Gift cards are a worthwhile additional revenue opportunity for your store, and there’s no finer way to promote them than email. The best gift card email examples use creativity, urgency, and FOMO to capture customers at key shopping moments.
Whether you send gift card emails to subscribers on seasonal occasions like Thanksgiving or to customers who ticked the gift wrap option at checkout, you need a professional template and a few design best practices to encourage sales.
Join us below to discover seven gift card email templates and expert tips to create campaigns that achieve your sales goals.
Get started with Omnisend to create gift card emails that drive sales
A gift card email is a targeted marketing communication that drives electronic or physical gift card sales to your customers. There’s an additional opportunity to use gift card emails beyond direct sales with gift card rewards for reviews, referrals, or significant purchases.
Gift cards are top-sellers during holidays and special events because they give your customers an easy way to solve gifting challenges. Plus, they are more thoughtful than cash and reinforce your brand as a personally recommended shopping destination.
The best gift card emails are visually appealing, clearly communicate value, showcase product options, and make purchasing and sending effortless for customers.
For instance, your email could have a prominent “Buy Now” button, showcase a range of gift card denominations, and include compelling visuals highlighting the ease and excitement of giving a gift card from your brand.
7 gift card email examples
Start building your email using Omnisend’s newsletter templates, and use the gift card email examples below to refine your messaging and offers:
Popcorn kit retailer Popsmith uses the gift card email subject line “Let them choose…” to empower recipients with personalization and freedom of choice.
Opening the email reveals a vibrant red background and a yellow CTA button, creating an eye-catching, high-contrast visual experience.
Bold, capitalized headings create visual impact, while the content communicates the promotional offer of a bonus gift card for the sender and recipient, promoting flexibility and value to encourage purchases.
What you can learn from it
Gift card promotions are most effective when they give all parties tangible value. Offering a bonus incentivizes purchases and creates a win-win scenario for customers.
2. Hestan
Subject line: “For the father that has it all…”
Image via Really Good Emails
Kitchen and cookware brand Hestan targets last-minute gift shoppers seeking a thoughtful, personalized solution with the subject line “For the father that has it all…”
Bold orange headings and a focused message highlight the gift card’s convenience for Father’s Day shopping. The content spotlights the ease of selecting and sending a digital gift card.
The design uses a clean white and orange palette to create a professional, appetizing visual that aligns with the brand’s culinary focus.
What you can learn from it
Your gift card marketing could address a specific gifting challenge, like finding the perfect present for someone with everything. Personalization and convenience are selling points you can use to boost gift card sales in Father’s Day emails and other seasonal messages.
3. Adùn
Subject line: “pssst.. 10% OFF RN 🔥”
Image via Really Good Emails
Adùn’s playful “pssst.. 10% OFF RN 🔥” subject line creates excitement with an emoji and transforms a standard gift card sale into an urgent, insider-feeling promotion.
The email’s striking design and cheeky tone create a narrative around gift card purchasing, with a compelling discount offer and multiple justification scenarios.
The cream and red color palette creates visual drama, with strategic typography and informal language breaking traditional marketing conventions. The design feels more like a friend’s insider tip than a corporate communication.
What you can learn from it
The unconventional approach demonstrates how gift card marketing can leverage humor, urgency, and strategic discounting to drive engagement. Playful messaging can make financial transactions feel more personal and entertaining.
4. Hipcamp
Subject line: “There’s still time: Give the gift of the outdoors”
Image via Really Good Emails
Outdoor experience platform Hipcamp uses urgency and experiential marketing with the subject line “There’s still time: Give the gift of the outdoors.”
The email’s minimalist design focuses on the core message of giving memorable experiences with a clean layout, a strategically placed gift card visual, and messaging that encourages personal choice.
A cream, black, and red palette creates a natural, understated aesthetic that aligns perfectly with Hipcamp’s outdoor-focused brand identity.
What you can learn from it
Use urgency and early bird subject lines to enhance open rates. To prompt sales, try evoking emotional value beyond transactional purchases. For instance, you could follow Hipcamp’s lead and sell an opportunity for adventure, connection, and personal discovery.
5. Beysis
Subject line: “No Time? Give Mum A Gift Card!”
Image via Really Good Emails
Personalized gift retailer Beysis crafts a relatable, guilt-alleviating subject line with “No Time? Give Mum A Gift Card!” that speaks directly to last-minute shoppers.
The email’s conversational tone and playful design transform potential gift-giving anxiety into a lighthearted, understanding moment. The white “It’s never too late” heading captures the brand’s empathetic approach.
