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Few things grab your customers’ attention like the words “just arrived.”
New arrival emails aren’t just notifications — they’re opportunities to spark curiosity and drive sales.
However, there are many questions you need to answer before starting to design one.
How should you showcase the new products? Should you spotlight individual items, or create a gallery? Should you build anticipation before the launch?
This article explores the most effective ways to design your new arrivals emails, so your product launches leave a lasting impression.
If you’ve ever received emails about new products from other brands, you already know that it’s not just about showing what’s new. It’s about how you show it.
A thoughtful email design can achieve the following:
That’s why, for this article, we focused on choosing various email layouts to help you find the best way to showcase what’s new in your store.
Here are several ways you can use to present your products in ways that captivate and convert.
Let’s start with the easiest and one of the most common approaches. Capture the attention of your subscribers with a GIF featuring photos of the new products.
Here’s a great example from Mixed, illustrating how this approach looks in action.
A GIF like this quickly showcases multiple products, letting readers preview options in seconds — no scrolling required.
Here is another example by Gorjana, a jewelry brand. It follows the same idea, but instead of showing multiple products, the GIF demonstrates color variations of a single new product.
Why it works: Dynamic elements catch the eye, making your email stand out in crowded inboxes.
Pro tip: Keep the GIF simple by sticking to 3-5 images maximum, ensure the GIF loads quickly, and find an optimal frame rate to avoid the flickering effect.
A grid layout is ideal for showcasing a larger collection of new arrivals, offering a clean and organized way to display your products.
For example, Banana Republic uses a grid of product images, organized by color tones to give a high-level idea of what the new collection includes.
The product images are clickable and take customers to the new collection page, allowing them to discover what wasn’t included in the email.
If you like this approach, you can easily replicate it using the email template below:
The template above is powered by Getsitecontrol, an email marketing platform for ecommerce. All you need to do is follow the prompts to open it in the email editor and swap the text captions, images, and URLs. Then, you can send your email campaign to your contacts for free – all within the same app.
Why it works: Readers can quickly scan the products and focus on the ones they like most.
Pro tip: Use consistent image sizes for a sleek and professional look and find a way to organize the grid by color, product type, gender, or anything else that makes sense for your brand.
Another approach you can take to craft your new arrivals emails is to show your customers how they can wear or combine new items.
Take Kotn’s, an apparel brand, as an example. They feature outfit styling ideas throughout the email with a soft, editorial layout making the email look almost like a catalog.
Such a way to present new items is inspiring. Besides, it can significantly increase cart values by encouraging outfit purchases instead of single items.
Design-wise, it’s good practice to feature a photo of an outfit followed by product cards. This way, customers can click on the items used in the outfit and go straight to those products’ pages. Below is a template designed with that exact idea in mind.
Why it works: Customers love guidance on how to use or style products. By showing them ideas, you make it easier for them to picture the items in their lives.
Pro tip: Use a mix of individual product shots and full looks to appeal to different types of shoppers; make sure to add clickable product cards to ignite the shopping experience right from the inbox.
If you’re growing your email list continuously, some of your subscribers might not know about the past bestsellers that were previously sold out.
Celebrate the return of popular products with an email that feels like an exclusive announcement!
You can feature new arrivals of bestsellers that were designed for a limited collection or a particular season, and went out of stock.
CALLA, a shoe brand, does exactly that by announcing new arrivals of previously sold-out pieces and emphasizing this restock being the last chance to get these bestsellers.
Why it works: Back-in-stock emails leverage the popularity of existing products and create urgency.
Pro tip: Use past customer reviews of the products featured in the email to add social proof or consider adding a “limited availability” message to emphasize scarcity.
Sometimes, less is more. Even if you’re announcing the release of a collection, it might be a good idea to dedicate your email to a single standout product or its variation to emphasize its unique features and benefits.
Take Lululemon’s new arrivals email as an example.
Notice that the email features a whole collection of products from the last drop. However, the brand chose one color — Sour Cherry — that is most likely to resonate with their target audience and put it in the spotlight.
Another noteworthy example is brought by Sock Candy, a women’s fashion sock company. The brand has added a new seasonal design to the collection and used different photo angles to present it to the customers.
Why it works: Highlighting one product creates a sense of exclusivity and gives you room to tell its story.
