11 impactful uses of email animation
Spice up your emails with animations that catch the eye and keep your audience engaged from start to finish.
Animation in email marketing has helped to make mundane and sometimes repetitive communications, engaging and memorable experiences.
We especially prefer animations over static images due to their storytelling abilities. Animations can showcase emotion or complex ideas quickly and concisely. Whether you’re showcasing a new product feature or highlighting a sale, animation can guide the reader through the narrative seamlessly.
15 ways to use email animations
#1: Emphasize a discount
Grammarly's Black Friday email campaign utilizes an animation to draw attention to their limited-time 55% discount.
The oversized numbers immediately capture the viewer’s eye, while reinforcing the urgency of the offer. Paired with clear and straightforward messaging, this email encourages immediate engagement, leading to higher conversion rates during a critical sales period.
Unlike the above animation which is a lot more subtle, the following animation is loud, colorful, and dynamically shifts in size to grab the reader's attention.
The playful and celebratory feel of the GIF emulates the festive spirit associated with birthdays, making it both eye-catching and fun. This animation works well because it adds a layer of dynamism without being overwhelming, keeping the focus on the promotion.
#2: Spark curiosity
MOO’s email campaign uses an animated GIF that plays on to our universal love of unboxing.
This animation does a great job at creating a sense of curiosity and anticipation. With a clear CTA to “open the box” this email encourages the recipient to engage, tapping into the natural human desire to discover what’s inside.
The playful movement of the box coupled with the direct, repeated call to action (“Do it, do it, do it!”) creates an irresistible urge to click through, making it an excellent example of how animated emails can drive engagement and interaction in email marketing.
#3: Illustrating a metaphor
This clothing brand uses animation to highlight the key selling point of their product— “super softness after 40 simulated home washes.”
The rotating loop mimics the motion of washing machine aligning with the product name "The Power Washed Tee" and visually reinforcing its selling point.
The animation subtly suggests durability and comfort, two qualities that are crucial to the brand’s promise. By focusing on the visual appeal and tactile quality of the product, this GIF creates a strong desire for the viewer to explore the collection further.
#4 Gamification
Boden’s email campaign uses a vibrant, animated wheel to highlight their daily deals, creating a sense of excitement and anticipation.
By using this animation, Boden not only showcases the different sales each day but also evokes a game-like experience that makes the promotion feel more interactive and fun.
The impact of this GIF lies in its ability to create a sense of urgency and curiosity. The movement of the wheel encourages viewers to keep watching, wondering which deal will come up next, which effectively drives engagement.
For a more subtle approach let’s look at MOO’s email campaign. MOO cleverly uses an animated GIF featuring rolling dice to engage recipients in a playful and interactive way.
The animation is simple yet effective. It shows a hand rolling dice, which ties directly into the call to action "Let’s reveal your score!" This not only draws attention but also invites the reader to interact with the email, which can feel like they are part of a fun activity rather than just reading promotional material.
The smooth motion of the dice and the suspense of waiting to see the outcome adds an element of excitement, encouraging click-throughs to reveal more.
#5: Sneak peek
Havenly’s email campaign uses animation to build anticipation for an upcoming launch.
The animation features a pair of animated eyes darting around, paired with the text “Keep your eyes open.” This playful and mysterious GIF immediately draws the viewer’s attention and creates curiosity about what’s coming next.
By keeping the message vague yet compelling, Havenly successfully piques the interest of their subscribers, encouraging them to be on the lookout for the next email.
#6 Evoke emotion
Brain.fm’s email campaign introduces their new app, Recharge.
The animation illustrates the feeling of being overwhelmed at work vs. the feeling of taking a moment to relax. This GIF is impactful because it visually represents the product’s benefit for the user.
#7 Enhance CTAs
VRAI & ORO’s email campaign elegantly uses an animation within their CTA.
This GIF works because it effectively conveys the tactile and visual experience of wearing the jewelry. The movement draws the viewer’s eye to the product’s key selling point—the shimmer—and encourages click-throughs.
#8: Set the scene
MR PORTER’s email campaign utilizes a warm, inviting animation to promote their loungewear collection.
The GIF features a cozy scene with a fireplace subtly flickering in the background, creating an ambiance of warmth and relaxation.
This visual element perfectly complements the theme of the email, which is all about comfort and luxury.
This use of animation transforms a simple product promotion into an experience, inviting the recipient to imagine themselves in the comfort of MR PORTER’s loungewear.
Similarly, the email below uses an animation of colorful confetti falling across the screen, to create a festive and celebratory atmosphere as they announce a surprise sale.
The impact of this GIF lies in its ability to evoke the spontaneity associated with a surprise event.
#9: Enhance the message
Active Sports Clubs’ email campaign effectively uses an animation to support their messaging of “it’s all here” by showcasing the dynamism of their fitness offerings.
This GIF is impactful because it visually and concisely represents the brand’s offerings. The clear and compelling call to action, "JOIN TODAY," is strategically placed alongside the animated content, making it easy for recipients to engage with the offer.
#10: Showcasing range
Sephora’s email campaign cleverly uses an animated GIF to promote their "Instant Gifting Station" with a focus on convenience for last-minute shoppers.
The GIF features Sephora's range of popular beauty products being zipped into a clear pouch, visually reinforcing the tagline, "If you can gift it, you can ZIP IT."
The playful animation of the zipper closing around the products emphasizes the simplicity and speed of the process, making it particularly appealing to busy shoppers.
By highlighting the different gifting options, this GIF successfully encourages recipients to find what they're looking for, driving sales during the holiday season.
#11: Showcasing a new feature
Dropbox’s email campaign introduces the "Rewind" feature using an animated GIF that demonstrates the feature in action.
The GIF shows a simple interface where a user navigates to the "Rewind" option, visually depicting how easy it is to reverse changes or recover lost files.
The minimalistic design, coupled with a straightforward animation, effectively communicates the functionality, its benefits, and how to use it - reducing any potential hesitation about adopting the feature.
The lasting power of animation in email marketing
Beyond driving engagement and increasing click-through rates, the impact of animations in humanizing brands is clear. Their ability to combine motion with emotion ensures that your emails stand out in the inbox, making them not just opened, but acted upon.