Optimizing Customer Communication: Using Emails for Events and Activations
Miguel Nicolás
10/06/2025
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Sending emails about brand events and activations, as long as they are optimized, can make a difference in eCommerce.
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Everything in eCommerce is connected through multichannel strategies. It is a complex ecosystem in which all channels serve the same purpose: to sell. That is why it is important to be able to turn any action into a digital asset, including events.We continue with our blog post series on optimizing customer communication. To our previous posts on promotional emails, newsletters, reactivation, feedback, outreach, relational emails, and surveys, we add this special edition on how and why to communicate our events through email marketing.How are we going to do it? In the most effective way: through examples. We will mainly use real emails from online stores, but we will also include some from other types of brands whose structure and strategy can be directly applied to your eCommerce marketing.
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What are emails for events and activations and why use them
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In fact, it is a concept that can be a bit misleading, so let’s start by defining what we mean when we talk about events and activations.1.- By events, we mean any action, seasonal, recurring, or one-off, that gathers a certain number of people for a specific purpose. For example: a special sale, a launch, an awards ceremony, a training session… Events can be either offline or online.2.- A brand activation, however, is specifically an offline promotional event, or at least one whose goal is to generate brand awareness.So, we are talking about all those actions that we carry out more or less in parallel to the daily operations of the store, but which aim to increase sales and build the brand in the long term.This means that by communicating events and activations to our customers, we are working on:
- Engagement: all emails that offer added value (an offer, a private sale, training, invitation...) will be well received by the community. These emails have higher open rates and much more reader interaction.
- Loyalty: by including activations and events in our email flows, we are providing customer with communications that are not so sales-driven. This makes them more receptive to our other emails, helps them feel closer to the brand, and ultimately reduces email unsubscribe rates (churn rate).
- Audience definition: we can create events for high average-ticket customers, to reactivate or win back former clients, based on interests or purchase history of a specific segment... possibilities are almost endless. Events are usually themed, allowing us to segment the audiences we want to reach very effectively and, additionally, to better understand our users.
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Examples of Event and Activation Emails
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These real examples, though not all strictly from eCommerce, help us identify the main insights of this type of email, and you will quickly see how they can be applied to your email marketing strategy.
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#1 – Bringing Your Product Closer to the Audience
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Peloton sells gym equipment like treadmills, stationary bikes, and similar products. These types of products pose some challenges in eCommerce, mainly because they are expensive and bulky.Many customers do not want to risk buying something like this without trying it first. And let’s face it, for the company, handling returns can be a logistics nightmare.What’s the solution?A showroom (and good communication to draw in the public).
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We like this event email because:
- It removes barriers and friction: not just by inviting to the showroom, but also by its approach—focused on proximity ("near you"), education ("learn more"), and simplicity on all levels, including financing options.
- It subtly personalizes the experience, even indirectly. It is essentially inviting you to get professional advice to help configure your bike.
- It builds anticipation and trust in the brand, even for people who cannot attend a showroom nearby, because, as they clearly say: Peloton is expanding every day.
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#2 – Extending the Experience
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Often, shopping is more than just buying a product. The cosmetics brand Press knows this very well.So much so that they organize paid events where their clients enjoy a day of wellness that ultimately is also a declaration of principles and a healthy lifestyle. A shared vision that leads them to buy certain types of products.
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We like this event email because:
- It builds community: it invites women to an experience worth sharing—both among themselves and on social media.
- It is exclusive and urgent: the repeated use of the word “club” is no accident, nor is the frequent use of calls to action like “reserve your spot now,” “tickets sell out quickly,” or “book your ticket now.” The fact that it is a paid event not only helps cover costs, but reinforces the sense of exclusivity.
- It conveys authority: beyond a sense of “activism” that empowers women, the event includes talks and discussions that strengthen the brand’s authority. On top of that, they highlight the competitive advantages of their products and include logos of media outlets and organizations that their audience knows and respects.
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#3 – Brand Positioning
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Speaking of authority, the next example is a perfect fit. Let’s take a look at how Veja does it.If you are not familiar with this sneaker brand, they are known for using sustainable materials and ensuring social justice in their sourcing and production processes.
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We like this event email because:
- It builds brand positioning through substance: they could have filled the page with plant illustrations and happy communities picking cotton, but instead they chose to present a more serious, knowledge-based vision.
- Behind the scenes: it is clear that the talk will be led by relevant people from the market and the company, and that we will get transparent insight into the brand’s processes.
- It captures leads or defines target audiences: by asking for registration, Veja not only manages the event but also collects valuable data for medium- and long-term strategies.
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#4 – Pop-up Stores
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Sometimes, events also help directly sell our products. Let me show you an interesting example from another cosmetics brand.The name of this eCommerce is Hero Cosmetics, a U.S. brand specifically targeting skincare products for young people and teens. This is obvious when you look at their messaging and packaging design.
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We like this event email because:
- It is clearly informative: it explains exactly what the pop-up store event is about, and where and when you can visit them.
- The main call to action is not commercial: the goal of this email is to gain followers/subscribers, hence the double “follow us” button.
- It does not lose sight of online sales: even though it is way down the scroll, the hero product is there and can be added to the cart directly.
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Are you already optimizing your customer communication using emails for your events and brand activations?