11 Mystery Sale Emails With Magnificent Design

We love emails that make us want to tap or click — like on a one-question survey, hamburger menu, or another fun interactive element. Lately, we've spotted a lot of mystery sale emails that invite us to unveil a mystery code, item, or promotion. They're a fun spin on the usual promotional message, creating a bit of intrigue and a sense of playfulness, and with the holiday season upon us, mystery emails might be just the creative tactic you need to cut through the noise. Check out these 11 mystery sale emails for inspiration.

Harry's

Subject: New Mystery Item. That's all we can say.

Step one of a successful mystery email? Mention the mystery in the subject line to get readers curious, and don't give away too much in the email itself. This email from Harry's is super fun and mysterious — the only hint is that it's a product worth at least $5. Design-wise, Harry's does a great job of using an HTML background color alongside images, so the email is seamlessly deep teal, with live text, a custom bulletproof button, and a bit of animation.

Moo

Subject: Are you feeling lucky?

This email from MOO takes mystery to a whole other level — we aren't sure what revealing our "score" will mean, but there's only one way to find out! The message leverages great HTML background colors, plain text, and a compelling CTA notably placed above the image.

Loft

Subject: This may come back to haunt you...

This Halloween email from Loft succeeds with great copy and a simple animation. It's all one image, though, so if you build an email like this, it's worth including a fallback, alt text, and moving the CTA button into a new module so it can stand on its own as a bulletproof element.

General Assembly

Subject: It's here: Our Black Friday mystery sale

Mystery emails go hand in hand with animated GIFs, apparently! Animation emphasizes the playfulness of these intriguing messages and adds a little delight to the inbox. This one from General Assembly is perfectly designed to fit the season.

Grammarly

Subject: LAST CHANCE: This Mystery Sale Ends in 2 Days

Here's a beauty of a mystery email from Grammarly. This time, it's part mystery, part reminder email, one in a series of a drip campaign. The message follows a classic inverted pyramid layout, starting with an image (GIF!), then a few lines of copy, followed by a CTA. It also employs a fixed-width layout, which means the background color of the body of the email is white while the border is light gray, making the central part of the email look "boxed."

Teavana

Subject: Everyone Loves a Mystery Deal!

It's a mystery email without animation! And it's still just as stunning. This email's high quality photography, ample white space, large type, and easy-to-spot CTA buttons make it pleasant to look at.

Tarte

Subject: SURPRISE DEAL INSIDE

Tarte's mystery sale email includes a roulette-inspired GIF. If your mystery promotion varies for recipients — some folks get one discount while others get another — using a roulette animation is a fun way to make it feel like a game.

Logitech

Subject: Your Mystery Coupon Expires TODAY – Up to 25% Off

Here's another wheel from Logitech! There are great contrasting colors used here, so each part of this email-in-motion is easy to read and fun to look at.

Sperry

Subject: FINAL HOURS: Up to 30% off - Mystery Sale

And for good measure, here's one last wheel from Sperry.

Lucky Brand

Subject: Our Mystery sale is back for ONE MORE DAY!

We love this GIF from Lucky Brand, though it is essentially a single-image email (not a design best practice). The copy before and after the animation, along with the CTA, could easily be designed in-email instead of baked into an image.

MAC

Subject: LAST CHANCE to Get a Haute Mystery Haul for Only $49 ($95.50+ value)

One last email to round us out! Here's a black-and-white mystery message from MAC.

Wrap-up

There are tons of ways to design your mystery sale email, and we hope these examples leave you feeling inspired! Get designing, and have fun!