Case Study · CRM/EDM Visual Reconstruction
Private
Gallery
Turning the Inbox into a “Private Digital Gallery”: LUMINA Email Redesign & Customer Reactivation Campaign
01
Project overview
When Marketing Emails Lose Their Appeal
LUMINA had built a substantial email database through its CRM system, but generic, poorly designed campaigns were being dismissed as spam. Every customer received the same message, with little relevance to their needs. Conventional emails were failing to re-engage customers who had not made a repeat purchase in 90 days.
Core Objectives
Three Core KPIs
+25%
Email Open Rate
Increase in Open Rate
+35%
Growth in Click-Through Rate
Click-Through Rate
+15%
Repeat Purchase Rate Among Inactive Customers
90-Day Retention Rate
Challenges & Insights
Core Challenges & Strategic Insights
Challenge
Cluttered Emails:Generic, poorly designed emails were dismissed as spam, resulting in low open and click-through rates.
Lack of Personalization:One-size-fits-all emails lacked relevance and conflicted with the brand's positioning around natural ingredients and personalized care.
Inactive Customers:Conventional emails failed to re-engage valuable existing customers who had not purchased in 90 days, resulting in substantial lost revenue.
Insights
Visuals Come First:Mobile users make split-second decisions as they scan their inboxes. Preview text and the first screen of visual content are critical to engagement.
Personalization Drives Repeat Purchases:Reactivating customers requires a product experience tailored to them, with recommendations that go beyond bestsellers.
Emotional Connection:Emails should feel as thoughtful as a personal message from a friend or a recommendation from a trusted beauty advisor, with design that reflects that care.
“Treat every email as an invitation to a private gallery. Combine motion design with data-driven visual modules to create a beautifully considered inbox experience, tailored to each customer.”
02
Strategic Framework
The 3R Visual Design System for Customer Segmentation
Using the RFM model—Recency, Frequency, and Monetary Value—we developed a CRM strategy built around visual differentiation. Customers were divided into three groups, each with a distinct visual language and content strategy.
| Customer Segment | Email Subject | Visual Strategy | Design Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| R₁ New Customers | "Welcome to the World of LUMINA" | Product Stories + Ingredient Breakdowns Education-led content, transparent ingredient storytelling, and a clear expression of brand values |
Satisfy new customers' curiosity and build brand trust |
| Loyal Customers | "Be the First to See What's New" | Fashion-forward Trends + Limited Drops Premium visual language, exclusive VIP privileges, and a sense of scarcity |
Reinforce a sense of exclusivity and deepen brand loyalty |
| Dormant Customers | "We Miss You" | Personalized Picks + Emotional Appeal Purchase-history-based recommendations, emotive copy, and tailored offers |
Rekindle repeat purchases and rebuild emotional connection |
Competitive Advantage
Qingmei Future's Core Strengths
01
Motion Design for Email
We brought movement to email with GIF and CSS animation modules, from flowing serum to falling petals. Carefully controlled file sizes ensured fast loading in major email clients, including Gmail and Outlook, while creating greater visual impact.
02
Personalized Visual Engine
CRM tags, such as dry or sensitive skin, automatically populated personalized recommendation modules. We designed 10 templates with distinct background colors, layouts, and product imagery. For sensitive-skin customers, for example, muted colors conveyed reassurance and care.
03
Email Preview Optimization
We refined preheader text and paired it with animated hero imagery, using questions and time-sensitive messaging, such as “Your skin has been waiting for this,” to encourage more opens.
03
Execution Process
Implementation & Continuous Improvement
An end-to-end process, from content creation to automated delivery, ensured thoughtfully designed visual content reached customers at every key moment.
Content Creation & A/B Testing
Subject Line Testing:For each 3R customer segment, we tested functional and emotional subject lines, monitoring open rates in real time.
Email Content CTR Testing:We compared click-through performance for static images and animated GIFs, continually directing investment toward the designs with the strongest CTR.
Automated Workflow Deployment
We integrated three visual templates with Salesforce Marketing Cloud to enable automated, trigger-based emails.
Key Triggers:Thoughtfully designed content reached customers on birthdays, after cart abandonment, and 90 days after a first purchase if no repeat purchase had been made.
Design System
Visual Template System
Animated / Static Hero Visuals
GIF Animations of Flowing Serum and Falling Petals
File Size Kept Below 500 KB
10 Personalized Templates
Automatically Rendered Using CRM Tags
Muted Color Palette
Questions / Time-Sensitive Copy
Seamless Responsive Display
Mobile-First Design
04
Results & Performance
Exceeded Every KPI Target
The six-month campaign exceeded its overall KPI targets, delivering gains in both commercial performance and brand equity. Every core metric met or surpassed its target.
Open Rate
+28%
Average email open rates increased by 28%, exceeding the 25% target, with the strongest improvement among inactive customers (R₃).
Click-Through Rate
+40%
Average email click-through rates increased by 40%, exceeding the 35% target. Emails featuring animated GIF hero images achieved a 55% higher CTR than static emails.
Retention rate
+18.5%
Dormant-customer repeat purchase rate increased by 18.5% (against a 15% target), significantly reactivating high-value existing customers.
Detailed metrics
Key performance indicators explained
- Dynamic vs. static email CTR +55%
- Email channel revenue +22%Month-over-month growth
- Dormant customers reactivated 2,847
- Incremental repeat-purchase revenue ¥1.2M
Brand Equity
Brand equity uplift
89%
User feedback: “High-aesthetic, genuinely thoughtful”
3.2K+
Social sharing of dynamic visuals
-42%
Decline in email unsubscribe rate
LUMINA’s emails evolved from “marketing noise” into “social assets.” Users began saving and sharing the dynamic visual content in the emails, creating a secondary amplification effect. This demonstrates that high-design EDMs can do more than drive direct commercial conversion: they can also reinforce the brand’s premium positioning in the minds of its audience.
Conclusion
Visuals are an asset,
Design drives growth
This case demonstrates that in the age of digital marketing, “visual design” is far more than decoration—it is one of a brand’s most powerful growth engines. By establishing a distinctive “dynamic visual system” and “personalized recommendation templates,” brands can turn every email into a long-term brand asset, inspire users to share organically, and create an exponential growth flywheel.
“Creating a premium visual experience within the constraints of email is Qingmei Future’s core value. Only brands capable of building distinctive ‘visual memory cues’ can claim a place in the inbox.”
