130 best email subject lines for sales [Updated for 2023]

On average, the ROI of email marketing is $40 for every dollar spent—almost twice the ROI of SEO, which is $22.24.

But getting subscribers to open your emails isn’t easy.

A research study from Gartner shows 64% of consumers feel overwhelmed by brand communications, which can lead to dwindling open rates.

You need to capture your audience’s attention using catchy subject lines that stand out in their inbox. They also need to reflect the content of the email without triggering spam filters. And this is not easy to achieve.

But we have a solution: our round-up of 100+ catchy email subject lines for sales emails, specially curated for ecommerce businesses.

What are spam filters and why should we avoid them?

Spam filters identify unwanted, unsolicited, and virus-infected emails, and block them from reaching a user’s inbox. These emails are categorized as spam.

Once an email is identified as spam, it’s diverted to the spam folder.

Spam filtering programs come in many forms. Some filters are:

• Content filters: They examine the content of the email and scan for words commonly used in spam emails.
• Blocklist filters: They block emails from senders that have been added to a list of spammers. This list is regularly updated with suspicious email addresses.
• Header filters: The spam filter analyzes the email header to determine the legitimacy of its source. It looks for suspicious information, such as evidence showing that the same email was sent in bulk to preselected recipients.
• Rule-based filters: In this case, the email user sets specific rules that apply to all incoming emails. When an incoming email matches one of the rules, it’s forwarded to the spam folder.
• Language filters: This spam filter blocks incoming emails that are not in the recipient’s native language.

Although these filters help to remove a lot of spam, it’s also easy to see why they can mistakenly flag legitimate emails from ecommerce businesses like yours.

Why are my emails going to spam?

Based on how spam filters work, there are several reasons your emails could be getting flagged as spam, such as:

• Your subject lines are misleading
• You didn’t add an unsubscribe button
• Your ‘from’ data is inconsistent with the content of your emails
• You haven’t properly set up email authentication
• Many of your recipients marked your emails as spam
• Your emails have low engagement rates or high bounce rates
• You’re constantly switching email service providers

You can tackle some of these issues using the best subject lines for emails, and we’ve compiled a comprehensive list.

130 best email subject lines for sales

These subject lines were gathered from real Omnisend customers that saw great successes for various campaigns. Take inspiration from these email subject line examples and adapt them to your brand.

Attention-grabbing email subject lines for sales emails

Grab your customers’ attention with witty, surprising, or just plain interesting subject lines.

1. Hanky Panky for Valentine’s

Open rate: 50%

2. 🔥 This is an Emergency

Open rate: 47.15%

3. 😍 Catch of the Day

Open rate: 45.39%

4. A note from Santa’s Workshop

Open rate: 40%

5. The summer has finally arrived

Open rate: 35.6%

6. A Big Surprise Awaits You … Happy Chinese New Year

Open rate: 33.8%

7. Winter Blues?

Open rate: 30.8%

8. [Recipient name], you won’t believe this!

9. Boom shakalaka! Get ready for a good surprise

10. You can’t handle the awesomeness…

Sale ending soon subject lines

Let customers know how long they have to take advantage of a sale with limited time offer subject lines—and inject some much-needed urgency into your campaigns. These last-day sale subject lines are perfect for blending FOMO with genuine scarcity.

21. 50% off before Black Friday!!!

Open rate: 43.8%

22. Only 2 Days Left! Huge Labor Day 50% OFF SALE!

Open rate: 40.1%

23. LAST CHANCE for Cyber Monday! Make the most out of it!

Open rate: 35.8%

24. Reminder: Black Friday 40% OFF! is closing

Open rate: 35%

25. Last call for early Christmas deals 25% off

Open rate: 31.07%

26. LAST DAY Independence Day Sale | up to 70% Off

Open rate: 23%

27.  15% OFF!! Code GIFT15! Ends in 24 hours! Last chance for Xmas delivery! 🎁

Open rate: 18.6%

28. Tick-tock! Last chance to save big with 25% off

29. Snag those deals before they slip away!

30. Last chance alert: 50% off, ends in a few hours

New arrivals email subject lines

Keep your stock updates at top of mind for consumers by cluing them in with new promotional subject lines. As always, concise and informative wording leads the charge.

31. [Brand Name] – Black Friday Coupon Code & New Products! 

