Bust out the cake, confetti, and streamers. It’s birthday time.
This is one of the most special days of the year when everyone deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated. It’s also the perfect time for e-commerce brands to send a happy birthday email to their subscribers.
And research has found that this is something most people are insanely receptive to, with birthday emails having “179 percent higher unique click rates than promotional emails.”
Just think about it. Would you be more likely to open an email wishing you a happy birthday with some type of exclusive deal or discount? Or one with a shameless promotion that you have no interest in?
It’s obviously the former. Not only that, but birthday emails also have a 481 percent higher transaction rate and earn 342 percent more revenue than promotional emails. So this is definitely something you need to incorporate into your email marketing arsenal.
To understand how to do this effectively, I’m going to share with you some of the best happy birthday email examples I’ve come across from brands who have knocked it out of the park.
I’ll also point out specific elements of each email that make them winners, so you can apply those strategies to your own campaign. Now make a wish and blow out the candles—let’s go.
8 Happy Birthday Email Examples to Inspire Your Own
1. Puma
2. Birchbox
3. Nasty Gal
4. Stitch Fix
5. Sephora
6. Outdoor Voices
7. BarkBox
8. Need Supply
1. Puma
For a long time, Puma has been a leading athletic and casual fashion brand. Over the years, they’ve done a consistently great job of reaching their target audience through a variety of different mediums, and email is no exception.
I like this happy birthday email example because it gets straight to the point.

Source: ReallyGoodEmails
They use bold aesthetics with “Hip Hip Hooray” in large text at the top, along with a mix of birthday sprinkles and Puma shoes, which I think is pretty clever. This is a nice touch and gets readers in a celebratory mindset.
Just below that, they place a crystal clear offer of 20 percent off the reader’s next purchase, which should provide some strong incentive to buy. All they have to do is grab their code and redeem it when making a purchase. It’s super simple, and Puma leaves no room for confusion.
This example shows that less is often best, and you don’t need to do anything fancy for a happy birthday email to have a big impact.
2. Birchbox
We’ve just established that offering discounts can provide a strong incentive for readers to buy. Puma did that by offering 20 percent off.
But beauty and grooming subscription box company Birchbox takes another approach by giving a subscriber $10 off their next purchase of $50 or more.

All subscribers have to do is use the redemption code “BIRTHDAY” to cash in on the offer. This is a great way to pique the interest of readers and provides them with a convenient path for saving. And there are a couple of other things I love about this email.
It uses stunning visuals, with a light green background and gold present in the foreground, which immediately grab a reader’s attention. Also, Birchbox creates a sense of urgency by saying the offer is only valid until the end of the month.
They do it here…

And here.

It may not seem like that big of a deal, but research has found, “emails conveying a sense of urgency have twice as high transaction rates compared with average marketing emails.” So keep this in mind when deciding how long you want your offers to last, and let a subscriber know how long they have to redeem it.
3. Nasty Gal
Nasty Gal is an online women’s clothing and fashion accessories company that’s generated a massive following.
Just look at how many Instagram followers they currently have—4.5 million.

Killer branding is their specialty, and they’re always using strong visuals to create a unique vibe and win shoppers over. Take this image on their website, for example, which features a model lounging on a lawn chair in the desert surrounded by plastic pink flamingos.

It definitely creates a distinct aesthetic that their shoppers love. And Nasty Gal’s stunning visuals spill over into their emails as well.
In fact, this is one of the most visual-centric happy birthday email examples on this list. It features a model sporting one of Nasty Gal’s outfits and plenty of birthday balloons to create a nice ambiance.

This reaffirms the importance of making your emails look great and that it’s vital for grabbing a reader’s attention.
I also like that Nasty Gal uses superb copywriting that perfectly caters to their demographic of young women.

