From hype to purchase: How a back-in-stock email drove a 6.5% CTR and orders averaging $275 — A case study

Welcome to another edition of our "Email Marketer's Code" series, where we share inspiring success stories from experienced marketers. In this case study, email marketing expert Brandon Zinser reveals the strategy behind his successful back-in-stock campaign for Circular Ring. By combining creative email tactics with effective segmentation, Brandon achieved an impressive 54% open rate, a 6.5% click rate, and a $275 average order value.

If you want to learn how to build excitement, drive urgency, and optimize your email campaigns for product relaunches, this case provides actionable insights you can apply to your campaigns.

Expert

Brandon Zinser

Founder of Eternal Inbox

About Brandon Zinser

We are pleased to introduce Brandon Zinser, a seasoned email marketing consultant with nearly a decade of experience in retention and engagement. With a background in mass communication and a passion for audience connection, Brandon first ventured into marketing during college, when he launched an agency to support local businesses through advertising, event coordination, and email campaigns. This hands-on experience led him to his first professional role, at a crowdfunding agency, where he crafted email campaigns for clients on platforms like IndieGoGo and Kickstarter, engaging backers with impactful updates and driving ongoing support.

Over the years, Brandon has worked at several large agencies and ultimately established his email marketing agency, Eternal Inbox. He has collaborated with over 70 clients to help brands foster meaningful connections with their audiences.

Outside of work, Brandon has a few unique interests. A longtime fan of the Halo videogame series, he still enjoys playing the online version today — his one gaming indulgence. He’s also dedicated to fitness, working out 4 - 5 times a week and maintaining his commitment to the gym for over 15 years.

The marketing challenge: Maintaining excitement until the product is back in stock

When I started working with Circular Ring, a brand known for its ultra-thin wellness wearable, I faced an interesting challenge. Their flagship product had just sold out, and we needed to keep the excitement alive while waiting for a restock. So, our goal was to harness that novelty and build serious hype for its return.

My strategy focused on creating anticipation and ensuring that we'd drive strong, immediate sales once the product was back in stock. Over 30 days, I set up a series of email campaigns designed to keep subscribers engaged and excited. Each email nudged people to “save their spot” on a special back-in-stock list — a way of saying, “Hang tight, it’s coming, and you’ll be first in line.”

With every update and teaser, I kept that back-in-stock list growing, gathering an audience that was already primed to buy. By the time the product was ready, we had a solid, eager group of customers just waiting to hit the “order” button. This approach set us up perfectly for a high-revenue launch day.

The solution: A long-term email series that builds interest in the product

We didn’t want to overwhelm subscribers with constant reminders that the Circular Ring was out of stock. Instead, I took a more subtle approach, weaving mentions of the back-in-stock sign-up within other product campaigns and educational emails. The idea was to keep our audience engaged without making them feel like we were hitting them over the head with the same message. 

Whenever we sent updates or featured content on health and wellness tips, we’d strategically place a note inviting people to be the “first to know” when the ring was available again.

Grouping the target audience

For targeting, I focused on two groups: 

• previous customers who had already purchased a smart ring; 
• new, highly engaged subscribers who signed up within the last 30, 60, and 90 days. 

In this way, we were appealing to people who already knew the product as well as those who had recently shown interest in what the Circular Ring could offer.

Warming up the audience

Here are the two main approaches I used to warm up the audience in the out-of-stock emails:

1. Building excitement is all about adding value, so I crafted educational emails to show how the ring could be used daily, along with insights into upcoming software updates.
   
   

   
   (Source: Email from Circular Ring)

2. We also added a little extra incentive for the most enthusiastic customers — the first 150 subscribers to sign up were guaranteed a ring on relaunch day. This “VIP” approach created a bit of exclusivity, making those on the list feel like they were part of something special.

Email marketing tools

As tools, we relied on Klaviyo for the email campaigns and Figma for design. These gave us the flexibility to build effective, visually appealing emails. Ultimately, the campaign generated a solid list of eager buyers, setting us up for a fantastic relaunch day with the Circular Ring’s flagship product.

Results: Immediate and impressive responses to the first campaign

Here is the email we sent when the product was back in stock:

(Source: Email from Circular Ring)

The results of our back-in-stock launch campaign were even better than I’d hoped. The response to the first campaign email was immediate and impressive. 

1. We saw an open rate of 54.3%, which told us that the hype we’d built over the past month had paid off — people were ready and waiting for this.
2. Our click rate hit 6.5%, indicating strong interest from subscribers eager to check out the product as soon as it became available. 
3. The ultimate test — actual orders — came through, with a placed order rate of 0.8% and an average order value (AOV) of $275. For a relaunch, these numbers were a big win.

All the work we’d put into carefully crafting these emails, targeting the right audiences, and keeping the excitement alive paid off. When the Circular Ring was back in stock, we had a list of engaged, excited customers who couldn’t wait to purchase it. This is a perfect example of how building anticipation, combined with smart targeting and thoughtful messaging, can drive a successful product re-launch.

Key lessons for a back-in-stock email marketing campaign

The campaigns were a huge success. If I had to pick one thing that I’d change for the next launch, it would be collecting zero-party data in the pre-launch out-of-stock phase. I would collect this data to identify what subscribers are most excited about and use it in the back-in-stock campaign to really resonate with the audience in a deeper way.

Brandon Zinser,

Founder of Eternal Inbox.

Here are my top three takeaways from a successful back-in-stock campaign:

1. Hype up the product and get subscribers genuinely excited, but do it in a fresh way. Instead of repetitive announcements, integrate the back-in-stock message into your regular campaign flow, adding value with each touchpoint.
2. Urgency is key for capturing interest. Limit the number of spots on your “first to know” list, or offer exclusive benefits, such as early access or faster shipping. This adds an extra push and makes signing up feel like a must.
3. Consistent reminders are essential. Not everyone will catch your first email, so send thoughtful follow-ups and use segmentation to ensure that the right people get the right messages. This way, you keep interested subscribers in the loop without overloading them.

Wrapping up

We thank Brandon Zinser for sharing his valuable insights and experiences with us. His approach to building anticipation and driving engagement is a perfect example of how smart email strategies can lead to impressive results.

For those looking to replicate this success, remember this: creativity, urgency, and consistency are your best friends during back-in-stock campaigns. Don’t be afraid to email your list and follow up strategically to keep your audience engaged. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more case studies in our "Email Marketer’s Code" series!