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Automotive Brands Marketing Emails

QUARTERLY INDUSTRY BENCHMARK

Automotive Email Marketing Report
Q1 2025 (Jan-March)

The Data-Backed Strategies Behind Top Brands

We analyzed email campaigns from popular Automotive brands over 3 months. This playbook highlights key trends in send times, frequency, subject lines, and CTAs to help you optimize your email campaigns.

Disclaimer

This report is based on data collected from publicly available email campaigns sent by Automotive brands between January and March 2025 to a random subscriber. While we strive for accuracy in our analysis, individual results may vary based on specific audience demographics, market conditions, and other factors. The strategies outlined in this report should be tested and adapted to your unique business needs. TargetBay is not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this report unless explicitly stated. All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.

The Brands We Analyzed

Our comprehensive analysis covers leading eCommerce brands in the Automotive industry. We’ve tracked their email marketing strategies to identify trends and best practices. Here are the brands we analyzed.

pep boys
55
Brand
Emails Sent
Emails in Inbox
Emails in SPAM
Anastasia Beverly Hills
28
28
-
Aveda
145
136
9
Avon
44
-
44
Bareminerals
97
97
-
Bath & Body Works
114
114
-
Bluemercury
48
48
-
Bobbiebrown.com
99
99
-
Burt's Bees
28
28
-
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
79
79
-
Clinique
130
130
-
Colourpop
65
65
-
Cover Girl Cosmetics
5
5
-
Dr.Jart
67
67
-
E.L.F. Cosmetics
41
41
-
Estee Lauder
124
124
-
Glossier
53
53
-
Juvia
20
20
-
Kylie Cosmetics
30
4
26
Laura Mericer Cosmetics
67
67
-
Maybelline
14
14
-
Moroccanoil
61
61
-
Morphe
7
7
-
Oribe Hair Care
33
30
3
Ouai
33
33
-
Rarebeauty
23
23
-
Tarte
45
45
-
The Body Shop America
16
15
1
Too Faced Cosmetics
13
13
-
Ulta Beauty
13
13
-
WetNWild Beauty
8
5
3

Key Data Insights from Automotive Email Campaigns

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1. Email Send Time & Days

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🔍 Strategies Behind Email Send Times

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3. Email Placement: Inbox vs. Spam

The deliverability rate for all brands considered in the Automotive industry is excellent, with all emails being successfully delivered to the inbox.
Since the inbox rate is perfect, there may not be any specific strategies to enhance deliverability in this case. However, in general, strategies like consistent sending patterns, good sender reputation, and maintaining an optimal text-to-image ratio in emails help ensure high deliverability.

Inbox icon

100%

Average inbox rate

SPAM email icon

0%

Average Spam Rate

Total email icon

32

Total Emails Analyzed

subject line

What Makes People Click and Open Your Email?

Email Subject Lines That Stood Out

Get Inspired

Download Subject Line Inspirations from All Brands

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5. Preview Text: The Secret Ingredient

Preview texts often work to complement the subject lines. For example, if the subject line is about discounts (e.g., “Get $50 OFF”), the preview text reinforces this with more details such as the specific products on sale.

Brands use urgency-driven preview texts like “Ends Today” and “Limited Time” to prompt immediate action, reinforcing the time-sensitive nature of the subject line.

Some brands use personalized language like “Thank you for subscribing” in preview texts, adding context.

Clarifying the Offer: The preview text often helps clarify the offer mentioned in the subject line, like adding more details about discounts.

Email Preview Text Inspirations

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6. Email Types: What Works Best?

The automotive industry, based on the data, primarily focuses on promotional emails. A significant portion of emails come under the”Other Category” emails, which includes product launches, seasonal, and thematic emails.
This suggests that automotive brands are highly focused on driving sales and engagement through promotions while also sending strategic product or seasonal campaigns to attract customers at key moments.
Note: Other email types include product launches, Holiday and seasonal emails, and thematic email types.