It’s fun and playful and ties in perfectly with the overall vibe of the email. This example also shows that you don’t always have to provide a discount to build rapport with readers.
Simply acknowledging their special day and showing that your e-commerce brand remembered is often all it takes to win them over. And as long as you’re clear about what action you want them to take (e.g., creating a straightforward CTA like this one), you should see a solid click-through rate.
4. Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix is an online styling service that’s gained quite a bit of attention as of late. They offer clothing that’s hand-selected by fashion experts based on a customer’s unique size and style.
It’s a cool concept where shoppers first take a style quiz, and then Stitch Fix sends them quality clothing they can try on at home before buying.

It’s another brand that goes heavy on visuals, with everything having a crisp, clean look. And their email campaign is no different.
This particular happy birthday email features a beautiful arrangement of some of Stitch Fix’s products and invites a subscriber to celebrate their special day by treating themselves to a “Fix” where they try on clothing at home and keep their favorites.
It looks amazing and is an instant attention grabber.

It incorporates succinct yet playful copywriting, saying a reader can “unwrap a box of new clothes and do a little birthday dance around the room.” It also has an excellent CTA that simply says, “Schedule Your Fix.”
The red color contrasts perfectly with the white background, which naturally attracts eyeballs and encourages a reader to visit the Stitch Fix website. So when you put it all together, it’s an incredibly well designed happy birthday email and one I’m sure many of their readers were receptive to.
5. Sephora
Sephora is one of the world’s leading personal care and beauty stores. They’ve got massive brand equity and a loyal legion of dedicated customers. Just check out their insane Instagram following of nearly 20 million.

They’re also experts at email marketing, and this is another happy birthday email example e-commerce brands can learn a lot from.

For starters, it’s ultra-personalized and addresses the reader by name with “Happy Birthday Suzie.” This is important because “personalized emails deliver six times higher transaction rates” than non-personalized emails.
The more segmenting you do, the better your outcome should be. And using a subscriber’s first name is one of the best ways to go about that.
Sephora also features an enticing offer, where a subscriber can receive a free gift during their birthday month. A lot of brands offer a discount, but not many straight-up offer a gift for free. So that’s something that should capture the attention of many subscribers.
To ensure that a reader knows exactly what comes in this free gift, Sephora breaks it down so there’s no confusion.

While this isn’t a move that’s viable for every brand, and you need to think about the impact it will have on overall revenue, it’s certainly something to consider.
If a small gift like this is the catalyst for repeat sales, it can be well worth it in the long run. And needless to say, the visuals are top-notch in this email and do a great job of providing the eye candy needed to get a subscriber interested.
6. Outdoor Voices
The first thing a reader notices in this happy birthday email from activewear company Outdoor Voices is the animated images.

It’s nothing over the top, but adding just a touch of animation like this helps this email stand out and warrants more attention than if it only used static images. So I definitely recommend playing around with your design and including animation whenever it makes sense.
The second thing that stands out is the sheer simplicity. By no means did Outdoor Voices reinvent the wheel with this birthday email. In fact, this is the most straightforward example on this list.
But they did a great job at creating what feels like a heartfelt message wishing subscribers the best on their special day. This goes to show that you don’t always need to go all out with your copywriting. As long as you come across as being genuine, readers should appreciate it and be responsive to your email.
Lastly, Outdoor Voices made it super simple for a subscriber to redeem their 20 percent off discount. All they have to do is grab their code, and they’re all set. Remember, the less friction there is, the more likely a reader is to make a purchase.
So always be aware of how much cognitive expenditure it takes to figure out what’s being offered and how much effort it takes to complete the desired action.
7. BarkBox
This next example doesn’t celebrate the birthday of a human. Instead, it celebrates their dog’s special day. BarkBox is an e-commerce brand that offers a monthly subscription service providing dog products that are delivered right to a customer’s door.
Here are some of their satisfied customers.

I like this email for three main reasons. First, it’s fun and playful and does a great job of capturing the BarkBox brand image. Just check out this cute pup who’s chomping away at a birthday hat.

Second, it features two relevant products that readers may be interested in. There’s the “Happy Barkday Pup-Pie.”

And there’s a “Benebone,” which is a delicious chew toy that dogs just can’t resist.

