Come February, all eCommerce brands become busy bees. With Valentine's Day spending estimated to be 24 billion dollars , it makes it all the more competitive.
If you’re looking to up the ante when it comes to your Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign, here’s a list of 32 insanely cool emails plus 10 creative subject lines that are bang for the buck.
1. Gussi: Offer the experience + comfort Valentine’s Day is all about pampering and spending time with loved ones. No one understands this better than Gussi’s which offers $20 off for two At-home Keratin Treatment kits.
Takeaways
Free shipping is a persuasive tactic with 90% of customers saying that it is the most important incentive Using brand color for the CTA button enables high recall and conversions 2. Everist: Play eco-friendly cupid Everist surely knows how to kill two birds with one stone in their Valentine's Day email template.
Opens a conversation with a clickbait line and sell its limited-time product bundle.
Takeaways
Highlight brand values in your marketing campaigns Use in-time shipping as a persuasion trigger to drive urgency 3. Withings: Lead the way with urgency
Withings begins the conversation using urgency in its subject line ⏱ Tick tock…BOOM!
This Valentine's Day email is enough to get the attention of the users in a packed inbox.
Takeaways
Get straight to the point—the best content is often simple Not everyone is in a relationship, make sure to address single people in your Valentine’s Day email campaigns 4. Onsen: Play the best wingman
Onsen plays the best wingman by offering an alternative to flowers and chocolates, the staple gifts on Valentine’s Day. It offers robes as an alternative and solves the problem by presenting the long-term view.
That’s a Value Proposition done well.
Takeaways
Use a Red CTA button to drive urgency Offer worldwide shipping to expand your business across the globe—40% of customers are willing to pay for international shipping due to better availability 5. Saxx: Spice it up
Saxx uses the lovemaking angle to make its point. This coupled with express shipping makes it a compelling Valentine’s Day email template. 33% of last-minute shoppers look for options based on how soon they can get them.
Takeaways
Don’t be afraid to get raunchy if you’re an intimate product 6. Oura: Build the excitement Oura offers a special discount in this Valentine's Day email. When customers buy a ring, the second ring will be offered at a $50 discount making it an irresistible limited-time offer.
Takeaways
Use a 60:30:10 color palette to better UX Use compelling product images to create impressions as 75% of online buyers decide to purchase an item based on the images 7. Warby Parker: Let customers be your voice If matches are made in heaven, then heaven is another name for Warby Parker. Warby Parker uses customer testimonials in its Valentine’s Day email campaign.
Takeaways
Using UGC in your emails increases the click-through rate by 78% A witty copy for CTA can help drive more conversions Gift cards are an excellent nudge to woo last-minute shoppers 8. Saloman: Use nudges to pursue Salomon addresses risk aversion with nudges such as the money-back guarantee, free delivery, quality warranty, and expert consultation.
Trust signals such as these persuade customers to purchase.
Takeaways
Selling the experience instead of the product is a greater way of demonstrating value Offer two to three product categories for customers to choose from— avoid choice paralysis Don't forget to read 30 Best Examples of Nudge Marketing in eCommerce
9. Fulton: Get creative with visuals Fulton uses a tic-tac-toe creative to highlight its insoles as a gift, a metaphor for comfort and support.
The message is simple. Give love and body wellness to people whom you love.
Takeaways
Include your support handle so customers can reach out in case of queries on Instagram and Twitter Include affiliate links in your emails to increase conversions 10. Fitbit: Offer BNPL options Fitbit offers Buy Now, Pay Later payment options for its Valentine’s Day offer. With four interest-free payments, the financial burden is branched out. 45% of customers use BNPL to buy products that they can’t afford.
Takeaways
Offer a money-back guarantee to eliminate buyer’s remorse A limited warranty builds trust leading to brand loyalty 11. Tattly: Lead the conversation with content
Tattly drives home a point in this Valentine's Day email example—You don’t always have to sell, instead, you can use your content to do the talking.
This works if you’re not looking to sound salesy.
