Cyber Monday is a high-stakes game with huge rewards—but only if you’re prepared to play. This massive online shopping day can bring in a flood of traffic, eager shoppers, and record-breaking sales. It can also bring challenges like website crashes, intense price competition, and the logistical hurdles of meeting skyrocketing demand.
To make the most of Cyber Monday, your preparation needs to be airtight—from inventory management and customer service to, most importantly, your email content and marketing strategy. Well-crafted promotional emails can set the stage, building excitement and creating urgency that drives customers to take action when the big day arrives.
So, what should go into your Cyber Monday emails to maximize impact? What design choices will grab attention, and which tactics should you avoid? In this guide, we’ll break down some of the best Cyber Monday email examples from top brands, showing you exactly how to turn inboxes into a powerful sales channel this holiday season.
Is Cyber Monday worth it?
Cyber Week is one of the biggest shopping holidays of the year, encompassing Thanksgiving sales, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday and Black Friday are the big players in terms of revenue. In 2021, Black Friday generated $9.8 billion in sales, whereas Cyber Monday resulted in $12.4 billion.
Here are other important facts about Cyber Week 2021 you need to know:
- During Cyber Week, US online sales reached $38 billion.
- The highest discounts were on toys and electronics
- Holiday shoppers increasingly prefer Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) tools like Klarna, reaching $993 million.
- Early deals in October directly affected Cyber Week sales, causing them to go down, which makes a targeted email marketing campaign for this period even more important.
If you have an ecommerce store and email list, it's never too early to start preparing for your Cyber Week sales. Capitalize on this huge ecommerce holiday season by bringing shoppers to your online store with an email marketing campaign.
10 Cyber Monday email examples—and why they work
Here are ten great Cyber Monday email examples from real retailers. No stealing allowed, but we hope you get inspired for your Cyber Monday marketing campaign!
1. Holiday fun and eye-catching GIFs (Riffraff)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- GIFs with a purpose: This email from Riffraff uses a GIF of rotating outfit ideas to show off the products you'll find if you click through to shop.
- Mobile-friendly: The stacked vertical design is easy to scroll through on any device, making it mobile-friendly.
- Holiday humor: The promo codes have subtle holiday references (“Santa! I know him!”)—way more fun than codes like 30OFF or SALE.
2. Tech imagery and urgency (Jack Spade)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- It's iconic: This email from Jack Spade uses a classic hourglass loading icon as a fun play on the tech—or “cyber”—theme of the holiday.
- Creates urgency: The hourglass and the copy work together to emphasize the urgency of the sale's final hours.
- Easy to act on: The simple call-to-action (CTA) makes it easy to act on the urgency created by the rest of the email.
Offering coupons works: 55% of consumers said they're very likely to use a digital coupon provided by a retailer.
3. Big promises and extended sales (Michaels)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Big promises: This email uses a GIF to make big promises about their deals both in-store and online.
- Extended sales: Michaels advertises an extended sale to capitalize on the Cyber Week trend.
4. Scarcity and a tech-themed background (Velvet Caviar)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Animated background: Sensing a trend? More animated GIFs! The hacker-themed background animation plays into the tech theme of a holiday that's all about being online.
- Creating scarcity: The promise of selling out adds some urgency—better shop now, or you might be too late! Limited time offers, when used right, can increase conversions.
- Product showcase: Velvet Caviar sells phone cases; this email design gives you a preview of what's on sale.
5. Brand personality and mobile optimization (Dollar Shave Club)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Brand personality: Dollar Shave Club's brand is lighthearted and funny—just like this email.
- Mobile-optimized design: Amobile-optimized email template(right) to make sure the email looks great on every device.
- Surprising stat: Did you know clicking burns one whole calorie?!
6. Free shipping and old-school tech (ModCloth)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Old school tech theme: ModCloth sells cute, vintage-inspired clothes, so it's no surprise that their super-cute Cyber Monday email features an old-school tech theme.
- Subtle humor: The little “beep! boop!” GIF adds some extra fun.
- Free shipping: A tried-and-true promo. 80% of consumers expect companies to offer free shipping above a certain amount.
7. Gift-giving and simplicity (Casper)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Holiday shopping theme: Black Friday and Cyber Monday officially kick off the holiday shopping season. This email from Casper embraces the holiday theme.
- Simple design: The minimalist design and single CTA work well on both desktop and mobile.
8. Hacker humor (The Hill-Side)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Hacker-themed humor: This hacker terminal-themed email from The Hill-Side has fun with the holiday's cyber theme.
- Mobile-friendly: Simple, mostly text-based designs look great on pretty much every device.
9. Simplicity and wordplay (The Loft)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Wordplay: The wordplay in this email from The Loft celebrates that you don't have to leave the comfort of your home for great deals on Cyber Monday.
- Simple, not boring:The clear design and CTA will look great on any device—but they're not so plain or dull that you'll ignore them.
10. Countdown timer (Dr. Martens)
Why this Cyber Monday email works:
- Extra urgency: Doc Martens uses a countdown timer to boost urgency levels. This visual cue tells customers they better act fast to get in on the deal. An experiment by ConversionXL found that adding a countdown timer alongside an email's CTA led to a 147% increase in conversions.