This allows readers to conveniently make a purchase directly through the email, or they can shop all products. Third, they create a sense of urgency by putting a specific deadline when the offer expires.

As I mentioned before, creating urgency can have a huge impact on your transaction rate and is definitely something to consider adding. Add all of that up, and this is a really solid happy birthday email that I’m sure many pet owners will appreciate.
8. Need Supply
This final example from vintage clothing company Need Supply isn’t a conventional happy birthday email example. Rather, it’s an email that apologizes for missing a subscriber’s birthday, which I think is really clever.

It takes a very personalized and warm approach, using charming copywriting, and lets a subscriber know they can get 20 percent off their next purchase. And this probably isn’t the type of email people expect to receive from an e-commerce brand.
It’s lighthearted where Need Supply treats them like they’re a good friend and feels bad about missing their birthday.
So this is a great example of what you can do if you happen to miss a reader’s birthday but still want to deepen your relationship and present them with an offer.
Conclusion
Nearly everyone wants to be remembered on their birthday. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or colleague taking the time to appreciate them, or one of their favorite e-commerce brands, most people will appreciate it.
These happy birthday email examples show there are a variety of ways to go about this and feature multiple strategies you can use to connect with readers on their special day.
Hopefully, you’ve walked away with some good ideas so you can maximize your click-through rate, boost sales, and, most importantly, create deeper, long-lasting relationships that lead to repeat business.
What type of offer do you want from a brand on your birthday?
FAQs
How do you write happy birthday in an email? ›
Some example emails you could use:
I am writing to wish you a happy birthday. I hope that you enjoy the day. Many happy returns!
“Happy Birthday, and best wishes for the coming year!” “Wishing you a happy birthday and a prosperous year ahead.” “The entire staff wishes you a wonderful birthday and a fantastic year.” “My friend, happy birthday!
What is the best message for birthday? ›- “The day is all yours — have fun!”
- “Happy birthday to my ride or die. ...
- “Thinking of you on your birthday and wishing you everything happy.”
- “Best wishes on your birthday – may you have many, many more.”
- “Cheers to you for another trip around the sun!”
- “Today is about you. ...
- “Happy birthday!
Sending a happy birthday email humanizes your business. It's also an easy way to show your customers you appreciate them. Customers like receiving them, too — birthday email sent through Square Marketing has an open rate of 61%.
How do you write happy birthday in words? ›- Hope you have a very Happy Birthday, [NAME]! ...
- Happy Birthday! ...
- On your birthday, I celebrate you and the special place you have in my heart. ...
- Wishing you a blessed year and a wonderful day!
- Enjoy this special day in celebration of a most wonderful you!
- You sustained one more year. Congrats!
- I wish you a happier birthday than anyone else has wished you.
- Didn't we just celebrate this like a year ago?
- Happy birthday, champ.
- Don't count the candles, enjoy your day.
- Happy you day.
- Age is just a number.
- I'm glad you were born.
HBD is an acronym for Happy Birthday.
How do you say happy birthday in 2022? ›Here's to celebrating a special person. Happy birthday! I feel so blessed to be friends with someone as smart, witty and kind as you. Your life is a gift from God, and I thank him for the many blessings you bring to my life.
Should you email your birthday? ›It's a bad practice. Using any personal information in an email address, and using your birth year can leave you open to ageism, or identify you as a target for scammers. Email addresses should have your full name, nickname or some small variation of those.
Should I use my birthday in my email? ›For both safety and ageism reasons – don't use your birth year in an email address. Avoid addresses that include a nickname, hobby, pet's name, or any other personal information. You don't want to showcase something that could lead to discrimination or give a bad impression.
Why is birthday so important? ›
A day to celebrate how much you love and appreciate them
Birthdays are important because they give everyone a day to feel special and see how much those around them love them. Many cultures say that your birthday is more than just a special day of the year.
May your birthday be filled with laughter! May you have a fantastic day and many more to come! I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I wish you all the best on your special day.
