This year, Labor Day shoppers looked everywhere for the best deal on their favorite brands. And while any retail company promoted their seasonal sale, not all Labor Day email experiences were created equal — or delivered the level of engagement top performers like The Container Store, Clinique, and Sephora did.

So, how did each of these industry leaders keep shoppers connected and excited about this year’s Labor Day deals?

The Container Store thinks outside the box to increase Labor Day engagement

It’s no secret that the world of retail is becoming increasingly mobile. To better connect with customers and capitalize on this trend, The Container Store kicked off its 2021 Labor Day email campaign with an SMS promotion that offered interested customers $5 off their purchase of $50 or more by opting into the brand’s mobile alert and messaging program.

But The Container Store didn’t stop its outside-of-the-box approach there. Because — rather than featuring traditional product recommendations — the brand added user-generated content like images and social media accounts of customers who were excited enough about their purchase to post it for the world to see online. Giving these typically static sales promotions an element of much-appreciated fun and surprise.

Christmas came early for Clinique customers this year

Everybody loves free stuff. But this Labor Day, Clinique used gift-giving to increase brand engagement by sending loyal shoppers a redeemable code to receive an extra special, timely present after making any purchase of $45 or more.

Beyond free stuff, however, Clinique’s Labor Day email campaign offered customers an incredible amount of value with every single send. From limited-time offers to personalized services to free shipping and flexible online payment options, Clinque made holiday shopping a breeze this year — and its loyal customers responded!

Sephora rewards customer loyalty with exclusive Labor Day offers

Rather than sitewide sales and discounts for every shopper, Sephora took a unique email approach by focusing on its loyalty program members. By offering special incentives like 500 extra rewards points for spending $50 or more, the retail personalization’s equivalent of royalty encouraged engagement and repeat purchases from the audience most likely to act: the brand’s biggest fans.

Something else that set Sephora’s Labor Day email apart from its competition was product recommendations. While the brand certainly wasn’t the only retailer to include them in this year’s holiday sends, Sephora was an industry favorite because it tied real-time product rankings on a one to five scale with every item suggested.

To cap the experience off, Sephora even included an exclusive invite to in-store member events — giving subscribers an easy way to find their closest participating location and increasing in-store traffic over the extended weekend.