10 Inspiring Christmas Email Examples From DTC Brands That Will Win Your Heart

The Christmas season has always been the best season for Ecommerce and DTC brands across the globe. Falling economy, market downturn, the pandemic, nothing has been able to put a dent in the shopping spree over the years. Rather, online shopping has increased exponentially and has not shown any sign of slowing down.

In fact, as per an NRF report, holiday sales in 2022 will touch $960 billion and $998 on gifts and other holiday-related items on average. This year alone, the estimated budget for the holiday season online shopping is around $850 billion dollars and December is standing out as the busiest month for online retailers and DTC businesses.

And it comes as no surprise that Christmas emails to customers have become the go-to channel for brands when it comes to:

• Sending promotions
• Recommending products
• Sharing gift guides
• Reengaging with inactive users
• Targeting last-minute shoppers

If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd, boost sales, open rates, and customer relationships, we’ve put together a list of 11 inspiring Christmas email copywriting examples.

These are some of the best Christmas email examples to tap into that joyful holiday revenue stream this year.

1) Missguided

Christmas is one event in the year that everyone eagerly looks forward to. Online shoppers love the adrenaline rush of shopping which gives them the winning feeling to grab the best deals of the year. DTC brands can leverage this excitement to the best with gentle and subtle reminder emails of the clock ticking and studded with lucrative offers.

Missguided -a UK-based multi-channel retailer, selling clothes aimed at women aged 16-35 years cleverly uses the concept of limited-time offers in its Christmas email templates.

Their email speaks volumes for itself, without a need for an introduction!

Quick tips:

1. One of the most effective Christmas email ideas is: Don’t spill all your candies on the first shot. Use the principle of scarcity and lure your target audience with one discount each time. According to a study by Hubspot, 45% of respondents said that scarcity makes them more curious about a product. Make your offers special, exclusive, and time-limited so your audience stays curious and eager to learn more.
2. Keep the clock ticking in the mind of your customers in your merry Christmas email messages. Create a sense of urgency for your target audience and they will be prompted to make purchase decisions.
3. Keep your CTA simple and concise. It shouldn’t be blowing on the faces of your audience but at the same should be catchy enough to nudge them gently.
4. Give them multiple options for shopping so it can cater to the mass audience.

2) frank body

We all can agree that December becomes the most hectic and busiest month for online shoppers and their inboxes also take a heavy toll from multiple shopping brands across the globe.

If you’re looking for your Christmas email marketing to stand out, here’s a great example of Melbourne-born DTC skincare brand frank body.

Naturally, Frank body products can be sold across the year as skincare products don’t have a seasonal effect. But they have leveraged this selling opportunity perfectly with their crisp and simple messaging.

Check out this email Frank Body sent on Christmas Day with the subject line “20% OFF HELPS” and you will understand shoppers are compelled to shop for their products. frank body’s Christmas email to customers is crisp, easy to read, and accompanied by a 48-hour limited offer.

Quick tips:

1. Start with the best foot forward. Catch their minds with a simple and effective opening or subject line such as ‘holiday hangover’. What’s also important is that your text should be relevant to the offer. Ensure that the offer stands out by using minimal copy.
2. Everyone loves deals even if they don’t need the products right then. That’s what makes great companies that understand consumer behavior precisely. With a straightaway, 20% off coupon code, Frank body attracts its target audience seamlessly through Christmas email subject lines.
3. Try to choose a soothing color that suits the eyes and calms the mind. With a combination of pink and white, frank body takes it up a notch.

3) Fleur & Bee

People procrastinate and so do online shoppers. Often, they don’t get awakened till the last minute and then they start panicking. If catered well, it can be a huge bonus for the DTC brands that can guarantee an express delivery and last-minute shopping to laid-back shoppers.

Online DTC skincare brand Fleur & Bee gets it absolutely right with the subject line: Straight from Santa’s bag.

As you can see in their Christmas email marketing template, they highlight this email is for last-minute shoppers. “Free priority shopping” is marked in bold, to catch attention. Another thing, they make it easy for the shopper to purchase, by giving product recommendations.

