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Holiday Emails: A Look Back at How Thinx Dominated Design

Beefree team
Beefree team
Jan 9, 2019
Holiday Emails: A Look Back at How Thinx Dominated Design
Holiday Emails: A Look Back at How Thinx Dominated Design

Happy New Year, beloved email buddies! And congratulations on surviving the busiest season of the year. You did it! Now that the new year is upon us, we thought we'd take a moment to reflect on 2018's holiday email campaigns. In fact, we're going to take a deep dive into how one brand, Thinx, approached holiday emails, all the way from Thanksgiving to New Year's. We'll see how Thinx communicated with customers, offered promotions, and generated clicks throughout the chaotic shopping season. There are great design insights here, and even a little holiday email design inspiration to get you ready for any 2019 campaign on your list. Let's go!

First: What's to love about Thinx email design?

Of all the holiday email examples, we chose Thinx because the brand's approach to email is simple, beautiful, and effective.

thinx email design logo

Each holiday email we received from Thinx was:

  • Focused: Each has a single objective and call to action.
  • Clutter-free: There are no navigation menus or header clutter.
  • To the point: The copy is succinct and easy to skim.
  • Balanced: Live headers and body text accompany images (never any image-only emails).
  • Bulletproof: Buttons are bulletproof, high-contrast, and have custom copy.
  • Designed for mobile: Each email follows an inverted pyramid layout with large text, plenty of padding between elements, and all of the above mentioned mobile-friendly design approaches.

Let's go! Here's a look at Thinx's 2018 holiday emails...

#1. Thanksgiving Week

Each year, the holiday (shopping) season seems to creep up earlier and last longer. The action really heats up right around Thanksgiving, leading into Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday—and, for many brands, expanding right on through in a full Cyber Week(and beyond).For Thinx, Thanksgiving week didn't equate with huge sales or eye-catching promotions. Instead, the brand started out with an awareness and loyalty-building email encouraging readers to watch a video about its ethical and sustainable practices.Subject: We craft our undies carefully and consciously — see how.Sent November 18 (the Sunday before Thanksgiving)

holiday email to clients sample from Thinx

An email like this is a signal to readers about who Thinx is as a brand and what their values are. This kind of messaging can build customer trust and loyalty. It's reminiscent of other brands like Patagonia or Everlane whochoose to opt out of the Thanksgiving-Black Friday madness and instead show readers their real values go deeper. And when it comes to design, this email is strong. The big, bold header—ethical, sustainable manufacturing—tells readers what the email is about immediately. Even if they skip the body content and go straight down to the CTA, they'll get it. Making an email skimmable is important when inboxes are congested. The idea is to convey the most important takeaway and intrigue readers enough to click for more. (Emails are not websites!)

#2. Cyber Week

For Cyber Week, Thinx kept it simple and celebrated the "holiday" that best connected to its brand identity and values: Giving Tuesday.Subject: It’s Giving Tuesday: $5 from every pair of undies goes to Girls Inc. Sent November 27 (Giving Tuesday)

Best Giving Tuesday email design

We absolutely love the simple design of this email, from the asymmetrical image layout to the simple lines of text to the custom CTA button. Like the email before it, if you cut the body text and just read the header and CTA button, you still have an understanding of what the email is about and what the action to take is.

#3. Christmas Lead-Up

In the month of December, between the 4th and 22nd, Thinx sent a total of 7 emails. Some promoted a gift set for the holidays and a limited edition style, as well as free shipping, like the ones below—Subject: Hello better period, goodbye shipping fees. Sent December 11

Best Christmas Emails from Thinx

Bold, oversized header statement, eye-catching art, simple live-text messaging, and another great CTA — what's not to love?Subject: Don’t forget about our free shipping! Sent December 17

holiday email marketing example from Thinx

This follow-up is great and to the point. The only addition we might recommend? A dynamic in-email countdown timer. Many are free to use and easy to implement—and they're effective at creating urgency when you really mean it!

#4. Post-Christmas

Subject: A post-holiday treat from us to you ⛄️Sent December 26

Post-Christmas marketing email example

Leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Thinx was quiet, then popped back into inboxes after Christmas with a post-holiday sale. Straightforward like the rest of its holiday email marketing, this message is simply and powerfully designed.Subject: 2018 is almost over (and so is this sweet deal!)Sent December 30

After Christmas Email to Customers from Thinx

Here's the follow-up email, a few days after the first. The hero image is different but still similar, signaling its connection to the first email in the two-message campaign.

#5. New Year's Eve

Year-in-review emails come in all shapes and sizes. Some brands send them in mid-December, and some wait until mid-January. Some enclose detailed information within the email itself, while others link out to a report, like Thinx does, below. For end-of-year email wrap-up inspiration, be sure to check out our post, The 7 Best Year in Review Emails of 2017.Subject: The year in review 

Best Year in Review Email from Thinx

As you can tell right away, this illustration is a big change of pace from the photos in the rest of Thinx's holiday emails. Switching up your hero image (or making it a GIF) is like telling readers, Hey, this is different—pay attention! In this case, it's a perfect choice for a year-in-review email.

#6. New Year's Day

Subject: *This* is the year to period better 

New Year's Day Email to Customers

In this one, there's no promotion and no sale—just a beautiful email celebrating the brand's flagship product. It's a bold way to start the new year, and a great strategy. With a strong, simple sans serif as its header font, an email like this could be optimized in BEE by using live text atop a background image.

Wrap-Up: Takeaways from Thinx's Holiday Email Marketing Strategy

Here are some takeaways we gleaned from Thinx's fantastic holiday email design:

  • Instead of saturating readers with emails throughout the season, choose the holidays that best align with your brand and email then (i.e., Giving Tuesday)
  • It's okay if your emails all have a similar layout! In fact, using templates is a great way to establish design consistency.
  • Change up your hero image to signal a special message (e.g., switching from photography to illustration or a GIF)
  • Always customize your CTA text so that readers know why they're clicking
  • Follow design best-practices like using ample live text and bulletproof buttons and avoiding clutter and multiple CTAs that vie for attention

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Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

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Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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