27 Fashion Email Marketing Examples & Best Practices To Unlock Growth

27 Fashion Email Marketing Examples To Unlock Growth

Let’s dive in! Here are some brilliant fashion email marketing examples and best practices for your email campaigns. We’ll cover the various types of emails that you can (and often should) send out for your fashion brand, mirroring some of the diverse, innovative, and effective email marketing strategies we see from top-tier fashion brands.

Welcome emails

Welcome emails are the first official communication between your brand and a new subscriber, customer, or member to foster a positive relationship and set the tone for future communication.

Examples of welcome emails:

1. Ban.do

The vibrant design and informal tone mirror the brand’s personality. The coupon code encourages immediate purchasing. The social media links foster continued interaction and a sense of community. This example expertly blends brand representation, customer motivation, and sustained engagement opportunities.

2. SIDIA

The SIDIA email ticks all the boxes. The enticing headline immediately catches the reader’s attention. The discount code provides a compelling incentive to shop. I also appreciate that the email’s clever layout showcases a variety of collections, offering customers a broad range of products to choose from. And the prominent CTA nudges the customer towards making a purchase.

3. Ralph Lauren

This Ralph Lauren email is a stellar example of brand authenticity and trust-building. The opening image of Ralph himself immediately establishes a personal connection, while the on-brand design shines through, effortlessly showcasing the brand’s luxury and timeless style.

Post-purchase emails

Post-purchase emails are designed to engage customers after they’ve made a purchase, providing them with relevant product information, requesting feedback, or suggesting complementary items.

Examples of post-purchase emails:

4. Vuori

The Vuori email stands out as a successful post-purchase email due to its minimalistic design, allowing the focus to be on getting a review for the product purchased. The request for a review is a fantastic way to engage customers and gather genuine feedback. The single product image reminds them of their recent purchase, making the email personalized and relevant.

5. Allbirds

The Allbirds order confirmation email includes order details, payment details, and shipping address, providing complete transparency and fostering trust with the customer. The brand cleverly includes a sustainability reminder, reinforcing its eco-friendly ethos and encouraging consumer alignment with its values.

6. Bellroy

This email works exceptionally with a premium design philosophy that aligns with the high-quality aesthetic of the brand. The recommendation scale encourages customer feedback, fostering a sense of community. Additionally, using a social hashtag and links to other products cleverly promotes further discovery, enabling customers to explore and engage with the brand beyond their initial purchase.

Abandoned cart emails

Abandoned cart emails are reminders sent to customers who have added items to their shopping cart but still need to complete the checkout process. These emails are designed to encourage these customers to return and finalize their purchase.

Examples of abandoned cart emails:

7. Huckberry

This email employs a trifecta of powerful strategies. The copy creates a sense of urgency that intrigues the reader. The strong ‘Make it Yours’ CTA offers a sense of personalization and ownership. And lastly, the subtle cross-selling of other products turns a one-time purchase into a potential ongoing relationship.

8. Janji

By reminding readers about free shipping and exchanges, this email alleviates concerns about potential return costs. I love the use of “Take Another Look” as CTA language–it’s refreshingly non-aggressive, coaxing further engagement without forceful sales tactics. The support content block also ensures customers have a readily accessible line of communication.

9.  Le Tote

The headline here is fantastic. The copy then goes on to focus on the reader’s potential pain points while emphasizing the convenience and flexibility of their rental service. There’s also an element of urgency as the cart is “about to expire.” All in all, a well-done email here.

Promotional emails

Promotional emails are marketing messages sent to customers and subscribers, spotlighting special deals, sales, new arrivals, or exclusive offers to stimulate purchases and enhance brand engagement.

Examples of promotional emails:

10. London

This email captures attention and incites action through its vibrant design, creating an aesthetically pleasing read. The 20% off coupon incentivizes purchases by providing tangible value to the consumer and the distinct links to various collections help readers browse and shop easily, potentially boosting sales!

11. Justice

This Justice promotional email works for several key reasons. It immediately grabs the reader’s attention by opening with a free shipping offer. The email design then cleverly emphasizes the low starting prices of their products, appealing to budget-conscious consumers. Finally, it leans further into promotion by including a 50% discount and a callout for their loyalty program.

