Hey it’s Chase and Jimmy here!

We've got one of the classiest Father’s Day emails we’ve ever seen.

Manukora turned raw honey into a thoughtful Father’s Day gift guide that feels actually helpful. They’ve got strong visual hierarchy and CTAs, and with a few simple tweaks they could drive even more conversions.

In today’s breakdown, we’ll walk through what this campaign gets right (and where there’s room to push it even further).

Also in today's edition:

🤖 The first step every email marketer should take with AI
👀 Latest platform updates from IG, YouTube, Meta + more
👨‍💻 6 New retention marketing jobs in the Hiring Vault

Let’s get into it 👇

🚀 Want to Use AI in Email Marketing? Start Here.

Everyone wants to use AI.

But if your list is messy and your flows are busted… it’s not magic. It’s just noise.

That’s why this Omnisend session cuts through the hype.

On June 19, Stefan Chiriacescu (CEO of eCommerce Today) is showing how to prep your email strategy before adding AI—so it actually works.

You’ll learn:

✅ The must-have foundations before layering in AI

✅ Where AI helps (and where it doesn’t)

✅ How to use AI for better campaign insights and smarter strategy

Save your seat for free.

If you’re even thinking about using AI this year, don’t wing it. Start here.

🍯 Manukora’s Father’s Day Email: Clean, Classy and Almost There

Manukora’s Father’s Day campaign gives raw honey a thoughtful twist, positioning it as the perfect gift for dads who care about their health.

Visually, it nails the first impression. But does it actually convert? Let’s break it down.

Header Block

What We Love

✔ Instant clarity. “Father’s Day Gift Guide” hits you right away with what this email is about. No vague seasonal hints. Just a clear headline and purpose.

✔ Bold, prominent CTA. “Shop Now” is hard to miss and placed exactly where it should be: right up top. Great for mobile users and busy shoppers who just want to click and go.

✔ Warm lifestyle images. The dad figure enjoying the honey adds a personal, familiar touch. It’s not just a product on a shelf. It’s in someone’s hands, part of a routine. That makes it real.

What We’d Do Differently

❌ Tweak the copy. The subheading feels a bit repetitive and unnecessary. This real estate could better explain what Manukora is actually selling (i.e. raw Manuka honey).

❌ Highlight the offer. Free shipping is available, but you’d barely notice it. Bring it forward (like with a badge). Add urgency too: “Free shipping if you order by June 8!”

❌ Make it personal. Even a simple “Hi [Name], shopping for Dad?” would go a long way to make this feel like more than a mass blast.

🔍 TL;DR: Clear headline, strong visuals, and a bold CTA. But it needs to explain what the product is, call out the free shipping more clearly, and feel a bit more personal.

Body Block

What We Love

✔ Segmented gifts by “dad type”. It shifts the focus from the product itself to the person you’re buying for, which creates a more relevant and intentional experience.

✔ Tailored CTAs. We love that each jar of honey has its own call to action. It’s subtle, but it respects that the reader may only care about one type of product.

✔ Clean, skimmable layout. The alternating blocks of text and image are digestible and mobile-friendly. Each section flows into the next without clutter.

What We’d Do Differently

❌ Sprinkle customer love. A glowing review or testimonial could instantly validate all the health benefits mentioned. Bonus if it’s specific to a Father’s Day gift!

❌ Explain the product better. What does MGO 850+ mean? Is that better than 600+? Also, how do you use this honey? Do you eat it raw, mix it into tea, drizzle it on toast? This info can make first-timers feel more confident about buying.

❌ Add pricing info. Knowing the cost upfront helps readers make decisions faster and builds trust. No one wants to click just to find out it’s out of budget.

🔍 TL;DR: Love the clean layout and gift recs based on dad types. But the copy needs to be simpler, the product needs to be explained better, and pricing should be upfront.

Footer Block

What We Love

✔ Trust badges galore. Certified organic, non-GMO, glyphosate-residue free – it’s all there. These boost buyer confidence, especially for health-conscious shoppers.

✔ Shipping deadline reminder. “Order by 8 June” is exactly the kind of detail that saves customers from last-minute stress (and moves them toward buying now).

✔ Social and preference links. Including both is smart. Not every brand offers preference management, and it’s a nice show of respect for the reader’s inbox.

What We’d Do Differently

❌ Drop a few site links. What if someone wants to browse more products, learn about the sourcing, or read FAQs? Right now, there’s no way to do that without going back to Google or the homepage. That’s a lost opportunity.

❌ Close with a strong sign-off. A logo or a quick tagline would give the email a warmer, more polished, and on-brand finish.

🔍 TL;DR: It covers the basics (badges, deadline, and social links) but could do more. A few helpful site links, a quick review, and a stronger brand sign-off would feel more complete.