How to write a killer Cyber Monday subject line
Without a great subject line, no one will open your email. If no one opens your email, they won't see your amazing Cyber Monday campaign.
Did you know that there are over 188 words that are considered spammy and should be avoided when writing subject lines? However, what you add to your subject line is just as important.
Here are some subject line best practices for Cyber Monday and beyond.
Make them so curious they have to click
What makes someone open an email?
- They're expecting to hear from you.
- They already know they enjoy and trust emails from you.
- Your subject line promises them something they want—like an awesome Cyber Monday sale!
- Your subject line makes them so curious they have to click.
Behavioral economist George Loewenstein uncovered five ways to make people curious:
- Ask a curiosity-inducing question: “Are you ready for this?”
- Tell a story:“Open up, and you will find…”
- Go against their expectations:“CYBER MONDAY SUCKS” (Yes, that's a real subject line. Yes, I opened the email.)
- Imply that you have information they don't:“Mystery Sale! How Much Will You Save?”
- Imply that they used to know something they've since forgotten:“You forgot to unwrap a present” or “Did You Get All Your Gifts?” (This works exceptionally well for combining abandoned cart email techniques with Cyber Monday discounts.)
Let's look at an example. If you're running a Cyber Monday sale, maybe you start with an email subject line of “Cyber Monday sale!”
Not a bad start, but what if you added a few of the curiosity levers?
- First, add a question: “Are you ready for Cyber Monday?”
- Next, start a story: “Are you ready for Cyber Monday? This family is…”
- Finally, be unexpected: “They prepped 3 months for Cyber Monday. Are you ready?”
Which is most engaging? “Cyber Monday sale!” or “They prepped 3 months for Cyber Monday. Are you ready?”
By adding one curiosity lever at a time, you can gradually amp up your subject lines—and make sure people open your emails.
(Warning: Curiosity levers are powerful, but only use 2-3 at a time. Any more than that, and you wind up with clickbait).
Get expressive with emojis
Emojis are a big trend in ecommerce subject lines, especially around Cyber Monday. Emojis can help your email stand out in an overcrowded inbox and get a higher click-through rate. The same research shows that emails with an emoji placed at the end of the subject line have better open rates.
(That said, you know your brand best. If emojis don't fit your brand identity, don't use them.)
Here are some Cyber Monday subject line examples that use emojis:
- ⏳ 5 HOUR FLASH SALE: 25% OFF YOUR ORDER
- 30% off sitewide ???? Cyber Monday Sale!
- ???? 30% Off Everything + Free Shipping
- ???? CYBER MONDAY STARTS NOW | $50 Off $150 →
- ???? Just hours left for big Cyber Monday coupons and massive doorbusters!!
- ???? Cyber Monday Biggest Sale is LIVE! ????
- ????Better Than Their Deals☝️
- ???? NEW DEAL ADDED: Extra 20% off thru midnight
- ???? 50% Off Inside ????
Put percent-off discounts in your subject line
Let's get back to the idea that your subject line promises subscribers something they want. Don't be afraid to share your Cyber Monday deals in the subject line. Your contacts will still have to (and want to!) click through to find a discount code or learn more.
Neville Medhora, an entrepreneur and copywriter who's helped businesses like AppSumo, recommends using numbers in email subject lines to communicate the offer's value more clearly. Email subject lines that include numbers have higher than average open and reply rates.
88% of Americans regularly use coupons with discount codes and coupons while shopping, so announcing 1 in your subject line is a great hook.
(P.S. ActiveCampaign has a subject line generator to help you write effective subject lines all year. Or check out this guide to writing your awesome subject lines.)
Make the most out of your Cyber Monday email marketing campaigns
Cyber Monday is your chance to connect with ready-to-buy customers—but a strong, well-timed email strategy is key to standing out in a crowded inbox.
ActiveCampaign users sent a staggering 486 million emails on Black Friday in 2021, generating record-breaking orders. And during Cyber Week, they saved $10.4 million in abandoned cart revenue out of $76.4 million left in carts. These numbers show the power of email marketing during the holiday season.
To make the most of your Cyber Monday emails, keep these tips in mind:
- Stay consistent: Keep up the momentum throughout Cyber Week. Engage your customers on Small Business Saturday and build excitement leading to Cyber Monday.
- Get personal: Personalize your offers to reward loyal customers using segmentation and site tracking. With ActiveCampaign’s tools, you can target customers based on their purchase history or browsing activity for more relevant, high-converting emails.
- Be mobile-friendly: Cyber Monday shoppers are on their smartphones—79% of online sales on this day happen via mobile. Make sure your emails are optimized for mobile to capture these buyers.
Ready to elevate your Cyber Monday email campaign? Try ActiveCampaign’s suite of automation tools to plan, personalize, and perfect your emails—starting with a 14-day free trial. You can also jumpstart your holiday email strategy with our ready-to-use email templates, designed to make crafting high-converting messages easier than ever.
Make this holiday season your most successful yet!