12. Everlane

The Everlane promotional email offers value-focused limited-time bundles, creating a sense of urgency and value. Sharing that the last bundles were a great hit establishes social proof and enhances the offer’s appeal. Finally, including a link to explore 14 bundle styles ensures easy navigation, encouraging users to explore and purchase.

Engagement emails

Engagement emails, also known as content marketing emails, provide subscribers with valuable, informative content related to the fashion industry, aiming to foster relationships, increase brand loyalty, and subtly promote products or services without the use of discounts.

Examples of engagement emails:

13. Anthropologie

The dynamic opening GIF showcasing top fall designs captures immediate interest and stimulates visual appeal. The new arrivals give subscribers a tantalizing glimpse of the latest trends, further piquing curiosity. Strategically linking complementary products cleverly facilitates cross-selling, subtly encouraging subscribers to explore and purchase more.

14. Taylor Stitch

This email starts strong with a captivating product image to immediately draw attention. The copy (in combination with the imagery), focusing on unique selling points like hand craftsmanship and weatherproof products, instills a sense of quality, setting the brand’s offerings apart. Ending with  details of a loyalty and referral program encourages brand advocacy.

15. London

Strong headline and hero image drive brand feel immediately. The product categories showcase facilitate navigation and promote wider exploration. The standard benefits bar at the bottom showcasing free shipping, returns, secure payments, and online support alleviates buyers remorse and encourages a more customer-friendly experience.

New collection launch emails

New Collection Launch emails are sent to announce the arrival of a brand’s latest fashion line, exciting subscribers with exclusive previews and enticing them to shop the new collection.

Examples of new collection launch emails:

16. Italic

“Clean lines” is a simple sentence in the top section of this email, but also a great summary of the email itself. It’s product-focused, and customer-friendly with concise copy and high-quality product images. The clever use of the phrase “Designed with You in Mind” infuses a personal touch, making customers feel valued.

17. Rivian

Rivian’s new collection launch email is a brilliant example of its simplicity and precision. Highlighting the material composition of the jackets appeals to practical and quality-conscious shoppers. It invites both new customers and previous purchasers of the product line back into the fold with a strong CTA that effortlessly guides customers toward the next step.

18. Jane & Tash

I love using a countdown timer in email not just for the end of a promotion, but to increase anticipation of a launch. It creates a sense of urgency and encourages immediate and repeat engagement from recipients. The design mirrors the brand’s fashionable image, resulting in a visually captivating email that embodies their personality.

Back-in-stock emails

Back-in-stock emails are notifications sent to customers who have shown interest in a product that was previously out of stock, informing them that the item is now available and encouraging them to complete their purchase.

Examples of back-in-stock emails:

19. Revolve

Strong headline plus strong visual lead to an attention-grabbing back in stock email. It provides an update to recipients as well as provides readers with the entire back-in-stock “collection.” There’s also a nice, humane touch with the inclusion of the collection specific for charity. It shows the company cares.

20. Chaco

It’s clean and straight to the point. It leverages urgency, and it’s very relevant to what the customer was looking for. The minimalist, clean, and modern design encourages exploration and potentially multiple purchases.

21. The Horse

The big hero image grabs attention well. The email is simple, makes ample use of white space in between images, and drives efficient communication.

Special event campaign emails

Special event campaign emails are dispatched to the subscribers during significant occasions or events. It could be a common big event like Black Friday or a seasonal sale, or special events like festivals or big fashion shows. These emails often will offer exclusive discounts or limited-time offers to spur purchases and boost customer engagement.

Examples of special event campaign emails:

22. Karma Fest

The Karma Fest email successfully combines fashion with a meaningful social cause. The appeal of donating 20% of all purchases to fund cancer research resonates emotionally with customers and makes the brand stand out. Furthermore, strategically including links to popular dress collections ensures the campaign directly drives potential sales.

23. Famous Footwear

Ahh, the classic birthday email. This example showcases the brand’s vibrant colors while mirroring the joyous birthday occasion. In this case, the brand is asking for birthday information and offering a reward to do so. It’s a great strategy for learning more about your customers, inviting them to interact, and allowing you to promote a more personalized brand-customer relationship.

