Summer sales 2024: is your email marketing ready?

Well-prepared for the sales

Bargains, bargains, and more bargains. That’s what the sales are all about! Clearing out your wardrobe in advance, deciding which shoes really need replacing, and taking a look at your savings account...

Those who go 'hunting' during the sales usually come well-prepared. If you are active in retail or have your own webshop, it’s better not to leave anything to chance either. The sales are an excellent opportunity to put your business in the spotlight and hopefully increase your revenue.

To tackle this effectively, you need to focus heavily on email marketing. Because in addition to offering deals, the sales also mean sending emails, emails, and more emails. But don’t overdo it. 😉


Find the right balance between frequency and relevance. We’ll tell you how to use email marketing effectively during the sales!

Emails that don’t catch attention are often never opened.

Everything starts with your subject line and design

If you put effort into the content of your newsletters, you must pay a lot of attention to both the subject line and the design of your emails. If you don't, the game is already lost! Which would be a shame.

But it's true: emails that don’t catch attention are often never opened. So, you need to make it as unique and enticing as possible. During the sales period, customers are not only bombarded with discounts but also with emails.

If you need to stand out with your newsletters throughout the year, then during the sales it’s all hands on deck! Here is some inspiration, courtesy of Flexmail. 🙂

Eye-catching subject lines

To stand out in the inbox during the busy sales period, subject lines need to be striking and compelling. Get straight to the point!



Here are five subject line ideas to grab attention:

🕒 Tick-tock, your exclusive 50% discount is disappearing fast!

Both the emoji and the wording create a sense of urgency. "Hurry, or you'll be too late" is your message. Customers need to act quickly. The sooner they open your email, the better.

Hello 'CUSTOMER NAME', your VIP discount is inside this email

This personalises your emails. By mentioning the customer's first name in the subject line and including the term 'VIP discount,' you give the customer the feeling that it’s a tailored offer.

Unlock your secret bonus deal – Only today!

With words like 'unlock' and 'secret,' you add an element of mystery and exclusivity, which piques curiosity.

Don't miss this: your chance to save on our best products!

This subject line taps into the fear of missing out (FOMO). Those who can’t resist will open your email in no time.

🎉 Celebrate with our mega sales – Everything must go!

This will definitely catch attention: the emoji stands out, and so does the direct message about a big clearance sale. Customers won’t want to miss that!

Strong design

You need emails that both catch the eye and stand out! In our knowledge center, we explain which type of email design is best suited for various email clients.

For those looking for design examples specifically for the sales, here’s some inspiration:

The example above shows how you can stand out while staying true to your brand identity. Instacart doesn’t beat around the bush and clearly displays the discount you’ll receive.

At the same time, they emphasise once again how convenient their service is and how fast their delivery times are. Cleverly done!

This example from Zapier not only shows how to incorporate urgency into your emails but also how to present it in a layout.

The confetti gives a festive feeling, and the CTA button immediately stands out. This is also a great example of a mobile-friendly email.

Veritas keeps it short and sweet. You clearly see how much discount you get, followed by two CTAs.

The amount of discount is repeated in the newsletter in various places: in the text, on the images, and on the action buttons. This way, Veritas ensures that the discount is clearly visible, even if the email program doesn’t display the photos by default.

They also take the opportunity to showcase part of their collection in their promo emails. So, don’t forget to include beautiful and attractive photos in your design.

In the online version of the newsletter, you can see how Veritas shows much more clothing to the recipients. They clearly aim to increase the click-through rate.

Extra tip: be mobile-friendly!

A common mistake we unfortunately often encounter is the lack of mobile-friendliness in emails.

Nowadays, many people read emails (exclusively) on their smartphones. Therefore, make sure your message looks just as good on the small screen and that readers can easily click on CTAs. Keep your font size fairly large.

For this, you need a responsive design that adapts to any format. This way, you never have to worry about whether your emails are readable or not.

Incorporate discounts in emails

Knowing when and how to send emails and newsletters is important. But let’s start by discussing the content of your emails during the sales. Because, along with the subject line and design, content is also crucial.

Het is logisch dat je kortingen en promoties It makes sense to mention discounts and promotions directly in your communication. Customers love a good deal. These emails will boost your click and conversion rates. Bring it on!

Here’s how to do it best:

• Use eye-catching and personalised subject lines that immediately capture interest.
• Ensure a clear and prominent Call To Action (CTA) that stands out and is straight to the point.
• Don’t beat around the bush and clearly state the value of the discount. Show both percentages and reduced prices.
• Incorporate attractive visuals that highlight both your offer and your brand.

• Dive into your statistics in advance and segment your email list. Tailor the content based on the preferences and click behavior of your subscribers.
• Add a bit of pressure: attach deadlines to your promotions or make it clear that certain discounted products are limited in availability.
• LInclude customer testimonials from those who are satisfied with you and your products.
• Don’t be afraid to adjust! Implement A/B tests to determine which parts of your email perform best and use that information to tweak future campaigns..

