A trend that tends to pop its head up every so often is businesses embracing horizontal scrolling EDMs. While not the norm, I have long been a fan of trying something different and pushing the subscribers a little with the hope of delighting them with what they see.

A recent example is an email from American Eagle Outfitters. From a creative point of view, it certainly does its job in pushing the subscriber and creatively its right on brand, yet through a pretty high level of execution, they have managed to still have it relate to all subscribers and ensure it works across all browsers.

From the personal work folio, I have tried the technique across various campaigns with JAG and diana ferrari. The results were overall positive with engagement certainly getting a nice little boost. Be careful though, you don’t tend to make too many friends with the poor person coding your emails, so long lead times is usually the best approach.

So what are your thoughts on businesses trying something a little different? Keen to see a variety of vertical and horizontal scrolling content or think that everyone should stick to the tried and tested format?

Things to Remember When Designing

• Keep the height of the email to around 550px so that it all fits above the fold.
• Ensure the main message of the email can be communicated within the standard 600px width.
• Limit the total width of the email to under 2200px as Outlook tends to have a few issues rendering the content after that point.