Summer is coming to an end faster than we’d like to admit. With Labor Day just around the corner, this is a prime time for email marketers to send targeted email campaigns when people have more time to shop and discover brands.
While often overlooked by more popular summer holidays like the Fourth of July and Memorial Day, Labor Day is consistently one of the largest sale weekends in the U.S. Effective Labor Day email campaigns can get your customers excited for back-to-school savings and set the stage for your future holiday promotions.
Let’s take a look at 7 Labor Day emails we’ve received that made us forget all about the end of summer (I’m still in denial).
1. REI
Coming Soon: Labor Day Sale & Clearance
REI gives us a sneak peak of their Labor Day promotion by previewing their catalog of sale and clearance items. The catalog in the email is clickable, where you can flip through the pages to view the apparel and equipment that will be discounted during the sale.
By including an interactive sale preview in their email, REI gives its customers a first look at items that they might be interested in purchasing to generate buzz around their promotion. REI nudges its subscribers further down the customer lifecycle by giving them a first exposure to their sale. By the time Labor Day weekend rolls around, my shopping cart will already be full.
Browsing through REI’s selection of low-priced camping and hiking gear makes me want to squeeze in one last summer adventure before it’s too late. Sun, sales, and falling asleep in a hammock…what more can you ask for?
2. Frontier Airlines
Swoop into Labor Day savings! Fly from $29
Because Labor Day weekend is one of the peak travel times in the summer, Frontier Airlines sends out their Labor Day deals a few weeks early to remind people to book their flights in order to get the best prices.
With flights starting at $29, everyone who’s looking to visit family or friends over this three-day weekend will surely be drawn to this exclusive Labor Day discount. The subject line of Frontier’s email includes a unique call-to-action and entices their recipients to “Swoop” into their Labor Day savings.
The imagery in Frontier’s Labor Day email is powerful (although I would have used an owl myself), and the email design is clean and polished. Frontier doesn’t bury their call-to-action under loads of text; instead, the blue “Book Now” link stands out and easily guides their customers to their website.
For more flawless email designs, check out SendGrid’s email marketing templates.
3. LOFT
TOMORROW: clear your calendar
LOFT instantly captures my attention with a compelling subject line. While not being overly sales-y, LOFT still creates a sense of urgency that drives me to open the email to see why I need to keep my calendar clear.
For more subject line inspiration, check out our blog post: 29 Email Subject Lines That Rocked Our Inbox.
The phrasing is everything in this Labor Day promotion. By marketing their sale as an end-of-summer party, LOFT’s email acts as an invitation for their recipients to “save the date” and join in on the fun. Instead of pushing back-to-school promotions, LOFT encourages its customers to celebrate “Summer’s Last Hurrah” and shop their store one last time for summer styles.
To enhance their Labor Day promotion, LOFT uses bright, cheerful colors and a bold email design that is sleek and appealing. The email, er, invite, isn’t cluttered by excessive text or pictures, making it easy to read and understand.
Where do I RSVP?
4. Cupshe
Pre Labor Day Sale
This Labor Day email from Cupshe gives me all of the patriotic, holiday vibes. The online fashion and beauty retailer perfectly captures the essence of summer in their Labor Day campaign, and their American-inspired imagery and colors make me want to hold on to summer just a little bit longer.
While the design of this email is simple, the photo and text of this message is perfectly on-brand with Cupshe’s beachy style. Plus, the email highlights one-pieces and bikinis in their Labor Day sale, giving their customers yet another reason to take advantage of the summer while it lasts.
Cupshe is able to give their recipients the feeling of exclusivity in their email campaign by granting them “early access” to their savings event. Their call-to-action is bold, eye-catching, and urgent, making it effortless for their customers to click on to their website.
For even more email inspiration, check out our blog post How To Write Fun Emails (Plus Examples).
5. The Muse
Friendly Reminder: It’s a Long Weekend!
The Muse, an employment and job-search company, goes above and beyond what it means to send emails that are valuable to their recipients. The subject line of their Labor Day campaign starts off with a friendly reminder, mentioning that the holiday weekend is just in reach.
The Muse’s email isn’t overloaded with pictures or excessive branding, and instead uses a casual, conversational tone to speak to its recipients. The Muse does a great job of subtly promoting their recent career articles in a way that encourages their readers to take a productive break from work.
This Labor Day email stands out not because it is flashy or exciting, but because it is friendly and helpful. A little kindness can go a long way to establish brand trust and loyalty in the realm of email marketing.
6. H&M
10% off sitewide (2 weeks ‘til Labor Day!)
H&M takes a clean, classic approach to marketing in their Labor Day email campaign. The retail company encourages its customers to “plan ahead” and shop for Labor Day looks prior to the holiday so that they are equipped with the perfect outfits to enjoy their long weekend.
H&M’s email design is straightforward, sleek, and incredibly easy to comprehend. Their 10% off discount is displayed prominently in the middle of the message, and details about the promotion are clear and uncomplicated.
By using phrases like “2 days only” and “Get Labor Day looks in time,” H&M’s campaign has a sense of urgency and importance, all while remaining polished and classy.
When it comes to email design, sometimes less is more.
7. Redbubble
20% off sitewide. Labor Day dreams come true.
While some people may have big plans to celebrate Labor Day with family and friends, a lot of us appreciate the holiday for what it is–an extra day off of work. Redbubble’s email appeals to customers (like me) who have nothing better to do than get some R&R over the long weekend.
Redbubble lets the image tell the story in their Labor Day email campaign, and it sure does remind me how thankful I am to have an extra day off avoiding my 6 AM alarm. Their Labor Day discount is displayed clearly at the top of their email with a fun, sarcastic tone that is spot-on with their brand personality.
Details about the promotion, including the discount code and the expiration date, can easily be found at the bottom of the email, making the checkout process simple and straightforward for Redbubble’s customers.
Not all of your holiday email campaigns have to be flashy and extravagant. While Redbubble isn’t promising exclusive sales or crazy discounts, they are promising that their Labor Day deal is better than working. And they’re not wrong.
Labor day email takeaways
While Labor Day traditionally symbolizes the end of the summer, it is just the beginning for email marketers to ramp up their holiday campaigns. Labor Day is a great opportunity for marketers to end the summer with a bang and set the stage for future fall and winter promotions.
Whether you take inspiration from these 7 email examples, or try something new, be sure to always provide value to your recipients, and have fun with your holiday email campaigns!
To learn how to optimize your email sending for the holiday season, check out our guide Holiday Email Sending 101.