.

Whisper-quiet emails.
Zero discounts.
Always sold out.

I broke down 6 of their recent drop emails to figure out how they do it👇 1. Rylee + Cru SS25 Drop 1

Focus: Setting the tone for a new season

Why This Works:

✅ The design speaks first. Big hero image, minimal copy, and that clean, editorial feel that’s pure Rylee + Cru.

✅ Framing it as “Drop One” signals more to come, which builds curiosity early.

✅ The color story is calm and coastal, instantly recognizable as their world.

The subject line is your foot in the door

If it’s not intriguing enough, your beautiful email might never get opened

Luckily, writing a subject line that works is easier than it looks

Here are 8 tips to get more eyes (and clicks) on your emails👇 1. Make it feel personal

Personalization starts way before your actual email copy. Your subject lines can attract more attention if they’re tailored to each individual subscriber

So, how do you personalize subject lines?

Adding a customer’s name is a start, but the real lift comes when subject lines connect to customer behavior or interests

If you're selling online, your copy is doing the talking...

And depending on how you write it, it's either pulling people in… or pushing them away

So what does good email and SMS copy look like?

And how do you write it in a way that makes people trust your brand and hit purchase?

Here are 5 copywriting styles that actually work👇 1. Create urgency and scarcity

People are inherently motivated by deadlines and limits.

It’s human psychology: when something feels scarce, we value it more.

When you weave urgency into your copy, it forces a decision. Shoppers can’t just think “I’ll buy later.” They either act now or risk missing out.

You can have the biggest list in the world.

But if no one’s opening, clicking, or converting… it doesn’t mean much.

Below, I'm going to share: 👇

-The metrics that matter
-What different engagement levels tell you
-How to measure engagement (the right way)
-Practical tips to boost engagement Your email analytics show dozens of metrics, but not all of them reflect how engaged your audience really is. Focus on these five to truly understand your engagement:

-Open rate: The % of recipients who opened your email. It’s your first indicator of whether your subject line did its job.

-Click-through rate (CTR): The % of people who clicked on something inside your email. This tells you how well your content and CTAs are performing.

-Conversion rate: The % of people who took action after clicking, like making a purchase or filling a form. Whatever you wanted them to do.

-Bounce rate: The % of emails that didn’t even make it into inboxes. High bounce? Time to clean your list.

-Unsubscribe rate: A few unsubscribes are normal. But if lots of people are peacing out, your emails may be irrelevant, too frequent, or just plain annoying.

Selling a $30 water bottle is one thing.

Selling a $3,000 massage chair? Whole different ball game.

High-ticket products come with bigger price tags and bigger questions. Customers want to feel confident, understood, and cared for before they commit.

Let’s break down 6 email and SMS strategies to help you close more high-ticket sales👇 1. Educate First, Sell Later

Expensive products can be intimidating. High-ticket buyers are looking for answers before looking for the checkout button.

They want to understand:

-What makes your product worth the investment
-How it compares to other premium options
-Whether it will solve their specific problem

People want to know your product works for their problem.

Today, we unpack ARMRA’s melatonin-focused email that shares the science, myth busting, and leads with curiosity.

But does this infographic get readers excited enough to buy?

Let’s break it down👇 Let's start with the header block

🔍 TL;DR: The header nails curiosity and intrigue, but it could use a clearer benefit upfront and a sharper, more focused CTA that aligns with the email’s educational tone.

Here's what we liked and areas of improvement👇

Everyone loves a come back story.

Verb Energy knows how to hype

Their Churro Latte email leans on FOMO, social proof, and crave-worthy copy to sell the return of a cult-favorite flavor.

But is the buzz enough to push people to click fast?

Let’s breakdown their email👇 Let's start with the header block

✔ Clear headline with urgency. “Churro Latte Is Back” + “And People Are Losing It” makes it obvious what’s happening and why it matters.
✔ Immediate CTA. The “Order Now” button is placed right under the headline for instant action.
✔ Social proof in the hero. Featuring a customer quote adds credibility and excitement right where attention is highest.

Email is still king of ROI

In fact, it’s one of the few channels that consistently delivers ROI without draining your ad budget or your will to live

But here’s the deal: most inboxes are a hot mess. If you want your email to stand out, it’s got to look the part, and feel worth clicking

Here's 7 Email Trends we're seeing in 2025👇 First, what makes for good email design?

-A tidy header that gets out of the way. Logo? Great. One-liner above the fold? Even better. Anything else? Questionable. Don’t crowd the top with social icons and menu bars. We’re not building a website.

-Images with a purpose. Your visual should tell me something about the product or vibe, not just fill space. Stocky, generic images = instant snooze.

