20 Proven Email Experiments For Your Brand
(You’ll Kick Yourself for Not Trying These)
🗓️ Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025
Hi, and welcome back to Growth Espresso - your one-stop destination for everything e-com.
If you’ve been feeling like your emails should be driving more sales… you’re not wrong.
We’ve worked with dozens of DTC brands in the $50K–$500K/month range, and one thing’s clear: the gap between “meh” email performance and solid ROI usually comes down to a handful of small, testable tweaks.
So here’s what I’ve got for you today — 20 high-impact email experiments. These are easy to implement, take little effort, and in many cases, unlock $5K–$10K/month in missed revenue.
Let’s dive in 👇
1. Resend to Unopens With a New Subject Line
What: Resend your campaign 24–48 hours later, with a punchier subject.
💡 Example: A skincare brand resent a 4th of July email with “Last Chance: Fireworks End at Midnight 🎇” after “Our Independence Day Sale is Live” underperformed.
📈 Result: 12.8% lift in total campaign revenue.
2. Add a Countdown Timer to Sale Emails
What: Add a dynamic timer in hero or CTA section.
💡 Example: A home decor brand added a countdown to its flash sale banner.
📈 Result: 17% increase in click-through rate (CTR), and a 9% bump in conversions.
3. Show Loyalty Points in Cart Abandonment Emails
What: Personalize emails with the customer’s point balance.
💡 Example: A supplement brand emailed: “You have $24 in loyalty credit — don’t let it expire!”
📈 Result: 28% lift in recovery rate for abandoned carts.
Not sure what flows to personalize first?
→ Book a free Email Audit and get your current flow performance benchmarked against industry standards.
4. Make Your Preheaders Work Harder
What: Use preheaders to complement (not repeat) your subject line.
💡 Example: Subject: “Ready for the Big Drop?” → Preheader: “Only 500 units available. You in?”
📈 Result: Open rate improved from 28% to 35%.
5. Use UGC Images in Abandoned Cart Emails
What: Replace studio shots with customer photos.
💡 Example: A DTC fashion brand swapped polished product images with real customer selfies.
📈 Result: 19% increase in click-through rate.
6. Highlight “Pay Later” Options in Hero Section
What: Feature Klarna/AfterPay in your hero banner.
💡 Example: “Buy now, pay in 4 with AfterPay — no interest, ever.”
📈 Result: 11% lift in conversion rate for high-ticket items.
7. Add a “Last Chance” Email Before Sale Ends
What: Send a final 6–12 hour reminder before your sale closes.
💡 Example: “Last Call! Our July 4th Sale Ends at Midnight ⏰”
📈 Result: Often contributes 15–25% of campaign revenue.
8. Split New vs. Returning Customers in Campaigns
What: Create two versions of the same email — one for first-timers, one for repeat buyers.
💡 Example: A CPG brand promoted “15% off First Order” vs. “Early VIP Access” for loyal buyers.
📈 Result: 21% higher CTR for segmented emails.
9. Insert Testimonials in Welcome Flow
What: Use customer quotes in Day 2 or Day 3 of welcome series.
💡 Example: “I used to dread shaving… now I look forward to it.” – Mike, CA
📈 Result: 14% increase in first-purchase rate from new subscribers.
10. Send Back-in-Stock Alerts Automatically
What: Trigger emails the moment inventory is replenished.
💡 Example: “It’s back! Your favorite joggers are finally here.”
📈 Result: 23% average conversion rate on back-in-stock alerts.
11. Drop a Social Video in Product Emails
What: Embed a short TikTok or Reel (use a GIF preview with play icon).
💡 Example: A beauty brand used a trending GRWM video featuring their serum.
📈 Result: CTR improved by 31% vs static-image campaigns.
12. Feature Loyalty Discounts Early in the Journey
What: Introduce points or perks in early flow emails.
💡 Example: “You’re already earning with us. Every $1 = 1 point.”
📈 Result: 19% lift in repeat purchases within 30 days.
13. Make Unsubscribe Pages Smarter
What: Let users reduce frequency or pause emails instead of fully unsubscribing.
💡 Example: “Too many emails? Want fewer updates or just pause us for 30 days?”
📈 Result: 34% drop in unsubscribes.
14. Use Product Reviews in Sale Emails
What: Include one-line reviews below your featured products.
💡 Example: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Best sleep I’ve had in years!” under a weighted blanket.
📈 Result: 12% lift in click-to-purchase ratio.
15. Add “Low Stock” Messaging Based on Inventory
What: Highlight urgency for SKUs below a certain threshold.
💡 Example: “Only 7 left in XL. Going fast.”
📈 Result: 18% lift in conversions on low-stock SKUs.
16. Remind Users of Expiring Discount Codes
What: Send 24-hour reminders for unused offers.
💡 Example: “Your 20% code expires tonight at midnight!”
📈 Result: 10–14% more conversions from discount campaigns.
17. Turn Order Confirmation Into a Cross-Sell Email
What: Use the thank-you email to suggest 1–2 add-ons.
💡 Example: “You might also love these refills for your water filter.”
📈 Result: 8% of buyers added an item within 24 hours.
18. Segment Based on Email Click Behavior
What: Track repeated product category clicks and personalize future emails.
💡 Example: If someone always clicks on skincare — start sending more of it.
📈 Result: 25% higher CTR on niche product emails.
19. Build a “Win-Back” Campaign for Dormant Shoppers
What: Target buyers who haven’t engaged or purchased in 60–90 days.
💡 Example: “We miss you. Here’s 15% off to come back.”
📈 Result: Reactivated ~12% of dormant users.
Don’t know where your drop-off is happening?
→ Book a Free Email Audit and we’ll show you exactly which segments are costing you money.
20. Test Emojis in Subject Lines (and Track Impact)
What: Use fun, brand-appropriate emojis — and test results over 2–3 campaigns.
💡 Example: “🎆 Boom! Our 4th of July Sale Just Dropped”
📈 Result: 4–8% open rate lift when used sparingly and with intent.
🚀 Want This Done for You?
If you’re not sure which of these would work best for your brand — or don’t want to test blindly — we’ve got your back.
We’re offering a Free Email Audit to help brands like yours find hidden wins, plug revenue leaks, and map out your next best steps.
Here’s what you’ll get in the Audit:
✅ Breakdown of your top-performing and weakest segments
✅ Revenue-impact report from flows and campaigns
✅ Deliverability health check (Are you hitting inbox or spam?)
✅ 15–20 custom experiment ideas just like these, but for your brand
✅ Creative/copy teardown with actionable feedback
✅ Roadmap for scaling email revenue over 90 days
✅ Guidance on what to automate, optimize, or kill off
(We only open up 5 every month so we can go deep, not wide.)
Make your emails your #1 revenue channel — not an afterthought.