Quick tips:

1. Last-minute shoppers need absolute clarity on what to go for. The time for researching has already passed. They need the information to be provided to them in a simple manner to grab their attention.
2. They know the guilt trip of going for last-minute shopping but they can’t help it. In any way, if that can be alleviated, then there’s nothing like it. Look at how Fleur & Bee targeted their minds with the message “Looking for a last-minute gift that doesn’t look like last minute?” It immediately prompts their mind and gives them a clear-cut CTA to go for the next steps.
3. Focus on priority shipping – as the most important constraint here for them is time. If you can take care of that with guaranteed delivery within a definite time frame, they’re bound to choose your brand over others that take days to ship the products.
4. Keep your CTA in close proximity to your offer if you’d want an optimum clickthrough rate for your Christmas holiday email to customers.

4) Bellroy

A gift card in many cases is the best option to be gifted to loved ones so they can enjoy the gift and the freedom that comes along with it. Many times shoppers do feel the pressure and confusion due to uncertainty and indecision as time constraint becomes too much for them.

In such cases, you can shower your love and praise for your close ones with special gift cards curated for them just as Bellroy – a global accessories brand rolls out. In fact, as per the DealDrop survey, gift cards rank among the 3 most desired holiday gifts.

With an out-of-the-box catchy Christmas email subject line such as ‘No time? Give a gift card!’ Bellroy gets the customer’s attention instantly. The copy saves them from the pain and agony of indecisiveness.

Quick tips:

1. Don’t beat around the bush if you have a clear message for your target audience. Come straight to the point in Christmas emails to customers.
2. Address your target audience’s pain point, discuss it in simple language, and give them a CTA to shop for.
3. Approach the fear and leverage it to your benefit. People hate being late for anything and if you can take it out with a simple yet elegant solution, then your audience gets hooked to your brand.
4. No matter what message you choose to convey in your Christmas email marketing, the most important point to consider is: To not be salesy. Christmas emails should focus on helping customers and solving their pain points.

5) A-dam

It’s not always easy to come up with a breathtaking idea for gifting year after year! If you’re feeling anxious about your gift choices, then you’re not alone! In such cases, brands can make a difference by going the extra mile and showcasing innovative yet useful gift ideas in their merry Christmas emails.

Customers always love when they see such gift ideas that seamlessly nudge them to take the next course of action. A-dam is an Ecommerce brand that sells boxers, socks, swimwear, and more. Sure, you may think, one needs underwear all the time.

This is why they’ve simplified the gifting with Christmas greetings email that has gift boxes with curated products for the busy shopper. All that the customer has to do is explore the gift bundles and choose the best one for this Christmas.

Quick tips:

1. Simple and effective subject lines always win over sassy and vocabulary-studded ones. A-dam keeps it short and simple such as ‘Our new winter collection is here!’.
2. Don’t only tell them, show them. How a bundle of underwear garments can be a perfect gift idea, A-dam has shown to the audience.
3. The total price of the bundle has to be on the lower side than the individual items’ price tag. Otherwise, it won’t be worth it.
4. Lure them with a simple CTA to your website to explore more. With the ‘Explore it all’ CTA, you tinker with your audience’s curiosity to take the next steps.
5. Lastly, a superb Christmas email idea is to launch your new collection in the Christmas greetings email.

6) Finn

Christmas is all about cheering up loved ones and the fear of missing out is an awful feeling of apprehension that no one wants to have. The fear psychology is used perfectly by the pet wellness brand Finn with its subtle yet powerful messaging. Their email targets the mind of potential customers with an alert of limited time – ‘Oh no! Christmas is only 10 days away.’

The second part that stands out is how they give a discount on product bundles, in an effort to increase the Ecommerce average order value.

Quick tips:

1. Create FOMO in the minds of your target audience. They can choose to be laid-back and indecisive but you can’t simply afford to be the same. Give them the required push so they can make the purchasing decision.
2. Bundled packaging boosts your average order value. You can package your Christmas bundles as gift hampers, value packs, gender-specific bundles, and many more.
3. Give them a lucrative discount that can’t be ignored. With a bundled product offering and a great discount, is a win-win deal for both the customer and your DTC brand.