A peach, pink, and white palette creates a warm, maternal aesthetic that complements the emotional messaging and Mother’s Day theme.
What you can learn from it
You can turn last-minute panic into a marketing opportunity. Acknowledging human imperfection creates a genuine, problem-solving narrative that resonates more deeply than traditional sales pitches.
6. On
Subject line: “☁️ No present? No worries.”
Image via Really Good Emails
Running gear and apparel brand On uses the playful cloud emoji and the casual subject line “☁️ No present? No worries.” to transform gift-giving anxiety into an effortless solution.
The email’s minimalist design, greyish-blue background, and conversational copy create a relaxed, problem-solving narrative that positions the digital gift card as an easy solution to last-minute shopping stress.
What you can learn from it
Brand-reinforcing emojis and conversational copy can turn gift-giving anxiety into a strategic marketing moment. Acknowledging customer pain points with a playful, solution-oriented approach can help you sell more gift cards.
7. JUDY
Subject line: “Buy, print, & give”
Image via Really Good Emails
Emergency preparedness brand JUDY uses the straightforward subject line “Buy, print, & give” to highlight the simplicity of its gift card purchasing process.
The email’s clean design includes a unique curvy text header and a step-by-step guide that demystifies the gift card-buying experience. The content focuses on making the gifting process as uncomplicated as possible.
The minimalist white background and typography create a sense of clarity and ease, perfectly aligning with the brand’s mission of simple, essential preparedness.
What you can learn from it
Brand-reinforcing simplicity and direct communication can transform gift card marketing into an intuitive, stress-free experience. Consider breaking down the process into clear steps to remove barriers to purchase.
Benefits of sending gift card emails
Gift card promotional emails capture revenue from undecided shoppers and urgent gift-givers. Your automated campaigns convert these hesitant buyers into sales while expanding your customer base through recipient activation.
Here’s why you should send gift card emails:
1. Boost sales and revenue
Your gift card sales secure immediate revenue regardless of when recipients redeem their cards. You could also find that users explore premium products, using their gift balance as part-payment towards something of greater value.
Pairing your gift card promotions with showcases of your most popular products can further boost your ecommerce sales. If you do subscriptions, consider upselling to gift card holders to turn one-time purchases into recurring revenue.
2. Attract new customers
Existing customers expand your reach by introducing your brand to fresh audiences through gift cards. These pre-qualified visitors arrive with both spending power and genuine interest in exploring your product range.
Building specific welcome journeys for gift card recipients, perhaps with bundles and product recommendations, can convert these warm leads into loyal repeat customers.
3. Drive holiday and seasonal sales
Holiday shoppers gravitate toward gift cards when faced with shipping cutoffs and out-of-stock seasonal items. Quite simply, they capture customers at their biggest time of need.
You can confidently prepare for holiday marketing, knowing that digital gift cards never sell out and arrive instantly. Strategic promotion during peak seasonal moments captures revenue you might otherwise lose to shipping delays.
4. Promote flexibility and convenience
Shoppers appreciate gift cards because they act as a flexible discount across your entire catalog. You’re giving recipients the freedom to apply their balance partially to larger purchases or spend it all at once.
Gift cards can also work seamlessly for in-store and online shopping, letting customers split their balance across multiple categories and visits.
5. Encourage immediate engagement
Limited-time bonuses and early access offers drive faster gift card purchase decisions from your subscriber base.
Pairing gift card promotions with exclusive previews and time-sensitive perks will strengthen customer engagement further. Strategically sending around key shopping moments captures customers when they’re most likely to buy.
18 gift card email subject lines you can steal
Your gift card email subject lines should be under 40 characters (including spaces) to display correctly on all devices. Emojis are a good addition to replace words and capture attention — but don’t use too many, as they can look spammy.
The gift card email examples and catchy subject lines we’ve shared are designed to help you generate revenue and expand your customer base through strategic automation and targeted messaging.
By catering to urgent customer needs during peak shopping periods and promoting the flexibility and convenience of gift cards, your campaign can deliver consistent sales throughout the year.
With Omnisend’s advanced automation tools, you can set up these campaigns and monitor your open and click-through rates to see what’s working well. Omnisend provides all the metrics you need to help you understand and maximize your campaign performance.
Join Omnisend to turn gift card emails into a significant revenue stream
Karolina is a content project manager and team lead at Omnisend, where she blends creative strategy with a keen focus on competitive intelligence. Outside of work, Karolina finds balance through her love of gardening, exploring new hiking trails, biking, and raising a bunch of boys.
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