Following a walk down memory lane with Tiffany & Co. and an election campaign from REVOLVE, the October edition of our Email of the Month series is something seasonal from rue21.

I’ll admit it, I live for anything Halloween. There are endless opportunities to have fun with the holiday and clever marketers can entertain their audiences while simultaneously boosting the bottom line for their brands.

This year, I am obsessed with this rue21 email.

rue21 got me with the subject line, sent on October 31: $5 SHIPPING + 31% OFF ENTIRE SITE . It’s easy to fall back on cliched wordplays like “trick or treat” or “spooktacular savings” when promoting a Halloween sale. I love how the retailer told me exactly what I’d be getting in the email — a super enticing offer, too — while sprucing it up with some jack-o-lantern holiday cheer. The preheader took it a step further, letting customers know that there were “deals so good, we basically did magic”. On brand and on theme. 10/10 from me.

Inside the message, rue21 greeted customers with a timer counting down the seconds until the $5 shipping ended. That was a smart move, considering countdown timers in emails have been known to increase revenue by more than 110% for major ecommerce brands. Once that deal was over, rue21 swapped the timer out for an image wishing us a Happy Halloween.

The discount was revealed with an animated GIF of a crystal ball and more clever copy, along with a call-to-action to shop now. There’s something magical about brightening a customer’s day by making them feel seen and valued. Engaging experiences and relevant content have been shown to increase brand loyalty, and ultimately revenue, time and again. With this email, marketers at rue21 proved they know how to surprise and delight their customers with emails they won’t forget.