Pro tip: Pair close-up shots with lifestyle images to show how the product fits into everyday life.
You’ve been working hard on the collection, and you surely know how to present it by telling your customers what makes it so special. Why not talk about it during the launch campaign?
Both small and large global brands use storytelling to connect with the audience. Below is a perfect example by Uniqlo talking about the material used for the new collection and explaining why it is worth the investment.
This approach works particularly well for slow-fashion brands announcing new drops only several times per year. If you prefer a more minimalist approach to crafting emails, you can use concise captions and lifestyle images instead of text to demonstrate features — just like Alo did in the example below.
Why it works: These emails connect emotionally with readers who value thoughtful craftsmanship and quality.
Pro tip: Use a mix of storytelling and technical details to appeal to both emotional and practical buyers.
Use teaser emails to hint at upcoming arrivals and build excitement before the launch. These emails are perfect for generating buzz among your most engaged subscribers.
Tiny Lux, a jewelry brand, teases customers with a new holiday collection by dropping a few pictures, sharing sources of inspiration, and introducing the influencer who’s collaborated with the brand for the campaign.
The teaser email by Mixed, in the example below, talks about the upcoming collection even more extensively, getting into details about the features and inviting customers to join the waitlist for early access.
Why it works: Teasers create FOMO and keep your audience eagerly awaiting your next update. Such emails can be especially handy if you want to warm up your audience before an important sale event, such as Black Friday.
Pro tip: Pair the teaser with an exclusive pre-order option for VIPs, include a countdown timer to build excitement, and consider adding sneak peeks of product benefits to amplify curiosity.
Sharing new arrivals is a common tactic used to re-engage past customers and subscribers. For example, if you have a segment of subscribers who used to click through your emails frequently, and eventually stopped, you can pique their interest with an email featuring new products.
That’s exactly what Public Goods does by reminding what their brand is about and suggesting discovering new additions.
Why it works: This approach taps into nostalgia for the values customers appreciated initially while offering something new and exciting.
Pro tips: Set up automated audience segmentation based on their engagement frequency and launch the workflow on autopilot for those who meet the criteria of unengaged contacts; incentivize return visits with a discount.
To make your emails effective, they’ll need to capture attention, engage readers, and drive conversions. Here are the best practices that will help you achieve that.
Your subject line is the first thing subscribers see, so make it count. Use curiosity, exclusivity, or urgency to entice readers to open the email.
Here are ten new arrivals email subject line ideas to get you started:
Use bottom-up attention-grabbing techniques to captivate your subscribers and pique their interest. GIFs and product grids work exceptionally well for capturing attention, while feature breakdowns and clickable product cards drive clicks.
Each email should have one primary focus with a clear call-to-action (CTA). Depending on your email content, the following CTAs might work:
You probably already know that targeted email campaigns show higher open rates and drive more clicks. This rule works for emails about new arrivals as well.
Leverage your subscriber data to make your emails more tailored by including their first names in subject lines and opening sentences. Use their subscription preferences or past email clicks to identify what product types they might be most interested in.
Right on the email signup form, you can ask new subscribers to select product types they’re interested in and make sure you inform them about new arrivals from the collection they’ve picked.
Alternatively, you can tag subscribers based on the emails they click through and use this information to identify their interests and preferences. Email marketing suites like Getsitecontrol allow you to segment your audience using either of these options.
Blending storytelling with practical details is the secret to a compelling new arrivals email. The goal isn’t just to showcase products but to give subscribers a reason to care while providing the information they need to take action.
Storytelling humanizes your brand and builds an emotional connection with your audience. When paired with clear product details, it creates a narrative that resonates while keeping the focus on driving action.
“New arrivals” emails go beyond simple announcements — they’re a chance to engage your audience creatively, highlight your products, and drive sales. Whether through dynamic GIFs, emotional storytelling, or styling inspiration, the key is aligning your design and messaging with what your customers value most.
By applying the ideas and examples shared in this article, you can craft emails that not only inform but also inspire, creating a memorable experience for your subscribers.
Experiment with layouts, tell compelling stories, and test what works best for your audience. With a thoughtful approach, your new arrivals emails can make your product launches unforgettable.
Nina De la Cruz is a content strategist at Getsitecontrol. She is passionate about helping small and medium ecommerce brands achieve sustainable growth through email marketing.
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