Do you use a communication plan?

Now that we agree on the content, it's time to focus on the communication itself. Never approach this recklessly or thoughtlessly. Trust the process!


To avoid chaos and stress, it’s best to work with a communication plan specifically designed for the sales period. This plan should detail what actions to take, when to take them, and what types of emails (or other channels) you will need. Not only will you achieve better results, but it will also be easier to adjust and gain insights.

It's important to view the sales as a season, not just a one-time event. You need to focus on email marketing before, during, and after the sales.

Do this before the sales:

Generate interest among your customers. Start by sending teasers announcing the upcoming deals. Encourage your customers to update their preferences in their accounts on your webshop. You can use this information later to send personalised emails.

Also, be sure to use segmentation and targeting. You need customer data to send personalised messages to different segments or groups, such as loyal customers or those who recently showed interest but did not make a purchase.

During this phase, you should also use other channels like social media and online ads to reinforce your message.

Do this during the sales:

Your goal during this phase should be to stimulate sales and attract customers. The discounted ball is in front of the goal, you just need to kick it in.

You will need to increase your email frequency. We’ll tell you more about that shortly! If you send more emails, they must be completely tailored to the sales period. Again, incorporate discounts and fine-tune the content.

During the sales, keep an eye on the statistics of both your webshop and your emails. Who is clicking on what? Can you anticipate this by sending new deals?

Do this after the sales:

Working 9 to 5, sings Dolly Parton. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to the aftermath of the sales (or throughout the year, for that matter). 😧

Make sure you have a thank you message ready. Customers appreciate being acknowledged for their purchases. You can also ask for feedback at this time, which can help you learn for the next sales period!

If you’ve kept a close watch on your newsletter stats, you can focus on follow-up deals and retargeting. This is a way to introduce customers to new products they might be interested in.

Increase your email frequency during the sales

As a business owner, achieving optimal results during the sales period will only happen if you dare to send more emails. Dare; indeed. Whether you send your own emails or have marketers in-house for this task, the fear of coming across as a 'spammer' is real.

That's why we want to reassure you. If you approach increasing your email frequency carefully and thoughtfully, there's little that can go wrong. Take it step by step.

It’s worth it because sending more emails during the sales means:

• Staying top of mind.
• Creating more sales opportunities.
• Rolling out targeted marketing actions.

You need to ensure that customers and subscribers are aware of the promotions you have running. More emails mean more chances to grab customers' attention and lead them to your website or webshop.

How to avoid being perceived as a spammer:

Gradually increase the frequency

If you want to increase the frequency of your emails, do it gradually to give customers time to adjust.

Those using Flexmail can conveniently track how subscribers respond to those extra emails. If there’s any sign of overload, you can adjust immediately and lower the frequency again.

Analyse the response to increased email frequencies and adjust where necessary to prevent overload.

Segment subscribers

Segmentation, practice makes perfect! By working with mailing lists, you can send much more targeted emails. For example, you can send additional emails to recipients who frequently open your emails or to a group with a higher click-through rate.

Take it a step further with personalised emails

Personalisation goes beyond greeting your customer with 'Hey Michiel'. If you wish, you can go much further here.

Tailor the content of your newsletters based on past purchases, browsing behavior, or demographic data you've collected. Customers are much less likely to see such emails as spam.

It's not nice when subscribers unsubscribe, but on the other hand, this way you build a mailing list with contacts who enjoy receiving your emails.

Timing is important!

At what times are your subscribers more inclined to open your emails? Identify those peak times. Because the timing of your emails can have a significant impact on their effectiveness.

To make optimal use of this, there’s email automation. With this, you can send emails at times you specify! Worth a try.

Let your customer decide

Another way to avoid anything but spammy behavior: give your customers the final say. Communicate the frequency of emails you will send immediately upon subscription and give them the chance to adjust their communication preferences.

Where you also need to be clear and transparent is about the option to unsubscribe from your emails.

Of course, it’s not pleasant when subscribers unsubscribe, but on the other hand, this way you build a mailing list with contacts who enjoy receiving your emails.

An unsubscribe link is always mandatory in Flexmail. When your recipient clicks on it, they are directed to your profile page through us. There, they can unsubscribe from specific parts or from all your emails.

Use a content calendar

We've already talked about a communication plan for the sales. In that plan, you can add a content calendar. Thanks to a content strategy, you create an overview of which products and promotions you will send out when (and how).

Is your email marketing ready for the sales?

Let's revisit the title of this blog post. Are you ready for the sales? Are your emails prepared?

If the answer is 'yes', it’s a good idea to compare your plan with the tips and tricks in this article.

If it’s still a 'no' for you, luckily, you still have some time to take action. Flexmail has everything you need to help and support you. That’s as valuable as snagging the deal of a lifetime! 😜