There are always a few gallant email marketers who refuse to stay inside the box and are always game for experimenting with the email template design. These are the guys who innovate and create the most amazing designs that, over the time, become TRENDS.
Collapsible carousel is one such innovation. You might be aware of a carousel. A Collapsible carousel is a sweet amalgamation of carousel and accordion.
We know that hiding content inside tabs is a good way to provide maximum information in as little space as possible. Both Accordion and Carousel are graphical control elements and play the same role of stacking up content, saving the trouble of scrolling down through a lengthy email. While information can be vertically stacked up in a carousel, an accordion helps to stack it horizontally. So basically, you can add even more content and still maintain the length of your email. Voila, a double advantage!
Check out this sample email template created by the Uplers to get an understanding of how it works:
Slide 1, Slide 2 and Slide 3 Tabs function as the carousel where the columned information changes from tab to tab. Inside each tab, the accordion opens and each accordion (the horizontal arrangement), when clicked, further opens up details of that particular point.
A collapsible carousel not only takes interactivity to the next level but also provides convenience to the email recipient. The recipient will click on only those deals/ services that they are interested in and know the details. It thus encourages engagement and enhances the chances of conversions.
ADVANTAGES at a glance
- It makes the email layout interactive.
- It presents the content in a collapsible menu, covering less height in a template.
- Recipients can click on what they are interested and are saved of the discomfort of scrolling.
How various Industries can make the most of this interactive email element
- Ecommerce websites can showcase more categories, products (with specifications).
- Banks can promote various investment plans by dividing them into categories, plans and details of the plan.
- Automobile companies can display their car models by dividing them into categories in the carousel, models in the accordion and features of the model inside the accordion.
- Tour & Travel companies can share their newly launched travel packages. Try putting destinations in the carousel tabs, various offers associated with that destination as the accordion list titles and details of the offer inside the accordion.
Compatibility Tales
This interactive email element is supported by the following email clients:
- Apple mail, AOL, all native apps, iPad
- Outlook configuration with Mac iOS
For rest of the email clients, who do not support this interactive email element, you need to provide a fallback in the form of alt text and alt tags.
So, would you be trying a collapsible carousel in your next email campaign?