-Copy that pulls weight. Cute graphics mean nothing if your copy doesn’t close the loop. Speak clearly. Sound human. Give people a reason to care.

-CTAs that get noticed. A “Shop Now” button should look like it wants to be clicked. Don’t hide it in body text or bury it under a moodboard.

-A footer that finishes strong. Give us the legal stuff, yes. But also sneak in a little personality. Bonus points for Easter eggs, founder notes, or a cheeky gif.

A post purchase flow is designed to welcome, engage, and prepare your customer for their next purchase.

Today, we break down Olive and Piper's post purchase flow: A jewelry brand that provides a personal touch.

From heartfelt founder notes to seasonal styling inspiration and loyalty perks, the brand uses email to keep customers engaged well past the checkout.

Let's review their 9 emails 👇 1. Welcome to Olive & Piper 💍
Focus: Introducing the brand and setting the tone

Why This Works:

✅ Founder Tania’s story builds credibility and human connection
✅ Messaging ties jewelry to meaningful, everyday moments
✅ Welcome code incentivizes an immediate second purchase

What Needs Work:

❌ Customer UGC is missing; featuring styled looks could boost social proof
❌ The email doesn’t preview what’s next in the flow, which could build anticipation

Most ecom email and SMS teams start scrappy.

One person, wearing all the hats, pulling off big results.

But once you hit a certain size or send volume, the cracks start to show: slow launches, missed tests, burned-out teammates.

That’s your sign it’s time to scale.

Here’s everything you need to know about that next step👇 Most brands start with one marketer doing it all. They write the emails, build the flows, pull the reports, and even fiddle with HTML when needed. It works… for a while.

But eventually, you’ll hit a wall, usually somewhere around 6–7 figures in revenue or a high email/SMS send volume.

Campaigns become more frequent. Segmentation gets trickier. Your list grows, and so does the pressure to keep it engaged.

That’s your cue to start building a specialized team.

Your email and SMS list?

It’s the seed of your future community.

That’s right. Hidden in that pile of open rates and unsubscribes is a group of humans who already said yes to hearing from you.

Which means you’re already halfway to building something more meaningful than a transaction: a brand tribe.

Let's break down how to evolve your email and sms into a living, breathing, loyal community👇 1. Start with the Channels You Already Own

Before you spin up a Discord server or a fancy community app, start simple. Your email and SMS lists are full of people who’ve already opted in. And that’s your strongest foundation.

But most brands treat these channels like one-way billboards instead of two-way conversations

We talk a lot about getting NEW customers.

But what about making the most of the ones you already have?

That’s where customer lifetime value (CLV, or sometimes LTV) comes in.

It’s the metric that helps you answer one of the most important questions in eCommerce:

How much is this customer worth to my business over time?

Let’s break down why it matters, how to calculate it, and how to improve it👇 First, What is CLV?

Customer Lifetime Value is the total revenue you can expect from a single customer throughout their entire relationship with your brand.

Think of it like this:

If someone buys a $30 moisturizer once and never comes back, their CLV is $30.

But if they come back to buy it every month for two years? That’s $720.

CLV tells you which customers are loyal, which ones are valuable, and which ones are worth investing in.

Most "good" email design advice is terrible.

Wall of text. Tiny buttons. Zero visual hierarchy.

Then you wonder why click rates are tanking.

The difference usually? Design that actually guides the eye.

Here's 10 example emails that have design tips for click-worthy campaigns 👇 1. Stick to a master template

For example, here are three different emails from Surreal.

If your emails look different every time, your brand starts to feel all over the place.

One week, your CTA buttons are blue. The next, they’re green. Sometimes you use big, bold headlines. Other times, you don’t.

Want to improve your emails?

Good news: you don’t need a full redesign or fancy new template.

Sometimes, a quick test (like button copy, subject lines, or send times) is all it takes.

But testing only works when you know what to test and how to read the results.

Here are 9 practical ways to optimize your campaigns👇 But first… let’s lay down some ground rules:

-Always start with a clear hypothesis.
-Only test one variable at a time. Seriously. Don’t muddy the waters.
-Limit your variations (2–4 max) to keep results accurate.
-Make sure your audience sample is big enough to matter.
-Never edit a live test – let it finish first.
-And finally, ask your audience for feedback directly.

Alright, let’s get into the good stuff.

Data is the foundation of every successful retention strategy.

But not all data is created equal.

Today, I want to share the differences between first-party, zero-party, and third-party data and why it's crucial to making informed decisions, personalizing customer experiences, and ultimately driving revenue.

Let's break it down👇 Zero-Party Data: Directly from Your Customers

Zero-party data is the most transparent and valuable type of data because your customers voluntarily share it with you. This includes:

• Preference forms
• Purchase intentions
• Survey responses
• Quizzes and interactive content