How do you write a deep birthday message? ›- You make each day special just by being yourself. I hope your birthday is as special as you are.
- You are the most generous and fun-loving person I know. ...
- Thanks for being a gentle and kind mentor to us all. ...
- You are an inspiration to everyone. ...
- You are a shining example for all of us.
“Wishing you a day filled with happiness and a year filled with joy. Happy birthday!” “Sending you smiles for every moment of your special day…Have a wonderful time and a very happy birthday!” “Hope your special day brings you all that your heart desires!
What is a fancy word for birthday? ›birthdate | date of birth |
---|---|
anniversary | DOB |
natal day | name day |
We would say, as others have noted, “Happy birthday in advance”. I would like to wish you happy birthday in advance. Or you could say “If I don't see you on the day, let me wish you a happy birthday now”. Or, “I hear it's your birthday tomorrow — many happy returns of the day!”
Should you tell everyone it's your birthday? ›As other answerers pointed out, you can bring it in a casual conversation. If there is any celebration, event, whatever, the same day, talk about it and mention your birthday is the same day. You can mention it more or less obviously.
Is it correct to say happy birthday to them? ›Well, it should be “Happy Birthday to both of you”. If you're wishing them through social networks, you can upload their photos with captions like “Happy Birthday Buddies”, “Wishing a very Happy Birthday to (name) and (name)”, “Happy Birthday Buddies, may both of you celebrate the day at fullest and may God bless you”.
Is birthday letter formal or informal? ›Answer: Birthday letters are generally informal as they are usually addressed to family members and close friends.
What makes a good email address? ›- Don't use numbers. Numbers are often at the end of email addresses to fulfill the unique requirements for free email providers. ...
- Keep it short. ...
- Make it easy to remember. ...
- Make sure it's pronounceable. ...
- Use “.” or “-” to separate words. ...
- Make it relevant.
What should my personal email be? ›
Characteristics Of Good Email Names:
They comprise your first and last name. They are short, easy to pronounce, and remember. Good email names do not contain random numbers & special characters — except dot, underscores & hyphens.
If you are a professional and your email address is continuously in use for work purposes, then I would recommend using your full name. But if you are not a professional and want to create your email address for experimentation, you can only choose your first name to add.
How do you feel in your birthday? ›It's a reminder to appreciate the people who matter in my life. I want to be DELIGHTED that I get to know them and celebrate with them. I want to celebrate birthdays of people I've lost. I want to pause to honor them, reminisce, and APPRECIATE how much they added to my life.
How do you celebrate someone's birthday? ›- Fill their room with balloons. ...
- Do a birthday countdown. ...
- Make a birthday present scavenger hunt. ...
- Dress them in special birthday attire. ...
- Transform their chair into a birthday throne. ...
- Or make them an entire birthday castle. ...
- Give them the gift of quality time.
Celebration is an ancient ritual. It gives us a way to feel good about ourselves, and our accomplishments. When we celebrate we are reinforcing something important to us. Without it we simply maintain the status quo and candidly have a lot less fun.
How do I send a birthday message on Gmail? ›- Set up a spreadsheet. The first step is to compile a list of names, emails, and birthdays into a Google Spreadsheet. ...
- Find an extension, or write your own formula. Now, you have to find a Google extension that automates this process. ...
- Create the script to send the email.
Be direct and express your wishes for the person, but do not over-exaggerate with superfluous praise. You want the letter to be genuine and true. Include a small section on your history with that person - what they mean to you, and what you have been through together.
How do you post a birthday caption? ›- "Today, we celebrate me."
- "I didn't choose this birthday, this birthday chose me."
- "Cheers to a day as special as me."
- "Nothing can stop me this year."
- "Getting older but my inner child is ageless."
- "Would it really be my birthday if I didn't take a selfie?"
- "Cake is my happy place."
- Talk about something funny that has happened in the past year when you were together.
- Add in deeper feelings about your relationship.
- Include an inside joke only you and your friend will understand.
- Share a famous quote.
- Use compliments.