24. Cuts Clothing

This email combines elements of the new product release emails we covered earlier with a special event – in this case, the brand’s 7th anniversary. Its bold design and prominent CTAs work well. The mention of an ‘anniversary collection’ piques customer curiosity and creates a sense of exclusivity, while the bold design grabs the reader’s attention. The well-placed CTAs further facilitate easy navigation, potentially driving higher conversions.

Seasonal marketing emails

Seasonal marketing emails are curated messages that align with different seasons or holidays, tapping into the festive spirit or seasonal trends to promote relevant products, encourage customer purchases, and enhance brand visibility.

Examples of seasonal marketing emails:

25. Hats From Oz

The ‘Hats From Oz’ email is a winning example of seasonal marketing due to its clever use of visuals, limited edition collections, and unique designs. Images showcasing the hats being worn provide customers with a real-life context, enhancing product appeal and boosting purchase intent.

26. Lamborghini

The copy revolving around ‘for all seasons’ caters to the customer’s year-round fashion needs, creating a sense of timelessness and versatility. Also, minimalistic copy allows the products to take center stage, retaining the focus on the brand’s offerings.

27. AxisTango

The AxisTango email captures the essence of summer through its spotlight on stylish heel designs. The visual emphasis on season-specific footwear, aligned with contemporary fashion trends, resonates with the audience’s quest for style and sophistication. The high-quality images work particularly well!

Benefits Of Email Marketing For Fashion Brands

In a fiercely competitive landscape like fashion, standing out is crucial. Let’s explore some of the key benefits email marketing brings to fashion brands, illustrating why it is an essential component of a robust digital marketing strategy.

1. Strength of Automated Email Flows

They generally drive your highest engagement rates. There is enormous potential for fashion brands to build stronger customer relationships and encourage repeat purchases through well-crafted automated email flows, like welcome emails, post-purchase emails, and more.

2. Impressive ROI metrics

It’s a simple truth. Comparatively to other channels like paid social and display, email marketing is very inexpensive. Done right, it can be an outright gamechanger. On average, you can reap $45 in your industry for every $1 investment you make in email marketing. Compare that to other channels. For instance, SEO will give you $22, social media marketing $2.80, and PPC ads only $2!

3. Easy Re-engagement of Inactive Subscribers

The fashion industry is known for its constantly changing trends and styles, making it a challenge to stay top-of-mind. Email marketing is a natural fit here. You can launch targeted and personalized email campaigns to showcase new collections, limited-time promotions, or exclusive deals to draw back the attention of inactive subscribers.

4. Strategic Content Marketing

Given its ability to be both a promotional channel and a pure content play, email marketing should be a vital piece of your strategic marketing approach. You can use newsletters, personalized product recommendations, interactive content, and more to showcase the story behind each collection or piece. You don’t just have to be salesy.

5. Low-Risk Experimentation

Along with the content play and low cost comes a low-risk channel for experimentation. You can experiment with just about anything–subject lines, content structure, visuals, you name it. You can try new ideas quickly, see how they perform, and scale efficiently.

6. Data Ownership

Email marketing gathers customer information, behavior, and transactional data. You own that data because it’s coming through your other owned channels like your website. And you’re not beholden to social channel algorithms, what’s trending, and more fickle user behavior. You therefore have a genuine asset in your hands, putting you in more control of your marketing strategies.

Best Practices for Fashion Email Marketing

Successful email marketing in the fashion industry requires a blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and a thorough understanding of your audience. This section will explore some proven tactics to ensure your email marketing efforts resonate with your clientele and encourage engagement and conversions. Let’s take a closer look.

1. Keep your audience front and center

Your brand has a voice. And naturally, that voice attracts a particular type of audience. It’s essential to deeply understand your target demographic and create content that resonates with them. This will help you tailor your email marketing strategy – from subject lines to visuals and messaging – based on what appeals to your audience.

You can do this by:

• Conducting thorough market research to identify your target audience and their preferences.
• Creating buyer personas to understand your customers’ motivations, needs, and pain points.
• Segmenting your email list based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history to personalize content for each segment.

