American Eagle Outfitters email examples

American Eagle Outfitters begins with two welcome emails on day 0, including a 10% offer for select AE merchandise and a 10% offer covering select Aerie and AEO merchandise. The first subject line, "Extra 10% off just for YOU - welcome to AE!", makes the incentive unmistakable, while its preview text, "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", adds a relationship cue. The next day brings two more welcome emails, "Welcome to the Aerie fam 💚" and "Friend, welcome to the AE fam💙💙".

The cadence stays dense after that: three emails arrive on day 2, followed by one email each day from day 3 through day 7. The first two day 2 messages introduce bestsellers, then a sale email promotes jackets and coats. Later messages cover jeans, fall outfits, a first-purchase nudge, new arrivals, and sweatshirts.

Discount code is a design trait in 67% of the emails, and the offer format changes by message. The opening incentive is 10%, while later emails use language such as 30, 50% off jackets and coats, 35% off jeans and pants, an extra 20% off a first AE purchase, 30% off for Real Rewards members, and 50% off sweatshirts. Several emails include a promotional or discount code, and some pair a broad sale with an additional discount.

Preview text can supply urgency or qualification that the subject line leaves out. "+ 30-50% off ends soon" adds a deadline to the jackets subject, and "+ clock’s ticking! 30-50% off styles you need now⏳" makes the jeans message time-sensitive. The activation nudge uses "Get an extra 20% off your first AE purchase today", explicitly encouraging a first purchase. Email content also includes terms, exclusions, redemption details, and, in one welcome email, online or in-store use.

The subject lines mix direct merchandising with conversational phrasing: "You need our bestsellers", "Kick up your fall ‘fits", and "Not a regular jean, a cool jean 👖👀". Many use familiar language, second-person framing, or playful wording. Emoji appear in 50% of the subject lines, and the median subject line length is 33 characters.

Personalization appears in 75% of the emails. "Inside: best sellers we KNOW you'll love 🤩" and "Friend, these AE styles are so you!" connect recommendations to the subscriber, while product grids appear in the bestseller, activation, and sweatshirt emails. American Eagle Outfitters’ onboarding sequence contains eight emails, including welcome, onboarding, and activation-nudge messages.