Final Thoughts: What Email Marketers Can Learn

Manukora’s email looks great and feels thoughtful. The gift guide makes it easy to shop, especially with each product tied to a “type” of dad. That alone can save people a ton of time.

But it falls short where it matters most: giving readers the confidence to buy.

3 Quick Wins to Steal for Your Next Gift Campaign

✅ Use personas to guide choices. Framing gifts around who they’re for makes it way easier to shop. It’s personal without needing personalization.

✅ Make things easier to understand. If your product has any jargon or ratings, spell it out. People won’t Google it – they’ll just move on.

✅ Surface the helpful stuff. Free shipping, pricing, reviews, links to learn more… these are the details that turn interest into action. Don’t hide them.

Bookmark for your next gift guide or special occasion campaign!

🧠 Think You Know Retention? Let's find out.

Can you answer these 3 questions (honestly)?

1️⃣ Are your flows segmented by AOV or just batch-and-blast?

2️⃣ Do you know your Revenue Per Email — and what’s driving it up or down?

3️⃣ Are your campaigns mapped to lifecycle stages… or are you filling a calendar just to stay busy?

If you hesitated on any of those — you're not alone.

Most marketers we talk to want to build smarter retention systems…

But they're stuck doing reactive work, guessing at strategy, and repurposing the same playbook from 2021.

That’s why we built eCom Email Certified. It's an online course for marketers who are ready to stop winging it and start sending with intention.

Inside, you’ll get:

✅ 125+ hours covering flows, segmentation, creative, and measurement

✅ Proven frameworks used by real brands

✅ The why behind the tactics — so you can adapt them to any business

Take the next step towards better retention and get certified! Use code SCHOOLSOUT for $200 off.

👀 Industry Intel

New tools, smarter ad experiences, and more ways to get in front of your customers. Here’s what’s shaping the eCommerce marketing world this week 👇

Instagram quietly adds creator-friendly upgrades

Two underrated updates just dropped for Instagram: You can now upload images that match your phone's native camera ratio (3:4). Additionally, creators with 100K+ followers can now auto-filter toxic or spammy comments using AI-powered settings.

💡 Why this matters: Native sizing means less friction for teams posting polished content straight from the camera roll. A small win for workflow and creative control. And better moderation = less time managing trolls.

YouTube makes livestreams and Shorts smarter

YouTube is testing side-by-side ads on livestreams—so the ad runs next to the video instead of interrupting it. Plus, they’re bringing Google Lens to Shorts, letting viewers search anything they see in a video (think products, places, or styles).

💡 Why this matters: The Shorts update could be a big unlock for product discovery. And the livestream ad format is perfect for brands running demos or live sales—you stay on screen while the ad does its thing.

Meta leans deeper into AI-powered ads

Meta’s new API updates let you duplicate top-performing ad creatives, run automated performance comparisons, and generate dynamic copy variations with fewer manual steps.

💡 Why this matters: If you’re testing multiple hooks or scaling creative, this makes the process faster and smarter. Think AI-assisted iteration without constantly reinventing the wheel.

Snapchat proves it’s still in the game

Snap shared fresh data: viewers exposed to brand Snaps are 2.3x more likely to purchase, and they convert 30% faster than average.

💡 Why this matters: If Gen Z is your target, Snap’s not just a branding play. These stats back up its ability to drive real lower-funnel results—especially for impulse buys and fast trends.

X is testing a new DM experience: xChat

X (Twitter) is quietly rolling out xChat, a new messaging layer with group chats, reactions, searchable convos, and a Messenger-style layout.

💡 Why this matters: More DM-native features could mean new ways to run VIP groups, facilitate CX, or even build SMS-style loyalty plays—without leaving the platform.

👨‍💻 The Hiring Vault

• Email Marketing Manager, New York City Metropolitan Area: MOSCOT NYC Since 1915

• Email Marketing Specialist (based in Idaho), Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area: Melaleuca: The Wellness Company

• Digital - Manager, Direct to Customer, Email Marketing, Seattle, WA:
  Aritzia

• Email Campaign Developer, Fanatics Commerce CRM, Jacksonville, FL: Fanatics

• Email Marketing Manager (Temporary), Manhattan Beach, CA:
  Skechers

• Email & SMS Manager, Costa Mesa, CA: Z SUPPLY

That's a wrap for today!

Appreciate you hanging with Chase and me—hope you found something you can put to work ASAP. If you did, don’t keep it to yourself! Send ecomemailmarketer.com to your favorite DTC marketer and get them in on the action.

New week, new strategies—let’s make it count. Catch you next time! 🚀

🤘 Jimmy Kim

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