7) Everten

You don’t need to constraint yourselves with exciting offers or fast shipping only, you can also take this opportunity to promote your new product lines. As your target audience is already in the shopping mood, there is a high possibility they would try out your new products and share feedback.

Kitchenware Ecommerce brand Everten stands out in the crowd of hustlers in their Christmas email templates as they always tend to go for the unique route to promote their new kitchenware. Notice how the brand excites its target audience by gently pushing them to explore the new range with a clear and visually appealing CTA.

Quick tips:

1. Promoting new product launches at Christmas is an innovative idea. Highlight them throughout your emails. Also, make sure to use stunning images to catch the shopper’s attention.
2. Use social media as a promotional tool. 71% of the buyers depend on special media to make a purchasing decision. Make sure that you don’t miss out on it. Try out multiple ideas to keep your existing and new customers engaged with opinion polls, FAQs, GIFs, short videos, and Instagram reels.
3. Ensure that product images are promoted in a 360-degree, all-inclusive approach so that potential buyers get a comprehensive view.

8) Everlane

You should help your shoppers to find out the best gift by presenting spectacular ideas. Be the catalyst for their curious mind and drive them toward your brand.

Everlane – a global accessories brand has taken this up a notch with warmth, love, and color. Simple CTA, elegant messaging, and an innovative idea – is a perfect cocktail for choosing the next gift for Christmas!

Quick tips:

1. You would agree that product images in your Christmas email template occupy too much space. Instead, opt for a GIF or carousel to promote multiple gifting ideas.
2. Your copy needs to convey the same theme and feel as your brand. Everlane promotes warmth in its Christmas emails to customers.
3. Widen your spectrum by offering gender-specific gifts. If size-guessing is not needed, gender-specific gifts can be a worthy experiment.

9) Puma

Shipping happens to be the most important aspect of the online shopping experience. Often, this is what dictates whether the customer would purchase from your brand or abandon the cart.

For fast-growing DTC brands, free shipping is a chance to encourage more customers to hit the “Buy now” tab and streamline the checkout process.

You can promote free shipping like Puma does across your emails and marketing channels to address the pain point head-on.

Quick tips:

1. Invoke a sense of urgency in them with a specified deadline. With a deadline behind them and a clock ticking consistently, shoppers would likely opt for purchasing decisions.
2. Segment your audience effectively. You can target your audience through personalized emails with tailor-made messaging addressing their pain points. When your target audience connects emotionally with your brand and content, that’s the time when they’ll be moved to make a purchase.
3. Increase engagement in your messaging by adding gamification to it. Also, educating the audience on gift guides can benefit the company in varied ways.

10) Harry’s

Who said Christmas is all about gifting others? You can treat yourself as well with a gift that you might have been longing for years.

No one crafts the messaging better than men’s grooming DTC brand Harry’s in this category. Prompt your audience not only to choose a gift for their loved ones but also for themselves.

Quick tips:

1. Make sure your products cater to a specific segment. You can segment on the basis of multiple aspects like location, seasonal effect, demographics, and previous shopping history.
2. If you are creating a persona of class, you need to hold on to it. Show it through the entire context of your Christmas emails.
3. Packaging is an underrated part of the product’s revenue generation capabilities. 72% of US customers believe that packaging does make an impact on their purchasing decisions. Pay equal attention to product packaging.

Wrapping up

There is no secret sauce recipe for successful DTC Christmas email marketing campaigns. But these 10 examples of Merry Christmas email messages are designed to help you drive more traffic to your product pages, invite shoppers to purchase your products, and run promotional campaigns.

Understanding your customers, identifying their pain points, and addressing them in the most unique and creative manner would help you navigate through stiff competition and make a mark for your DTC business this Christmas.

Hopefully, you can draw inspiration from these Christmas email examples and Christmas email subject lines and start driving toward your distinct objective. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!