Open rate: 47.1%

32. Labor Day Sale and product arrivals.

Open rate: 39.8%

33. New year, NEW FPV goodies!

Open rate: 38%

34. New RDQ motors and last minute Xmas gift ideas 🎁

Open rate: 33.9%

35. The New WINTER Collection is Live! 

Open rate: 30.3%

36.  Independence Day Weekend Special: Free Shipping Over $75, Coupon, and New Africa Twin Items!

Open rate: 27.3%

37. Autumn/Winter is on the way – See what’s new

Open rate: 20.5%

38. New stock tip: Unveiling a must-have summer collection

39. You deserve new things: Our new stock awaits you

40. Be the first to shop our stunning new additions

Giveaway email subject lines

About 75% of Millennials would buy from your company again if they receive a free giveaway. If you’re planning on adding giveaways to your marketing strategy, here are some of the best sales email subject lines for inspiration.

41. [Brand Name] – MERRY CHRISTMAS – FREEBIE – 50%OFF – NEW LICENSE

Open rate: 53.5%

42. Mother’s Day GIVEAWAY Winners!

Open rate: 51%

43. NEW FRIDAY FREEBIE + New release St. Patrick, scripture, Easter, Mermaid/Beach themes

Open rate: 35.7%

44. Free Easter Goodies on [Brand Name]

Open rate: 34.2%

45. WIN: THE X BAG! + LAST CHANCE TO ORDER BEFORE XMAS 

Open rate: 31.4%

46. Pumpkin Spice. Thanksgiving and Freebies

Open rate: 27.8%

47. End of summer BLOW OUT! Giveaway winners announced!

Open rate: 16.3%

48. Hey lucky duck: It’s your chance to win big with our exclusive giveaway

49. Win an amazing prize today! 🎁

50. Free goodies alert: Get in on the action

FOMO-based email subject lines

Roughly 70% of millennials have experienced the fear of missing out. Leverage this to your advantage with FOMO-inducing subject lines!

51. Expires at Midnight – Exclusive Thanksgiving Offer!

Open rate: 40%

52. ⏲️Tick tock. (early holiday up to 75% off )

Open rate: 39.08%

53. Last call for early Christmas deals 25% off

Open rate: 37.1%

54. Today Only! Green Monday? Apple Sale!

Open rate: 37%

55. Last-minute delivery 🚚

Open rate: 34%

56. Want it by Christmas?

Open rate: 34%

57. LAST DAY Independence Day Sale | up to 70% Off #3

Open rate: 23%

58. Once it’s gone, it’s gone

59. Act fast! Last chance to grab these deals

60. Hurry! Only 2 pieces left of product X

Discount email subject lines

Discount offer subject lines are a top motivation to buy for almost 40% of emailed customers. Make your price cuts known by writing a subject line for discount offers.

61. 3D Moon Lamp 😍 50% OFF(7 Days Shipping)

Open rate: 41.58%

62. SUMMER DISCOUNT!

Open rate: 38.5%

63. Psst !! Up to 75% OFF happening right now!

Open rate: 37.31%

64. Even more ✨ off – 75% OFF!!

Open rate: 36.78%

65. New Skis – Discount Skis – Cyber Monday Deals #4

Open rate: 33.7%

66. 25% OFF + Christmas shopping deals

Open rate: 29.67%

67. Thank you! 75% OFF for being an awesome customer

Open rate: 29.65%

68. A dazzling Valentine’s discount: Get 45% off all category X

69. Don’t forget this discount coupon on your next purchase

70. Exclusive discount: Save big with 40% off product Y

Free shipping subject lines

Your customers are always looking for a good deal, including free shipping options. Offer up your best with sweet, concise subject lines.

71. A Special Offer For Supporters – Free Shipping on The Man Behind the Maps!

Open rate: 38%

72. The Perfect Ski Gift 🎁 – Free Shipping on The Man Behind the Maps!

Open rate: 28%

73. 50% OFF or Free Shipping (YOUR CHOICE) ☺️

Open rate: 22%

74. SHIPPING INTERNATIONALLY? GET YOUR ORDER IN TODAY!

Open rate: 20%

75. Black Friday | Free Shipping Starts Now!

Open rate: 19%

76. ★ FREE SHIPPING! Black Friday Drops Now ★

Open rate: 19%

77. 40% Off & Free Shipping For One Day Only 🚚

Open rate: 19%

78. Zero shipping charges: We’re letting your wallet breathe

79. Free shipping, no minimum, today only

80. Free shipping fiesta: Free shipping on all orders for 3 days only!

Email marketing subject lines for a price drop

Nobody can resist a good deal, and with the right retail subject lines, neither will your customers. Make your price cuts clear with these inspirational subject lines.

