Hey, it’s Chase and Jimmy!

Black Friday isn’t a sprint for Monos, it’s a marathon.

Instead of one big drop, the brand stretched its sale across November with early teasers, category spotlights, and urgency emails stacked with countdowns and “Final Call” shoutouts. The strategy kept Monos top of mind, building steady pressure that pushed shoppers toward checkout.

But did the constant drumbeat of urgency land every time, or risk inbox fatigue?

In today’s breakdown, we unpack Monos’ Black Friday sequence: what worked, what wore thin, and how they could have made this campaign feel less predictable and more unmissable.

Also inside:

✔️ Turn Browsers Into Buyers With September’s New Tools
✔️ Most Brands Lose in the Off-Season. Here’s How to Win.
✔️ AI Power-Up: Flow Gap Finder

Let’s jump in.

Turn Browsers Into Buyers With September’s New Tools

This month’s Omnisend updates are all about keeping customers engaged and your messages trusted. Show shoppers the products they just browsed, send branded SMS links that look legit, and streamline your list management so you can focus on strategy (not admin).

Check out all that new-new:

• Bring shoppers back with Recently Viewed Product recommendations

• Boost trust in SMS by sending branded short links

• Clean up your lists with archivable segments you can restore anytime

• Migrate with ease using one-click Yotpo contact syncing

From compliance fixes to smoother workflows, September’s updates are designed to remove friction and help you drive more revenue when it matters.

Monos’ Black Friday Push: A Journey from Early Access to Final Call

For Monos, Black Friday isn’t just a shopping holiday - it’s a full-on production. Think strategic pacing, urgency sprinkled like confetti, and discounts stacked with category spotlights that make you want to click just one more time. Instead of a single-day frenzy, Monos stretched the hype across November, dropping a steady stream of emails that teased, tempted, and turned up the pressure with “Final Call” shoutouts and countdown timers.

It’s a masterclass in stretching out the sales season - but was every beat as sharp as it could be? Let’s break down the sequence, what nailed it, and where they could have pushed harder.

1. The Early Black Friday Sale is live

Focus: Early teaser + sitewide discounts.

This kickoff email announced Monos’ early Black Friday sale, promoting up to 30% off sitewide with categories like luggage, bags, accessories, and clothing.

Why This Works:
✅ Gets Monos ahead of the Black Friday rush with early urgency.
✅ Clear category breakdown makes the email scannable.
✅ Establishes free shipping and sitewide savings as baseline perks.

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Heavy focus on breadth - could have spotlighted one hero product to anchor the campaign.
❌ “Up to 30% off” messaging risks blending into inbox noise without stronger framing.

2. Our most-loved luggage, up to 30% off

Focus: Category spotlight - luggage.

Here, Monos zoomed into their hero product category: luggage. The email highlighted best-sellers, discounts, and even scarcity messaging with “only 4 left” tags.

Why This Works:
✅ Strong focus on Monos’ flagship category.
✅ Adds urgency with low stock callouts.
✅ Visuals emphasize premium look and feel.

What Could Be Improved:
 

❌ Could have layered social proof (customer reviews, traveler stats) to elevate trust.
❌ Scarcity messaging risks feeling overused if repeated too often.

3. FINAL CALL - Early Black Friday ends tonight

Focus: Scarcity + urgency.

A true urgency play, this send leaned on countdown timers and bold “ends tonight” framing. It made it clear this was the last chance to shop early access.

Why This Works:
✅ Countdown clocks drive immediate action.
✅ Concise copy - all focus on urgency.
✅ Reuses sitewide discount messaging, making it easy to act.

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Could have reinforced savings with specific hero product examples.
❌ Risks feeling too similar to later “end soon” emails.

4. BLACK FRIDAY - Save up to 40% off sitewide

Focus: The main event.

This was the centerpiece send - a bold announcement of Monos’ biggest sale of the year, upgrading discounts to 40%. Product highlights included luggage, accessories, and even a free gift with purchase offer.

Why This Works:
✅ Strong jump from 30% to 40% off builds momentum.
✅ Gift-with-purchase adds an extra incentive.
✅ Clear messaging - “biggest sale of the year.”

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Could have emphasized exclusivity more strongly (“today only” or “VIP access”).
❌ Email is long - scannability suffers a bit with multiple offers stacked.

5. All luggage, on sale now

Focus: Category spotlight - luggage (again).

Returning to its bread and butter, Monos doubled down on luggage, reminding customers of discounts and layering in the urgency of limited stock.

Why This Works:
✅ Keeps focus on the hero product category.
✅ Discount and scarcity messaging remain consistent.
✅ Reinforces brand identity as a luggage-first company.

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Redundant if customers already saw the earlier luggage spotlight.
❌ Could have varied the creative or narrative to feel fresh.