Takeaways
Listicle posts do well in content marketing and hence including guides and blogs work well Use images to supplement your storytelling Know why your content isn't converting: 14 eCommerce content marketing mistakes (+ their fixes)
12. Bose: Get your foot in the door with a limited-offer sale Bose announces a limited-time offer deal for one of its Valentine’s Day email marketing campaigns. The price anchoring makes the price reduction more prominent. It serves as a reference point for assessing the offer.
Takeaways
Keep the images on the left with the description on the right to ensure understandability Pay attention to the copy. More to hear. More to share and Tiny. Until you turn it on. are examples that grab eyeballs Check out Limited Time Offer: 20 compelling examples + how to copy them
13. Harry: Use stand-up humor Humor sells and when done right is known to build a positive brand perception. Harry’s uses the Redeem your trial as the core theme to get users to click the CTA in this Valentine's Day email example.
Takeaways
The headline in this email is catchy and invokes interest in the users The Did You Know is an interesting trivia to engage users 14. Gillette: Make it all about the theme Gillette absorbs the enthusiasm of Valentine’s Day which makes this email devoted entirely to the same.
From the copy to the images, customers will simply be awestruck by this email.
Takeaways
Ensure your brand color and the CTA button color are the same to ensure visual hierarchy Maintain uniformity when it comes to the CTA so customers don’t end up being confused 15. SimplySoles: Use sizing guides
Simply Soles includes a footwear sizing guide in its Valentine’s Day Marketing email campaign to ensure heuristics. Heuristics refer to mental shortcuts that help people make decisions quickly and solve problems.
Takeaways
Including the free shipping at the top is a persuasive nudge to drive customers to make a purchase decision Pink as a color is known to evoke calmness, peace, love, kindness, and femininity. This perfectly resonates with the target audience who are women Recommended reading : Valentine’s Day: Low-Budget Marketing Ideas for eCommerce Stores
16. Burberry: Offer free delivery and returns There’s nothing more persuasive than free shipping and returns. Period
In fact, 93% of customers feel prompted to buy if there's a free shipping option available. Interestingly, 67% of customers check the return policy before making a purchase.
Takeaways
Always mention that you offer in-store purchase and pickup options to ensure convenience Providing in-store and virtual appointments enables product discovery helping customers make the right choices 17. Tobi: Offer customers a chance to be featured Who doesn’t like flaunting their latest wardrobe addition?
Tobi's Valentine's Day email template offers a chance for customers to get featured on their social media handles. This is an opportunity to create user-generated content and send trust signals to potential customers.
Takeaways
Use deals to incentivize app downloads. Offer a $10 off for users who download the app List the various product categories so customers can have options to choose from 18. Atlas Coffee Club: Make gifting easy Finding the right gift is certainly not easy in this day and age. Atlas Coffee House's Valentine's Day email makes gifting easy in exchange for a coffee subscription .
Takeaways
Including press mentions and testimonials shapes a positive brand perception By including various countries, there’s an emphasis on the experience of coffee from different corners of the world 19. Anthropologie: Provide curbside/in-store pickups There’s been an increase in the adoption of curbside pickup ever since the pandemic started. 50% of customers use curbside pickup because of the convenience it offers.
Takeaways
Offer a free consultation to nudge customers to give it a shot Incentivize writing reviews—give away gift cards to lucky customers 20. RayBan: Offer customization options Product customization allows customers the liberty to design their products. In fact, 36% of customers prefer customized products.
For eCommerce brands, this is an opportunity to build brand loyalty and increase conversions.
Takeaways
Free shipping and free returns assure customers to try new products Include an option to shop in-store to increase your store footfall and build trust 21. Jo Malone: Offer two-day shipping Joe Malone understands that when express shipping isn’t economically feasible, offer the next best alternative—two-day shipping. 42% of customers expect two-day shipping for every eCommerce purchase they make.
Takeaways
Promo codes equal happiness— marks a 38% increase in oxytocin levels when offered one Free samples and gift wrapping are easy ways to woo customers 22. Monica Vader: Offer next-day free shipping 58% of customers expect free next-day delivery and Monica Vader leverages this Valentine's Day email example. Customers always look for options that arrive soon—next-day delivery is a nudge often underutilized by brands.
