Stand Out in Crowded Inboxes

[This blog was originally posted in Nov, 2023, and has been updated in Sep 2024 to showcase new examples]

The fourth quarter of the year brings holiday cheer and festivities. Alongside, it provides immense opportunities for driving business growth and generating conversions.

In the US, retail sales are projected to increase by 4.8% YoY, reaching $1.353 trillion in November and December 2024. With such a massive revenue potential, marketers should strive to stand out in busy inboxes and attract customers effectively. This is particularly important for your email marketing strategy.

Emails offer a personalized communication channel, tailored to user preferences. Unlike social media platforms, you own your email subscriber data, with no algorithms impacting your reach. Hence, refining your email marketing strategy during the holiday season is critical.

Email design and development are ever-evolving, with new trends surfacing each year. These trends provide marketers with fresh tactics to employ and keep readers excited, making it a win-win for both parties!

Below are some holiday email design trends that will elevate your holiday email campaigns this year.

Let’s dive in!

Using Animated GIFs and Cinemagraphs

Animations in emails have remained a popular trend for 15 years. They are beloved by marketers and subscribers alike. During the holidays, more than half of the emails feature some form of animation, making it a best practice and a trend.

GIFs, in particular, can enliven your holiday emails. They are versatile and can be implemented across industries—from travel to eCommerce to B2B. For instance, Anthropologie uses charming GIFs to extend holiday wishes to their subscribers.

Another trending animation for the holiday season is cinemagraphs. These are higher-quality than GIFs, presenting a static image with movement in a single element, adding a magical touch. Korres effectively uses a blend of GIFs and cinemagraphs in their Black Friday email to highlight products and drive conversions.

Implementing Gradients

Color plays a critical role in holiday emails. While vibrant colors like red, blue, and green are staples, a more modern trend involves using multi-shade gradients.

Gradients create visual appeal and guide the reader’s eye naturally from light to dark shades, enhancing visual hierarchy. This is particularly beneficial during the bustling holiday season when subscriber attention is scant.

Gradients add depth and individuality to your email designs, making them more engaging. Some brands even apply gradients to CTA buttons, drawing more clicks. CJ Affiliate’s holiday email exemplifies the effective use of dual-color gradients.

Prominent and Bold Typography

Your emails must be as readable as possible. Bold typography can greatly enhance readability and outline key action areas. As the holiday season brings intense competition for attention, typography can help your emails stand out and drive conversions.

Hers does an excellent job of using bold typography to catch the reader’s eye and guide them through the content seamlessly.

Interactivity & Gamification

Interactive elements like sliders, hamburger menus, and click-based events make your holiday emails more engaging. They invite two-way interaction, making the reading experience more dynamic and enjoyable. This can lead to increased word-of-mouth marketing.

Royal Caribbean International, for example, uses an interactive map in their emails, a tactic travel industry marketers can utilize to promote holiday travel.

Gamification adds an extra layer of interactivity, encouraging subscribers to engage and share your emails. The Halloween email by Email Uplers is a prime example of effectively using gamification to enhance engagement and improve click-through rates.

Adorkable Email Designs

Adorable, dorky, and awkward designs, also known as “adorkable” designs, cater to Gen-Z subscribers. These designs often feature mismatched fonts, bold layouts, and a touch of maximalism, adding relatability and charm.

WeTransfer employs this style effectively in their holiday email design, making it connect well with younger audiences.

Shapes and Wavy Lines

Shapes have always been fundamental in graphic designing, offering a structured look to your emails. Geometric shapes like triangles, squares, and circles can organize email content neatly.

Wavy lines, while not new, continue to add a playful and flowing element to emails. Cricut uses wavy lines to demarcate sections in their email, subtly reinforcing a festive vibe.

High-Resolution Product Photography

High-quality product photography can significantly enrich the shopping experience in holiday emails. Better visuals lead not only to higher engagement but also to reduced returns, thereby increasing conversions.

Finn effectively captures aspirational desires through elegant product photos in their holiday emails.

Full-Bleed Emails

Full-bleed email designs extend across the entire screen, offering a seamless visual experience. Combining full-bleed layouts with interactivity, bold typography, and other trends can create stunning holiday emails.

Email Uplers incorporates a full-bleed layout with gamification in their Christmas email, delivering a visually appealing and engaging experience.

Experience the live email here: https://emailmarketing.uplers.com/glam-up-your-christmas-tree-1

Wrapping Up

These are some of the standout email marketing design trends for this year. If you’re looking to enhance your holiday email campaigns, connect with our seasoned email design and development team today!

Click Here For More Email Marketing tips and strategies.