6. BLACK FRIDAY - All bags on sale

Focus: Category spotlight - bags.

This send broadened beyond luggage, highlighting Metro bags and accessories. Discounts went up to 25%, with clear product images and price drops.

Why This Works:
✅ Expands scope to secondary category.
✅ Clear discount framing, product grids make it scannable.
✅ Strategic upsell - “pair your Metro bag with luggage.”

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Bags get less dramatic discounts (25% vs. 40%), making them feel less urgent.
❌ Could have emphasized “great gift” positioning for holiday tie-in.

7. Our biggest sale of the year ends tomorrow

Focus: Scarcity + urgency reminder.

Shifting tone back to urgency, this email reminded subscribers that Black Friday savings were ending soon.

Why This Works:
✅ Clear, simple subject line communicates urgency.
✅ Maintains consistent sale framing.
✅ Midway reminder keeps Monos top of mind.

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Lacks differentiation from earlier urgency emails.
❌ Could have spotlighted customer favorites “selling fast” for added pull.

8. Going, going, almost gone

Focus: Scarcity reinforcement.

This send leaned into the psychology of scarcity - highlighting limited stock and encouraging customers to grab products before they disappear.

Why This Works:
✅ Emotional hook - nobody wants to miss out.
✅ Strong subject line stands out in inbox.
✅ Consistent sitewide offer keeps it simple.

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Another urgency send risks fatigue.
❌ Could have layered product-specific scarcity for added credibility.

9. ENDS TOMORROW

Focus: Cyber Week wrap-up.

Closing the extended sale, this email used bold countdown visuals and the Cyber Week code to end on a final urgency play.

Why This Works:
✅ Extends the buying window beyond Black Friday.
✅ Bold visuals + countdown communicate urgency.
✅ Reinforces “last chance” message.

What Could Be Improved:
❌ Cyber Week discount is the same as Black Friday (40%), so it lacks novelty.
❌ Could have closed with a stronger “thank you” or community tie-in to end on an emotional note.

So, What’s Working?

Clear Cadence: Early teaser → category spotlights → urgency reminders → Cyber Week close.

Category Strategy: Alternating between sitewide and category-specific emails gives customers multiple angles to engage.

Urgency Plays: Countdown clocks, “Final Call,” and “Almost Gone” keep urgency top of mind.

But Here’s What’s Missing

Visual Variety: Many sends reused similar product shots - more lifestyle images could keep things fresh.

Customer-Centric Messaging: Lacked gifting tie-ins, which could resonate more strongly for holiday shopping.

Fatigue Factor: Multiple urgency emails risk overwhelming subscribers. More variety (bundles, gift guides, reviews) could break it up.

Final Takeaway

Monos’ Black Friday campaign shows the power of starting early, spotlighting core categories, and layering urgency. It’s a playbook in consistency - customers were reminded at every stage that the sale was big, real, and ending soon.

But with stronger content variety, gifting angles, and exclusivity cues, Monos could push this from predictable to unmissable.

Most Brands Lose in the Off-Season. Here’s How to Win.

Everyone talks about BFCM. Nobody talks about February. Or June. Or August.

And that’s where most brands lose.

Your list isn’t dead, it just needs better strategy when it’s not peak season.

The Year-Round Retention Playbook is a free 7-part email series that shows you how to turn slow months into high-performing ones.

Inside, you’ll get tactical plays for:

✅ Off-season flash sales that don’t burn your list
✅ Gift guides you can reuse every quarter
✅ Goal-based campaigns that meet your customers where they are
✅ Loyalty, referral & UGC strategies that build community
✅ Smarter segmentation + the right off-season metrics to track

Retention doesn’t stop in December.

🙃 Meme Drop

ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR THE CTA?

🤖 AI Power-Up: Flow Gap Finder

Think you’ve covered all your lifecycle emails?

Welcome, post-purchase, winback… and that’s it?

Chances are, you’ve got revenue slipping through the cracks.

Here’s how to use AI to spot the missing flows:

1. Export a list of your current flows.

→ Example: “Welcome, Abandoned Cart, Post-Purchase, Winback.”

2. Drop it into ChatGPT with this prompt:

“Here’s a list of my email flows: [insert list]. Based on ecommerce best practices, identify any missing lifecycle flows. Suggest one campaign idea for each gap.”

3. AI might surface gaps like:

• Birthday/Anniversary Flow → Celebrate milestones with surprise discounts.

• Back-in-Stock Alerts → Trigger urgency around high-demand items.

• VIP Nurture Flow → Give your top spenders early access or exclusive drops.

• Cross-Sell Flow → Follow up purchases with natural add-ons or bundles.

The result: Instead of guessing, you get a map of exactly where your retention strategy falls short, and the campaigns to fill the gaps.

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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