Takeaways
Fonts influence emotions and impressions and customers who receive good typography do well on cognitive tasks White and Black is a color scheme that goes well with any website and is simple to understand Think free shipping doesn't work? Check out Free Shipping: Still a Conversion Driver in 2023? (+ Brands Nailing It)
23. Lululemon: Promote couple goals Couple goals are the new rage with couples working together to maintain accountability when it comes to their health and fitness. Lululemon has picked the right chord for its Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign.
A couple that works out together, stays together!
Takeaways
Free shipping plus free returns assure customers to try new products Targeting the committed demographics is important in your marketing campaigns and should extend beyond Valentine’s Day 24. Burt’s Bees Baby: Offer product bundles Burt’s Bees Baby offers a product bundle with complimentary shipping in their Valentine's Day email template. This conveys the principle of reciprocity . Customers feel obligated to repay a favor when offered one.
Takeaways
Including a referral link increases conversions due to the power of word-of-mouth recommendations Only for you: 13 product bundling examples that convert (& 10 proven ideas)
25. Adore Me: Include videos to capture the interest Objective-type questions always pique the interest of humans. Adore Me creates a video titled What do women really want for Valentine’s Day? to engage users.
Including videos in your email marketing content can increase the CTR by 300%
Takeaways
Free shipping and exchanges reduce the perceived risk plus eCommerce returns fraud Contests are a great way to increase user engagement You'll love reading: 21 Proven Ways to "Prevent" eCommerce Returns (+ Smart Handling ideas)
26. Origins: Offer free samples on minimum order purchase Origins offers a free sample for every spend worth $15. Free samples can help encourage new product trials for new customers and boost brand awareness. Free samples can boost sales by as much as 2000% .
Takeaways
Including a live chat option in emails will help customers address their objections and make purchases Mention your brand ingredients and sustainability practices to shape a positive brand perception 27. Bouqs Co.: Offer sitewide discounts
Site-wide discounts help in clearing slow-moving inventory and increase sales. It compels first-time visitors to purchase.
Takeaways
Provide an option to opt out of emails. Valentine’s Day isn’t for everyone. It is nice to be courteous and respectful Using emojis in your email subject lines can increase your open rate 28. D&G: Grab eyeballs with limited edition products Limited edition products convey a sense of exclusivity making customers look fashionable and cool.
Dolce & Gabbana offers a limited edition product as part of its Valentine’s Day email campaign. 45% of 25-39-year-olds have bought special edition/limited edition products, a core demographic which celebrates Valentine’s Day.
Takeaways
The color palette is a critical component of an email—evokes the right emotions needed to influence customers to read the email A single CTA is enough to drive conversions as any more will only distract the customers 29. Moosejaw: Jazz it up with a quiz
Interactive content quizzes are 2x more likely to engage visitors than static content. Moosejaw uses it to pique the interest helping them stand out with 88% of marketers attesting it be a differentiator.
Takeaways
Offer promo codes as an incentive to spend more as online customers who use them spend 24% more than customers who don’t use them You might also like: 25 Secrets To Running A Successful Clearance Sale, With Examples
30. San Diego Hat: Be the V-Day Stylist Styling tips from an expert indicate credibility backed by expertise. This conveys authority, one of the principles of social proof . Humans are wired to listen to subject matter experts in a particular field.
San Diego Hat offers styling tips in its Valentine’s email campaigns.
Takeaways
The color of the CTA button is constant which ensures visual hierarchy making it easier for customers to focus Including Buy Now, Pay Later options influence customers to buy things they can’t afford by branching out the amount into interest-free payments 31. The Dog Bakery: Create a buzz with early access offers Early access to sales offers exclusivity since it provides a select few to get access to products before the general public.
The Dog Bakery is offering early access to build a buzz in its Valentine’s email campaign. In a Shopify study, 50.8% of customers wanted early access to new products while 60.1% wanted early access to sales.