Promotions icon

8 emails

Promotional

Relationship building icon

1 email

Relationship Building

Educational icon

-

Educational

Seasonal icon

23 emails

Other

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7. CTA Strategies: What Drives Conversions?

The most commonly used CTA words and phrases include “Shop Now,” “Buy Now,” “Learn More,” “Get Started,” and “Order Now.”

The strategy of the automotive industry, based on CTA usage, is heavily focused on direct action-oriented CTAs, urging customers to make immediate purchases (e.g., “Shop Now,” “Buy Now”).

This aligns with a promotional-driven approach, aiming to boost conversions quickly. Many CTAs also emphasize product discovery (e.g., “Shop By Vehicle”), indicating a focus on simplifying the purchasing decision for customers.

The overall trend shows a clear intent to drive action and urgency with strong, direct calls to purchase or engage.

Most Used CTAs by Each Brand

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After analyzing email campaigns from the top brands in the Automotive Industry, here are the common patterns we found.

Lessons from the Best: Key Takeaways for Email Marketers

Based on our analysis of the Automotive industry’s email marketing, we’ve identified several key strategies aimed at achieving results across brands of all sizes.

1. Optimize Email Send Times for Audience Engagement

Automotive brands should focus on testing send times with their own customer base to determine the best engagement windows. Timing your emails effectively will help maximize open rates and conversion.

2. Promotional Content Dominates

The majority of emails sent by automotive brands focus on promotions like sales, discounts, or limited-time offers. Brands should maintain a 70/30 split between promotional emails and content that builds customer relationships or adds value (such as maintenance tips or seasonal reminders).

3. Clear and Actionable CTAs

CTAs like "Shop Now," "Get Your Discount," and "Claim Offer" dominate automotive email strategies. Email marketers should create strong, clear CTAs that drive immediate action.

4. Strong Focus on Urgency in Subject Lines

Automotive brands frequently use urgency-based subject lines, such as “ENDS TODAY” or "Last Chance," to create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Urgency tactics should be used strategically to increase conversions during sales events or limited-time offers.

5. Consistent Branding Across Emails

Successful automotive brands maintain consistent branding across subject lines, preview texts, and CTAs. This consistency builds brand recognition and trust. Make sure your email design aligns with your company's visual identity, keeping it clear and professional.

Implementing These Insights in Your Email Strategy

Turning these insights into actionable strategies requires a systematic approach. Here’s how to implement these findings in your Automotive eCommerce brand’s email marketing program:

Recommended Strategies

1. Audit Your Current Performance

Review your current email metrics—open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates. Compare them to industry benchmarks to identify areas where your campaigns are underperforming.

2. Develop a Testing Calendar

Create a structured testing plan to experiment with different send times, subject line formulas, and CTA strategies. Testing variations is critical to understanding what resonates with your audience.

3. Refine Your Segmentation

Use behavioral data (e.g., recent purchases, time since last purchase) to create targeted campaigns for each segment. By creating granular segments, you can tailor content to their specific needs.

4. Optimize for Mobile

Use responsive design templates that adapt to various screen sizes, ensuring that CTAs are easily tappable and images scale correctly on smaller screens. Ensure that all your emails are mobile-optimized.

Ready to implement these strategies in real time?

Automotive Email Templates That Stood Out

Q1: Email Template Snapshots

Check Out More Email Templates from the Automotive Industry!

Complete repository of email templates.

Final Thoughts

In Quarter 1 of 2025, automotive brands have shown a strong focus on promotional email marketing. A majority of emails centered around discounts, limited-time offers, and seasonal sales.

The use of urgency-driven subject lines and clear calls to action (CTAs) has been effective in driving immediate customer engagement and conversions. However, there is room for improvement in relationship-building emails and educational content.

Moving forward, the industry is likely to integrate more personalized email strategies by leveraging customer data for better segmentation and targeted offers. The emphasis will remain on optimizing mobile responsiveness and testing send times to maximize open rates and customer engagement.