The Best Ecom Subject Lines That People Open (Steal These)

Hey it's Max from The Inbox Newsletter.

Subject lines are always one of the top questions I get asked the most whenever I yap about email.

And with BFCM around the corner, we've been making it a point on finding the best-performing subject lines that consistently pull the highest opens & conversions.

That’s why I wanted to share some of my favorites today…

They're split across welcome flow, abandonment flows, and post-purchase / winback so you can steal them as soon as tomorrow and start A/B testing before the holiday season kicks off.

Let's get into it!

Welcome Flow:

For welcome flow subject lines, the angle is to make them feel like an account update or system notification instead of a marketing email. Subscribers just opted in, so a subject line that reads like a real confirmation or approval feels natural and gets opened.

Here are 5 that are working right now:

“Request #7845: Awaiting response…”

The fake request number does a lot of work here. It reads like a legit account notification and the ellipsis creates a natural open loop that makes people click just to see what the response is.

“Your request has been approved”

Reads exactly like an account notification. Subscribers see it and instantly assume it's a real system email, which pretty much guarantees an open.

“Re: your discount request”

The "Re:" prefix is powerful because it looks like a reply to a message the subscriber already sent. Bonus points for framing the discount as a "request" they made!

“Status: APPROVED”

Short, punchy, and reads like a confirmation notification. All caps on APPROVED adds urgency without feeling salesy.

“Update to your account”

Feels like a genuine account update. Zero marketing language which makes it stand out.

Abandonment Flows:

For cart, checkout, and browse abandonment emails, the angle is to reframe the abandoned cart as an order that needs action from the customer. Subscribers see it and assume it's a real order update, so they open to check what's going on.

Try these 5:

“Order status: incomplete”

Reads like a real order notification. The word "incomplete" creates urgency because it implies something needs to be finished.

“Your order is ready to ship

This one crushes. We've A/B tested it against "Forgetting something?" and it wins every single time. Feels like their order is genuinely being processed and they don't want to miss it.

“One last step for order #76868”

The fake order number sells the legitimacy and "one last step" removes friction. Subscribers feel like they're 90% of the way there and just need to finish.

“Re: cart #74821”

The "Re:" prefix again does the heavy lifting. Combined with a fake cart number, it feels like a follow-up to a real conversation.

“Should we keep this open?”

Feels like a personal customer service message instead of a mass email. Subscribers open just to figure out what "this" is referring to.

Post Purchase / Winback:

For post-purchase and winback flows, the angle is to make the subject line feel like there's a personal benefit or credit waiting for them on their account. Subscribers open because they want to know what's been added or unlocked.

Use any of these:

“A new offer was added to your account”

Reads like a legit account notification. Subscribers instantly want to know what the offer is and how much it's worth.

“[Alert] New balance available”

The "[Alert]" bracket adds urgency and "new balance" makes it feel like there's real money or credit on the line. Peak curiosity trigger.

“Should've mentioned this earlier…”

Feels casual and personal, like a real customer service rep is texting them. The ellipsis pulls the open by creating an obvious open loop.

“Reorder status: Due”

Frames the reorder as a status update instead of a marketing push. Perfect for replenishment flows or products with a natural reorder cycle.

“You Qualified!”

Short, punchy, and feels like the subscriber unlocked something. Great for winback flows to make lapsed customers feel like they got selected for something.

PS - If you haven’t heard… I just dropped a full BFCM Vault inside my Skool community.

It’s a 30+ page gameplan guide, 180+ BFCM email templates, and 12 Klaviyo walkthroughs of past client results.

Plus everything else you get inside (the full course, weekly live calls, and daily insights from me directly).

300+ members are already in there getting locked in for BFCM. You should consider joining them by clicking here.

Email Inspiration Of The Day

Brand:
Royal Codes

Email Design:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L7LBHB3fCzbtVVTOOfTf2M5dK8EFOOu6/view?usp=drive_link

Notes:

A crossword puzzle that literally forces subscribers to HAVE to sit and engage with the email to find out what their 3 words are. Banger email!

Reply to this email if you have any questions or further content you want covered.

Cheers,

Max Sturtevant

P.S
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