Animated GIF Email Examples

Even two frames in a GIF can go a long way. Nike combines a fairly simple email design with an animated GIF to show the high and low versions of the Air Force 1 Flax model that are back in stock. This simple GIF catches the recipient’s attention more than two static images would, and the accompanying email text “they’re back” leaves no doubt that this is a back-in-stock announcement email.

Take a look at razor company, Harry’s, approach to using GIFs for email. They created an animated GIF to tell the story of a bearded man on a hot summer’s day who’s sweating profusely but then finds relief by quickly shaving. It’s quite an advanced GIF and yet Harry’s manages to keep it at optimal image size.

Also nice is that the email copy that goes with the GIF shares the same tip for those recipients whose email client isn’t showing them the GIF.

GIFs have the ability to put a product out in the real world. Brands have an opportunity to use GIFs to explain the functionality of an item or its durability. Shoe brand Hush Puppies uses an animated GIF to demonstrate the waterproof feature of their ‘worry-free suede’ by showing how drops of water simply roll off the shoe instead of getting sucked into the fabric.

Headspace‘s email design here is pretty simple. Thanks to the dark grey text on a white background with a rather subtle CTA button, all attention goes to the two GIFs. The first simply visualizes the intro of the email stating that with meditation, it’s important to show up.

The second GIF is more interesting, as it shows new customers how they can start using the Headspace app. The entire animated GIF displays as the screen of a mobile phone, taking you through the app and all of its features.

Jewelry brand Zales‘s email is already pretty image-heavy, so they turned one of their main images into an animated GIF that draws the recipient’s attention to different products. A static image follows to give the reader’s eyes some rest before Zales uses another GIF where each frame represents one of the people on your list to buy a holiday gift for. As the frame changes, each item on the checklist is checked off.

We love how Blume used a product-relevant animated GIF in this email to add a funny touch to their product promotion. While the GIF is funny on its own, the people who recognize which 90s movie it’s from, just happen to be in the age group Blume is probably targeting with their Daydreamer Cream, which makes the GIF even more entertaining.

Activewear brand Beyond Yoga does an amazing job using GIFs to show subscribers how they can combine different products to create good-looking sports outfits. The separate GIFs for tops and bottoms are created in such a way that the recipient gets to see a different top, then a different bottom, then the top changes again, and so on, until they’ve seen several outfits they may want to get their hands on. Each product type – tops and bottoms – has its own call-to-action, increasing Beyond Yoga’s click-through rates as shoppers can click the CTA that most matches their interest.

This is a great strategy for when you’re selling different types of products that can be used together.

Gifting brand Greetable uses a GIF to show customers how to use the new feature they’ve been asking for for years. The start frame announces that it’s now possible to schedule gift delivery, while the following three frames have a clear “step 1”, “step 2”, and “step 3” at the top that make clear just how easy it is to schedule the delivery of a gift.

Not only is using a GIF like this a fun way to share news, it also makes it very easy for the recipient to take action.

Make your promotional messaging entertaining and on-brand by adding GIFs to emails. We love how Food52 presented their 1-day offer with a GIF that illustrates how customers can use the stovetop smoker on offer and the bag of wood-smoking chips they’ll get for free to cook a delicious meal.

The accompanying text gives more information about the sale and is followed by a customer review that adds some social proof, making this a well-rounded sales email.

If you are running a holiday campaign consider using animated GIFs to make emails more fun and get customers excited about your service. Delivery service Postmates used this interesting Halloweeny GIF to promote the dark mode in their app. They made it even more enticing by having a special offer appear as soon as night falls over the scene in the GIF.

Hawthorne creates custom wellness packages for men based on the information customers provide them with. The brand realizes it can be scary for some people to pay for products an AI will be choosing for them, so they reassure their subscribers through an email series that answers frequently asked questions, such as this one.

The GIF in the email clearly shows how the pondering recipient receives a message from Hawthorne support to tell him that they’ll retailor his order until he’s happy with it or give him a full refund. Note also how this GIF displays the entire message and no information would get lost if the recipient’s email client shows it as a static image.