2. Personalize as much as possible

There are many ways to personalize your email marketing. Basic ways include addressing your audience by name or sending them targeted emails based on their preferences. You can leverage transactional data – such as purchase history, abandoned cart items, and browsing behavior – to create highly personalized email campaigns that speak directly to each customer’s interests.

And with dynamic content, you can dig even deeper with:

• Coupon codes and discounts that change based on the user’s gender, location, and purchase history.
• Countdown timers that create a sense of urgency for limited-time offers.
• Calls-to-action based on the user’s engagement with previous emails.

3. Use high-quality product images

The goal of digital marketing is to get as close as possible to the in-person shopping experience (and even surpass it in some aspects). One area where you can make a big difference is the quality of your fashion product images. High-quality, visually appealing images can grab your audience’s attention and entice them to click through to your website.

Here are a few tips:

• Invest in professional photography.
• Use different angles, close-ups, and lifestyle shots to showcase your products.
• Find out what your target audience likes and engages with the most.
• Keep experimenting with new styles and trends to keep your visuals fresh and engaging.

4. Leverage storytelling

There are thousands of brands vying for attention. So, how do you stand out from the crowd?

Through storytelling.

Storytelling is all about creating an emotional connection with your audience. Share your brand’s values, mission, and unique story. This helps to humanize your brand and make it more relatable to consumers.

Some ways to do this in your emails include:

• Use customer testimonials and success stories to showcase the impact of your products.
• Share behind-the-scenes content of your brand and team.
• Collaborate with influencers or other brands to create exciting stories that align with your brand’s message.

5. Foster a sense of community

Buyers are increasingly preferring community-driven brands. Shopping is not just about shopping anymore. Your customers want to be a part of something larger. They want the connection to go beyond mere transactional exchanges.

A community-driven email marketing approach meets these expectations. It gives customers a sense of identity and belonging.

Some ways to foster a community through email marketing are:

• Start small with a micro-community of brand advocates and encourage them to share their experiences with your products.
• Create exclusive newsletters for your loyal customers with insider information, early access to sales and events, and personalized offers.
• Utilize user-generated content such as customer photos wearing your products in your emails.
• Host virtual events or webinars where you can interact directly with your customers to solve problems WITHOUT selling.

6. Go All-in with Segmentation

No matter what you sell, it is always possible to divide your email lists into smaller segments. This allows you to send more relevant, personalized emails that resonate with your audience.

For example, you may have multiple clothing lines for kids, women, and men. Rather than sending a generic email about your new collection, segment your list and send targeted emails to each group highlighting relevant products.

Segmentation can also be based on geographic location, past purchase history, or browsing behavior. The more specific you can get with your segments, the more effective your email marketing will be.

Do this by focusing on:

• Demographic data such as age, location, gender, etc.
• Shopping behavior like past purchases, order frequency, and amount spent.
• Interests and preferences related to specific products or categories.

7. Build your email list the right way

There are a lot of black-hat techniques out there that promise to help you grow your email list quickly. But the truth is, they most often will do more harm than good in the long run.

Focus on building an organic and engaged email list by offering value in exchange for email addresses. This can be a discount code, exclusive content, or even access to a VIP program.

Include easy opt-in options on your website and in-store. And don’t forget to regularly clean up your email list by removing inactive subscribers. You can do this by:

• Create valuable content that people want to sign up for.
• Run contests and giveaways that require an email address for entry.
• Use heatmaps to find the most engaging hotspots on your website and place your signup forms strategically.

8. Subject lines are still important (even in the rearview mirror of Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection and more).

When do people open an email? When they know who it’s from and the subject line interests them enough to click it open. It’s that simple.

But don’t assume any subject line will work. They need to entice the recipient with content that’s relevant and accurately reflects the content within.

And if you don’t have the data to determine what works best, it’s time for a test (or many).

Here are some subject line ideas for A/B test:

• {first name} and better _____? (clothes, fashion, shoes, winter wear, etc.)
• this is a {first name} question (if you want to use a question as the CTA in the email body)
• {first name} – we have something for you!

Make sure that when you do test your email subject lines that you don’t just look at open rates to determine winners. Measure performance all the way down the funnel to your conversion metrics, too.

If you’re looking to take your email marketing to the next level, please reach out to InboxArmy, an ecommerce email marketing agency that can provide valuable expertise.