Fall is here: Pumpkin spice lattes are back and the new school year is in full swing, which means our inboxes are alive with the sound of holiday sales. Yes, already.
Typically, email marketers get their holiday inspo from the prior season, but industry insights are now easier to access than ever. That’s how we’re able to catch design trends early and give you a sneak peek at what’s to come.
As a preview, we’ll share an example from three of the following categories, with each email sent in September 2026:
- Merry Berry Color Palettes
- Enticing Gift Guides
- Holiday How-Tos
You can access even more trends in the full 2026 Holiday Lookbook. Download a copy to share with your team.
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Want to search our database of epic emails? Inspire and inform your next big idea with Inbox Monster’s Research Suite.
Top Holiday Email Design Trends We’re Seeing
Merry Berry Color Palettes
Lancôme Rewards VIPs in Rose Gold
When your rewards program already has luxurious branding, bringing it into your holiday campaigns is a no-brainer. Cosmetics company Lancôme offers three membership tiers: rose gold, gold and platinum. So it makes sense to create a holiday collection with reds, pinks and metallic accents.
We love how the ribbons guide our eyes down the page to the CTA to show now. It’s like rolling out a literal red carpet to exclusive gifts.
Enticing Gift Guides
Itzy Ritzy Brings Magic to Little Ones
Email marketers may feel pressured to put their best offers above the email fold, especially as they look to stand out in the inbox. But this email from baby and lifestyle brand Itzy Ritzy proves you can inspire the scroll.
With playful, colorful pixels drawing the eye down, their holiday gift guide includes a variety of plushies and sensory blocks. Product photography in round frames adds much-appreciated whimsy to this campaign.
Holiday How-Tos
Macy’s Lets You Pick Your Decor Vibe
With so many aesthetics to choose from during the holiday season, retailer Macy’s offers a choose-your-own-adventure experience. The subject line, “Classic, colorful, or cool? Pick your holiday decor vibe,” makes opening the email engaging, and the headline, “3 ways to deck the hall with joy,” sets the agenda.
Whether customers are interested in diamond decadence, neon disco balls or evergreen nostalgia, this promotion has something for everyone. Cut through analysis paralysis and make holiday decorating delightfully easy.
Festive Email Creative for Your Next Holiday Campaign
You shouldn't have to wait a whole year to put your holiday campaign ideas into motion. Not when you can learn from the best right now.
For more seasonal email examples from top retail and e-commerce brands, download our 2026 Holiday Lookbook.
Want to access industry insights you can’t get anywhere else? Check out our Research Suite, the most epic email search engine for acting on visual inspiration and gaining a competitive edge.
The Research Suite offers a smarter way to curate creative trends, with over 56 million emails from 10,000+ world-leading brands in our proprietary network.
It’s your industry advantage to build better emails:
- Robust sending analytics and deliverability stats
- Search functionality by domain or subject line keywords
- Custom boards for campaign inspiration and planning
- Insights on ESPs, send volume and inbox placement rates
- Share boards to collaborate with teammates
Schedule a demo to see the Research Suite in action today.
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