Email Design / Email Development / Template System
Sneakerhead
Drop announcement emails built around the culture, not just the product.
+31%
Click-to-purchase
rate on drop announcement emails
2.6×
Point redemption
volume on loyalty drops
+18%
Revenue per send
vs. previous template
The challenge
Sneakerhead's audience lives and breathes this stuff. They know when a brand is treating them like a customer versus treating them like a member of something. The old drop emails looked like they came from any generic retailer. The visual treatment didn't match the culture, the offers felt flat, and the loyalty program the brand had built was invisible in the inbox. Members had points sitting there and no reason to use them.
The solution
We designed a drop announcement template built for the culture first. Each email leads with a full-bleed editorial hero of the shoe, uses typographic treatment that echoes streetwear branding, and frames every drop as exclusive early access for members. The loyalty mechanic ($1 spent = 10 points, redeemable for collectibles) is built into every send, making each purchase feel like it's part of something. Templates cover individual model drops including the Air Jordan 1 Off-White and Air Force 1 NYC Midnight, with a consistent structure the team can execute fast.
The approach
01
Discovery
Auditing the drop cadence
Reviewed the send history, talked to the team about drop frequency, and studied how competing culture brands stage their launches. Found the template was the bottleneck, not the creative direction.
02
Architecture
One system, every drop
Designed a single master template that flexes across any silhouette, colourway, or collaboration. Product changes, everything else stays locked in place.
03
Creative direction
Full-bleed and typographic
Drew from streetwear branding, not retail marketing. Full-bleed editorial hero, big typography, loyalty mechanic visible in every header.
04
Build
Modular components
Built each block as an independent component on Maizzle. Dark mode tested from the first frame. The team swaps product assets and ships in hours.
05
Handoff
Documentation for in-house deployment
Wrote clear component documentation so the team owns the system. Every future drop goes live without needing us.
Design principles
Culture before commerce
The audience is part of a scene, not a customer list. Talk to them that way and the commerce follows.
One template, infinite drops
The system carries every send. No custom builds, no creative delay, no production cost per drop.
Loyalty mechanic always visible
Point balance lives in every header. Members see their wallet every time, creating standing urgency to spend.
Design decisions
Full-bleed editorial hero
The product fills the frame the way it does on IG and in magazines, not cropped into a retail grid. Keeps the culture register intact.
Point balance in the header
Members see their balance on every open, which creates a persistent conversion lever without needing promo copy.
Early-access framing, not sale framing
Each drop is positioned as exclusive member access, not a public promotion. Same offer, different relationship.
The result
Every drop now feels like an event. The loyalty integration gives members a reason to move quickly. The team goes from drop to deployed campaign in hours without touching the design.