Kevin George — January 20, 2017 Follow @imkevin_monkThe Cupid’s day to celebrate love is nearing as everyone is gearing up to drench themselves in the color of love and old love classics. For email marketers it’s the perfect time to say – “I just emailed to say I love you!” and we’re positive that most subscribers would love that.
In 2016, an estimated total of 19.7 billion dollars was spent by Americans on Valentine’s Day in comparison to 18.9 billion dollars in 2015. Now that’s a whopping sum! With the number reaching an all-time high it’s no surprise that customers don’t shy away from spending, rather they want to make the most out of this day.
Fig. Valentine’s Day spending 2016 (USA) Source: Fundivo.com
With the warmth of the season slowly setting in, it’s time to gear up and plan for the design and layout of your Valentine’s Day responsive email templates. Amongst the emails striking the right cord with Valentine’s Day themes and color palettes, we’ve gathered some amazing emails that guarantee to spread love and woo customers along with inspiring your design ideas!
1> Alice and Olivia
THUMBS UP
- Minimalistic Design – Short and Precise
- The navigation bar is easy to navigate through and also helps in including more information within the email.
- The unsubscribe link is prominently placed, allowing the subscriber to opt out without getting marked marking as a spam.
- Social icons are provided.
- The logo at the top is prominent, thus making sure that the subscriber is aware of who’s sending the email.
- Great cross marketing by adding ‘Find a Store’
PRO-COMMENT
- Since web-safe fonts are not used – if an image is used instead, that does not render in the subscriber’s mailbox; it will fail to convey the message to the subscriber.
- A ‘View Online’ link should be provided in case the email fails to render.
- Since the font color and background image are not contrasting enough – it makes it difficult for the content to catch the eye of the subscriber.
- Since it’s a retail email the CTA button should be provided a bit higher and can be highlighted
2> Justice
THUMBS UP
- Logo and Sender Information is provided clearly.
- The navigation bar is bold and clear.
- The placement of the Unsubscribe link that helps the subscriber to opt-out helps in reducing spam rate.
- The colors appropriately match the V-day theme.
PRO-COMMENT
- A CTA button is missing, failing to cash opportunities.
- Since the social icons are far too big, they could distract the recipient from the main content.
- There might be chances of the images being blocked on the subscriber’s email client – leading to subscribers missing the cute email.
3> Charity: Water
THUMBS UP
- Link for online view and Unsubscribe link in the header and footer.
- Web-safe fonts have been used.
- Includes a video, with a separate link in case the fallback image is not rendered.
- A link to their blog and website is present in the footer.
PRO-COMMENT
- Must have at least one CTA.
- Social icons are very important to share and market. Make sure there are a few social sharing tabs.
4> Diesel
THUMBS UP
- Social icons are provided.
- Navigation bar is clear and bold.
- CTAs are provided clearly.
- The color goes with the theme for V-day.
PRO-COMMENT
- A link to ‘view in browser’ should be provided.
5> Glo
THUMBS UP
- The logo is at the top with proper sender and contact information.
- Social icons are provided
- CTA is at the center and it’s clear and straightforward
- ONE-CLICK unsubscribe link
PRO-COMMENT
- The store locator shouldn’t have a map linked to it. Image links are a better option.
6> Royal Albert – England 1904
THUMBS UP
- Social icons and contact information in the header
- Offers are clearly shown immediately below the header.
- The CTA is present above-the-fold.
- Unsubscribe link is provided at the footer.
PRO-COMMENT
- Fonts used in certain important texts are not web-safe; this can hamper the design of the email.
7> Emma Bridgewater
THUMBS UP
- The Logo is at the top with the proper sender and contact information.
- Contact link is in the header.
- Offers are clearly represented.
- Cross Marketing is done by providing links to physical stores.
PRO-COMMENT
- Social icons are too small and at an unconventional position.
8> Tiffany&Co.
THUMBS UP
- Flat minimalistic design
- Logo at the top and proper contact information
- Offers cross-selling by providing a link to the physical store locations.
- Contrasting colors add focus on ‘Drop a Hint’ section having a button to the shopping guide, which can improve click-through rates.
- 2 CTAs, with equal importance given to both
PRO-COMMENT
- The email design is way too dependent on images – This won’t help in case images are blocked.
- Social sharing icons can help in promoting and sharing the offers
9> Toms
THUMBS UP
- Logo at the top with proper sender and contact information
- Offer information right under the link to the landing page/website
- Preferences and unsubscribe links provided
- Theme suits the occasion
PRO-COMMENT
- Email does not have web-safe fonts in the hero image, which means it will look incomplete if the images are blocked.
10> Godiva
THUMBS UP
- ‘Shop now’ button is above the fold. The offer information is placed just above the button.
- Retina images are used.
- Personalized email: Has a list of recommendations, which is sorted by subscriber’s history.
- The “How to…” section can improve the click-through rate. A video is used as well. Although direct video playback is not supported by majority email clients, a fallback image can be provided with a hyperlink linking to the video.
- A link to the physical stores’ location is provided.
- Social icons are cleanly positioned.
- Unsubscribe link is provided. Also, ’email settings’ option is made available for making changes in preferences.
- A link to view on Mobile device has been added.
PRO-COMMENT
- Video Playback is not supported by majority of email clients, a fallback image can be provided with a hyperlink linking to the video.
Wrapping Up
Valentine’s Day is all about getting and spreading love, and your emails must have the power to do so. With the use of apt colors, text, images and offers brought together through a compelling and beautiful design, your email can surely delight your recipient. Make sure to convey what your emails define and we hope these tips help you plan your perfect Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign.
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