Hey, it's Chase and Jimmy here.

Gaia Herbs kicked off the new year with a simple idea: don’t sell a resolution, sell a routine.

Instead of pushing a single product or running a one-off promo, they rolled out a short sequence built around a daily wellness ritual, supported by email and SMS and anchored by a subscription offer.

Today’s breakdown walks through how the sequence was structured, what worked across channels, where it could be tightened, and what other brands can learn about turning New Year’s intent into long-term retention.

Also inside:

✔️ Writer's block, who? Your instant access to the best emails in eCom is here.
✔️ On our radar: January favorites from our Editors

Let’s jump in👇

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Breaking down Gaia Herbs’ New Year Wellness Ritual series

Gaia Herbs kicked off the new year with a focused email sequence centered on one idea: building a daily wellness ritual that actually sticks. Instead of pushing individual SKUs in isolation, the campaign reframed supplements as part of a routine (morning, midday, and night) then layered in subscription incentives to drive long-term behavior.

Each email plays a specific role, moving subscribers from intention setting to product fit to commitment, with a consistent 20% subscription offer anchoring the sequence.

Let’s break it down send by send to see what worked and what could make it even better.

1. Your 2026 Wellness Ritual Starts Here

Focus: Setting intention and framing wellness as a daily practice

What Worked Well

• The headline immediately reframes New Year wellness around ritual instead of goals

• Visuals feel calm and grounding, which matches the message and lowers pressure

• The copy avoids urgency and positions wellness as supportive rather than corrective

• Leading with intention builds emotional buy in before introducing products

Opportunities for Improvement

• Visual hierarchy makes scanning harder, as headlines, body copy, and CTAs carry similar weight

• A short summary or “What you’ll find inside” line could help anchor readers at the top

• The footer feels crowded and text heavy, which weakens the close after a long scroll

2. SMS: Kickstart your 2026 wellness ritual

Focus: Immediate activation and offer reinforcement

What Worked Well

• The SMS distills the entire campaign into one clear value prop: 20% off subscriptions with zero shipping

• Strong alignment with the email narrative around rituals, not resolutions

• Clear opt-out language builds trust and keeps the message compliant

Opportunities for Improvement

• The message leans heavily on promotion without reinforcing the “ritual” framing introduced in email

• Adding a short context line like “Build a daily wellness routine that sticks” could improve continuity across channels

• No urgency cue beyond the calendar year, which may limit immediate clicks

3. Activate Your Wellness Ritual

Focus: Introducing subscriptions as a tool for consistency

What Worked Well

• The subscription framing centers convenience and reliability rather than commitment

• Benefits like flexible delivery and easy changes reduce friction early

• The tone remains supportive, not promotional, even while introducing a discount

• The CTA aligns with habit building instead of impulse buying

Opportunities for Improvement

• Subscription value could be reinforced with a concrete example of how customers use it month to month

• Multiple CTAs compete slightly with the primary “activate” message

• A brief reminder of who subscriptions are best for could help with self selection

4. Now’s the Time for Immune Support

Focus: Seasonal relevance without fear based urgency

What Worked Well

• Winter wellness is positioned as maintenance, not panic

• Copy reinforces staying steady as routines shift rather than reacting to illness

• Product selection feels purposeful instead of exhaustive

• The message aligns naturally with the ritual concept introduced earlier

Opportunities for Improvement

• The email relies on longer copy blocks that slow down scanning on mobile

• A visual callout highlighting one hero immune product could focus attention

• Repeating the ritual framing more explicitly could strengthen continuity

5. Set It Once. Feel Supported All Year.

Focus: Reinforcing turmeric as a foundational daily habit

What Worked Well

• Positioning turmeric as a base habit simplifies decision making

• Clear benefit callouts help differentiate variants without over explaining

• The email reinforces long term use rather than short term results

• Visual grouping of products supports browsing without overwhelm

Opportunities for Improvement

• The product grid feels dense, especially with similar SKUs shown together

• Highlighting complementary products or “often paired with” items could improve cross sell clarity

• Stronger hierarchy between primary and secondary products would improve flow

What Gaia Herbs Gets Right

Wellness Without Pressure: The entire sequence avoids framing wellness as something to fix. That restraint builds trust and makes the brand feel aligned with long term health, not short term trends.

Ritual Led Storytelling: By organizing products around moments of the day, Gaia turns supplements into habits. This makes the content easier to understand and easier to adopt.

Subscription as Support: Subscriptions are positioned as a way to stay consistent, not locked in. That framing lowers resistance and fits naturally into the ritual narrative.

Where They Miss the Mark

Scanning Could Be Easier: Several emails rely on long vertical layouts with dense sections. Clearer hierarchy would help readers grasp the message faster.

Decision Guidance Is Light: The product range is thoughtfully curated, but subscribers are rarely told where to start. Simple recommendations could reduce friction.

Footer Density: Heavy footers pull attention away from otherwise focused messages, especially after long scrolls.

Key Takeaways for Brands

Gaia Herbs shows that January doesn’t have to feel aggressive to convert.

By pacing education, reinforcing routine, and positioning subscriptions as support, they turned a New Year promotion into a calm, cohesive experience.

✔ Frame wellness around habits, not resolutions
✔ Let each email play a single role in the journey
✔ Use repetition to reinforce behavior, not urgency
✔ Make subscriptions feel helpful before they feel discounted
✔ Optimize for scanning in education heavy emails

Meme of the week

Sometimes you just gotta dust off ol' reliable...

On our radar:

What's the best part about working in eCom? Finding allll the new products to try.

Here are our Editors' favorite January finds.

Jimmy Kim, Editor and Chief: I'm in my “health and longevity” phase and as an Asian I suffer from the common acid reflux woes. I stumbled across a TikTok ad that opened the door for solving this problem for me. It was from Triquetra.

Their flora biome got me fully off all prescription medicine and gives me my daily confidence of enjoying my favorite meals. Def one of my favorite recent discoveries

Chase Dimond, Chief Email Nerd: You know that TikTok..."If I like it, I'll just grab it in a different color?" Well, that's me with BYLT Basics.

I just stocked up on some of my favorite tees and I always know what to expect when I submit my order: quality, comfort, and style.

Caitlin Hutchinson, VP of Marketing: Let's talk about Albany Park for a sec. I got absolutely hammered with ads for their Kova sectional on TikTok, Instagram, and email… and it worked. I bought it and I’m obsessed.

To top it off, I missed their 30% off sale by 45 minutes and they still applied it to my order and refunded me. Elite customer experience. BIG fan!

Cherie Ueno, Director of Content: I've tried my fair share of electrolyte sticks and found that many of the flavors out there are just too sweet. In my hunt, I put an order through to DripDrop and I'm stoked I did.

Their Zero Sugar Cherry Limeade is my new staple; the flavor is chef's kiss and has just the right amount of sweetness. I saw they recently launched a Zero Sugar Plus so I'll be adding that to cart soon.

Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

Thanks for hanging with Chase and me. Always a pleasure to have you here.

If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond

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