Case Study · Email Marketing
How New Era Cap grew BFCM email revenue by 70% YoY after a record-breaking 2023
The hardest brief in retention: beat your best year ever without diluting a premium brand.
Case Study · Email Marketing
The hardest brief in retention: beat your best year ever without diluting a premium brand.
The Results
The Challenge
In past years, New Era kept Black Friday simple: a flat 25% off sitewide. It performed well, aligned with the brand’s premium feel, and drove strong conversions.
In 2023 we tried something new: a limited-edition, higher-priced collection launched a week before Black Friday. It sold out quickly, which was great early on. But by the time Black Friday hit, much of the top inventory was already gone, taking the edge off the momentum we needed during peak.
For 2024, the challenge was clear: beat last year without repeating the same playbook, and without diluting the brand with overly aggressive discounting.
The Strategy
We shifted focus in 2024. No early drops. Instead, we extended the campaign window and introduced a single, strong offer: “Up to 60% Off.” It grabbed attention and gave us flexibility with how we discounted products behind the scenes.
Because it wasn’t a simple flat percentage, clarity was everything. We focused on speed, clarity, and giving people fewer reasons to leave the email without clicking:
The week before Black Friday became a 7-day lead-up: a different category discounted each day, every deal tied to early-access sign-up. Result: +10% engaged sessions and a primed list before the main event.
In parallel, teasers hinted at something big without revealing the offer. Every sign-up dropped into a dedicated flow of welcome messages, countdowns, sneak peeks and whitelist reminders, so the launch email landed exactly where it needed to on day one.
The Execution
High-intent segments got tailored picks and early access. First-timers saw bestsellers; returning customers saw new drops matched to their browsing.
Warm-up 7 days out. Peak send at midnight on launch day. Follow-ups fired on clicks and opens, staggered by time zone to avoid fatigue.
Mobile-first, matched to on-site banners. Bold discount callouts, short copy, dynamic in-stock blocks per segment, with video and stills working together.
Urgency + emoji subject lines beat generic ones. Plain-text reminders out-clicked designed emails in last-chance sends.
Klaviyo, Shopify, and live UTM dashboards to adjust sends in real time.
The Deck
“Email remains one of the most powerful tools to turn every brand moment into a revenue-driving opportunity. With the right strategy, timing and messaging, a single inbox touchpoint can spark engagement, build loyalty, and drive measurable results.”