1. Single Hero Image

Probably the most common layout used today, this is a single-image email focusing on one clear call to action (CTA). This layout is designed to allow a subscriber to digest the message and decide on an action in 3 seconds or less. It may be most effective for:

• Black Friday and Cyber Monday – generic email linking to deals on the homepage.
• Flash sales – straightforward sale with a limited duration.
• Sale expiration – last chance reminder.
• Web-based gift guides – introducing gift guides that can be viewed online.

2. Product Boxes as a Secondary CTA

This email, a popular style for Q4, commonly has a hero image followed by product (or category) boxes below the primary content. You can manually create these specific recommendations or generate them using a recommendation engine. The layout allows the reader to not only browse for those people on their gift list but also identify products of interest to themselves. This layout is most commonly used for:

• Highlighting gifts under a certain dollar value.
• Advertising a stocking stuffer section.
• Offering subscriber recommendations.

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3. Extended Content Sections

Similar to using product boxes as secondary CTAs, this design allows you to feature image-based secondary and tertiary content in addition to your primary promotion. With these larger sections, you have more space to promote larger areas of themed content (e.g. gift guides, value props), and you can use more visual creativity to grab a subscriber’s attention. This layout is also more effective on mobile devices, as the sections remain a user-friendly size when scaling. This layout could be used in any capacity where you have more generic secondary content to promote, such as:

• Gift guides.
• Gift cards.
• Extended return policy notices.
• Shipping deadline estimates.

4. Product Only

Commonly sent throughout the year as a recommendation or new item email, this style is slowly gaining traction as a go-to during the holiday season. This message is often very basic graphically, with the focus solely on promoting specific products or categories, sometimes even with personal recommendations in the recovery section of the email. While there may not be a lot of glitz and glamour around this style, it can be quite effective for driving sales, as it allows subscribers to find a specific product they’re looking for. It is used for:

• Promoting top gifts for the season.
• Offering gifts under a certain amount.
• Personalized recommendations.
• Top Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals.

5. Extended Scroll

These messages are designed around engaging the subscriber in an extended scroll down the email. Emails like this work well on mobile phones because of a person’s natural tendency to thumb scroll. This layout can be most effective when walking people through something step by step, such as building the perfect holiday outfit, or by creating some sort of email game, such as a “See what’s under the Christmas tree” game.The extended scroll works well for:

• Specific product style guides.
• Top gifts.
• Step-by-step or numerical order guides/recommednations.
• Contest/gamification.

So there you have it – five email layouts that can be tuned to add some spice to your email program during the holiday season. When trying to determine which style may be best for you, think through the ultimate goal of the email and ask yourself, “Does the layout accomplish this goal?”