Takeaways
Your emails don’t have to be fancy— a simple message with a CTA is good enough Using red as the color for CTA conveys urgency evoking customers to click. 32. Perelel: Use the pre-order nudge Fast-selling products that are off the shelves in the blink of an eye can work their magic with pre-orders. Perelel uses a pre-order in its Valentine’s Day email.
Takeaways
Address the problems of your target market—in this case, low interest in sex Including a link to FAQs in the email helps educate your customers and addresses their objections, helping them understand if the product aligns with their needs 10 Valentine's Day Email Subject Lines Forgot it's Valentine's Day? ❤️ Get a Last Minute Gift Card for Your Valentine For Our Valentine: extra 40% OFF How to make them blush 😳 Better than chocolates 💕 Swoon-worthy <brand name> Valentine's Day styles 💕 BE YOUR OWN VALENTINE 💘 ♥One for You, One for Your Valentine ❤ We'll Be Your Valentine 💘 STOP the 🔎 We Have the Best Valentine Gifts 💘 Valentine's Day Email Campaigns 101 1. How can I promote my business on Valentine's day? Promoting your eCommerce brand on Valentine’s Day can seem tough, but here are three ways to help you make it easy—
a) Create How-to guides Your customers need inspiration and know-how to make their Valentine’s Day special. As a brand, you need to create guides that center around your business. For instance, if your beauty brand , show how customers can look their best or skin care tips.
If you’re a protein supplement brand, show how you can create the perfect Valentine’s Day drink.
Here’re three pointers to help you out—
Mention the caveats—for instance, avoid foods that cause bad breath or perfumes to use to look your dashing best Offer hacks—Prepare a treat at home instead of dining out Subtly mention how your product can help you celebrate Valentine’s day better—A mouth freshener and deodorant to touch up during a romantic dinner b) Use product bundling strategies Creating product bundles can help you increase your AOV making your Valentine’s day email campaigns successful.
Here’re three strategies you can use—
Mix fast-selling products with slow-selling inventory to sell products faster—this helps clear your least popular and less-sold products, thereby attracting value-conscious customers Sell mixed bundles —for example, if you’re a beauty and skincare brand, a mixed bundle consisting of shampoo, soap, conditioner, and cleansing balm would increase the perceived value Offer two or more products at a single price—customers will be able happy to buy them at a discount. c) Leverage countdown timers Countdown timers trigger a sense of urgency and drive customers’ interest in your store. It increases the perceived value by receiving something for a lesser price or free, whichever is relevant.
2. When should I start marketing for Valentine's Day? Mid-January and early February is the right time to start marketing for your Valentine’s Day email campaign. Post the holiday season campaigns, segment your customers into the following categories—
a) First-time buyers Offer an incentive to first-time buyers. A free gift—a complementary product that isn’t expensive and makes for an attractive first-time discount.
b) Return Buyers Offer products at slashed prices, lower than a competitor’s.
c) Frequent repeat buyers These customers score high when it comes to loyalty because of the trust they have in your brand. Offer attractive discounts in exchange for their testimonials on your products.
d) High-value buyers High-value buyers are responsible for your soaring AOV and LTV. They bring more customers through their word-of-mouth recommendations.
Offer a free trial around a personalized recommendation. As an alternative, you can offer a discount on your premium products if they bring in two or more customers through referral.
3. When should I send an email on Valentine's Day? As a rule of thumb, two weeks before Feb 14 is the ideal time to start your Valentine’s Day email campaigns. The best Valentine's Day emails always include the best email subject lines, offers, and more importantly the time and days the emails are sent.
Here’s a checklist—
Avoid spam words such as Free, Money, No catch, Take action now, Claim, Offer, Incredible deal, and Shopping spree Use the first name of the customer in the subject line Segment your customers. Use attributes that are specific to the region Use actionable verbs—mention what’s inside the email in the subject and avoid all capital letters In a study, the open rate across all industries was found to be the highest on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 20% while the CTR is the highest on Tuesdays and Wednesdays Send emails at 7 AM, 10 AM, and 5 PM since these times have recorded the highest open rates. Emails sent at 6 PM scored the highest CTR Transform Email Marketing Into A Revenue Machine 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). 
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