81. Black Friday Warning: $9.99 Deals Selling Out Quick!

Open rate: 50%

82. Black Friday Deals EXTENDED Through Sunday!

Open rate: 40%

83. How About 40% OFF?

Open rate: 38%

84. Thank you! 75% OFF for being an awesome customer

Open rate: 29.65%

85. ⚡️ 25% Off EVERYTHING ⚡️ The Biggest Sale We’ve Ever Had

Open rate: 22%

86. Surprise! 25% Off Sitewide

Open rate: 22%

87. We made an Oops! ? Cyber Monday BOGO 50% Off!

Open rate: 17%

88. These products…for those prices…unbelievable!

89. Price drop alert: Shop smarter this Christmas

90. Click it or miss it: Huge price drop!

Back in stock email subject lines

Let your customers know what’s in stock and what isn’t with these best subject lines. As usual, keywords and verbs are paramount for increasing your open rate.

91. [Brand Name]’s back for fall

Open rate: 50.2%

92.  Hydras Back in Stock this Saturday!

Open rate: 48%

93.  Soleus Running Summer 2017

Open rate: 38.7%

94.  My Little Pony, IT, Tons Restocked

Open rate: 27%

95. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 In Stock NOW

Open rate: 32.1%

96. Just Landed – Stock Is Limited!

Open rate: 25%

97. Restock & New Items!

Open rate: 29.3%

98. Your favorite product is back in stock, at an affordable price

99. Restocked and ready: Product X is available now!

100. Product X is back! Grab it while it’s still available

Campaign & promotional subject lines

New collection email subject lines

100. New product arrivals in stock

102. New year, new goodies!

103. The new winter collection is live!

104. Autumn’s on the way – see what’s new

105. Don’t miss the new collection

106. Just in! A stunning new summer collection!

Limited-time offer subject lines

107. Expires at Midnight – Exclusive Offer!

108. LAST DAY – up to 70% Off

109. End of summer BLOW OUT!

110. Hurry: last minute free delivery 🚚

111. Only 2 days left! 50% off!

112. 50% off only for you! Offer ends tomorrow midnight

Automation subject lines (cart abandonment, win-back, welcome & more) 

Abandoned cart subject lines

113. Still shopping? (Take 20% off)

114. Your items are selling quickly.

115. Your cart is waiting (and lonely)

116. Did you forget something?

117. Complete your order now

118. Your fingerprints are all over this cart. Here’s 20% off

Welcome subject lines

119. Welcome! (Important info inside)

120. Welcome! Enjoy 20% off 💗

121. Thanks for subscribing! (psst, open me)

122. You’re one of us now!

123. Welcome info & your free gift 🎁

124.  Welcome (name): Your adventure with (company name) starts now

Win-back subject lines

125. We miss you! Have £10 on us

126. We miss you, [Name]

127. Did you miss these new products?

128. Would you like a 20% discount?

129. Treat yourself. You deserve it. 💗

130. Let’s rekindle the flame, here’s 50% off

Best email subject lines for sales: FAQ

1. Should I use emojis in my subject lines?

Emojis can be great for your brand, but they can also seem out of place.

The best question to ask is: do emojis fit into your brand personality?

If they do, then you should definitely use them. If not, A/B test it by adding one emoji in your subject line and monitoring the performance.

Related:

How to use emojis in subject lines

2. How long should an email subject line be?

Short subject lines vastly outperform longer ones. In one study, subject lines with just four words had nearly twice as many opens than those with eight words. 7 words and 41 characters is optimal.

If you aren’t sure how long your emails are, use our free Email subject line tester to check your length and character count easily.

3. How to make an attention-grabbing email subject line?

• They are concise (i.e. “Free Shipping TODAY”)
• They ask a question (i.e. “Ready For Black Friday?”)
• They sound urgent (i.e. “50% off sale today only”)
• They start with verbs or numbers (i.e. “Get the latest summer styles”)
• They use personalization (i.e. “Hey [name], ready for Halloween?”]

4. Will the word ‘free’ send my emails to spam?

No.

It’s true that companies sending spammy emails love to use the word ‘free,’ but that doesn’t mean all businesses using the word will wind up in a spam folder. It’s more about how you send emails, and how many subscribers unsubscribe from you (or report you as spam).

Speaking of spam, here’s how to avoid spam filters when sending ecommerce emails to customers.

5. Can I use all caps or exclamation marks? 

You can, just sparingly.

Putting a few words in caps is fine, but this should be the exception rather than the rule.

The same thing goes for exclamation marks. Try using just one exclamation mark instead of three to avoid coming off as angry. In most cases, a single mark will convey your message perfectly.

Useful resources for email marketing

Email marketing changes extremely fast, and so do strategies for creating the best email marketing subject lines. We recommend you check out our latest guides to update your strategy and create good email subject lines for sales:

• Easy holiday email newsletter ideas
• Halloween email subject line ideas
• Christmas email subject line ideas
• New Year email subject line ideas
• Newsletter ideas
• Best practices for abandoned cart emails
• Email preheader: explanation + best practices
• How to create a great email every time [+examples]
• Follow up subject ideas
• Upsell email subject ideas