Good ecommerce email design is simple. Use one column, one clear message and one obvious button. Write real text, not text baked into images. Check the email on a phone, with images off and in dark mode before every send. This article is part of our Shopify email marketing: a plain guide.
Start with a single-column layout
Most emails are read on a phone, so a single column that stacks neatly is the safest base.
- Keep the width modest, so it reads well on a desktop too.
- Put the main message and button near the top.
- Leave space around text and buttons so thumbs can tap them.
- Use a short run of products rather than a grid of twenty.
Most email platforms build templates around 600 pixels wide, which suits every major email app.
Give each email one job
Decide what you want the reader to do, then design towards it. A restock email needs the product and a button. It does not also need a survey, a blog link and three offers. Secondary links can sit lower down.
Make the button obvious
- Use a real, tappable button with a clear label, such as “See the new range”.
- Use one main button style throughout, so people learn what to look for.
- Repeat the button lower down if the email is long.
Keep text as text
Text inside an image disappears when images are blocked, and screen readers cannot read it. Use live text for headlines, offers and buttons, and use images to show products and set the mood.
Plan for images being off
Some people never see your images. Check the email still makes sense without them:
- Write useful alternative text for each image, and leave it empty if the image is purely decorative.
- Use a background colour behind text, not only an image.
- Make sure the main offer and button still work.
Dark mode
Many people read email in dark mode, and mail apps handle it differently. Some leave colours alone, some lighten or darken them, and some invert them.
- Avoid logos with a solid white box around them. Use a transparent background and test it on both light and dark.
- Do not rely on pure black or white text on a coloured block. Choose colours that hold up if they are changed.
- Test in the apps your customers actually use.
Email apps handle dark mode in one of three ways: some change nothing, some darken light backgrounds only, and some, like the Gmail app on iPhone, invert every colour. Each needs a different safeguard, so test before you send.
Accessibility
- Contrast. Text should be easy to read against its background. Aim for at least WCAG AA contrast. That means a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Size. Use a comfortable body text size, and avoid tiny grey print.
- Links. Make link text meaningful. “Read our delivery guide” works. “Click here” does not.
- Structure. Use proper headings and lists where the platform allows it, and put the content in a sensible reading order.
- Language. Short sentences and plain words help everyone.
A quick pre-send check
- Open it on a phone and a desktop.
- Turn images off and read it again.
- View it in light and dark mode.
- Tab through the links, or use a screen reader if you can.
- Send a test and click every button.
Keep it on brand
Use the same colours, fonts and tone as your store, so a customer knows it is you at a glance. If you have written brand guidelines, use them for email too.
From experience
Email design is crucial in the emails that run on their own, such as abandoned basket and checkout reminders, and in promotional campaigns. A clear, well-built design is what gets people to read, click and come back.
Where to get help
Our email design service creates layouts that match your brand and work across devices, dark mode and accessibility needs.
Related services that often go with it:
- Email campaigns, to plan what you send and how often.
- Email automation, for the emails that send themselves.
- Brand guidelines, so your emails look like the rest of your store.
