While the average email might only be opened by one in five people, the right strategy can transform your inbox into a revenue powerhouse, as proven by welcome emails that soar to a 68.8% open rate and abandoned cart messages that achieve a staggering 50.51% click-through rate.
Key Takeaways
- The average email open rate across all industries in 2023 was 21.33%
- B2C email open rates averaged 24.44% in Q4 2023
- Welcome emails have an average open rate of 68.8%
- Average click-through rate (CTR) for emails was 2.62% in 2023
- Abandoned cart emails achieved 50.51% CTR in ecommerce
- Personalized emails see 29% higher CTR
- Email marketing delivers $42 ROI for every $1 spent
- 89% of marketers report positive ROI from email
- Email generates $36 for every $1 in B2C
- Average list size for marketers is 326,000 subscribers
- 59% of consumers prefer email communication from brands
- Email lists grow 22% YoY for top performers
- Retail benchmarks open rate 17.4%, CTR 2.6%
- B2B benchmarks: open 15.1%, CTR 2.8%, unsub 0.2%
- Ecommerce benchmarks: open 18.2%, CTR 2.3%, ROI $36/$1
Email marketing yields strong results when campaigns are personalized and well-optimized.
Benchmarks
1Retail benchmarks open rate 17.4%, CTR 2.6%
Verified2B2B benchmarks: open 15.1%, CTR 2.8%, unsub 0.2%
Verified3Ecommerce benchmarks: open 18.2%, CTR 2.3%, ROI $36/$1
Verified4Non-profit: open 26.5%, CTR 2.9%, revenue 12%
Directional5Healthcare benchmarks open 21.8%, CTR 1.9%
Single source6Education sector open 28.5%, CTR 3.1%
Verified7Travel benchmarks open 22.7%, CTR 3.2%, unsub 0.3%
Verified8Software benchmarks open 27.3%, CTR 3.5%
Verified9Food/bev open 19.4%, CTR 2.1%
Directional10Automotive open 16.8%, CTR 1.7%
Single source11Publishing open 24.2%, CTR 3.0%
Verified12Global avg open 21.3%, CTR 2.6%, bounce 1.1%
Verified13Top 25% open 28.5%, CTR 3.9%
Verified14Q4 benchmarks open +5%, CTR +10%
Directional15Mobile benchmarks open 25.1%, CTR 2.8%
Single source16Desktop open 18.9%, CTR 2.3%
Verified17Tuesday send benchmarks highest engagement
Verified189-11 AM benchmarks peak opens/CTR
Verified19US benchmarks open 22.4%, CTR 2.7%
Directional20EU open 20.1%, CTR 2.4%
Single source21Fitness benchmarks open 25.6%, CTR 2.8%
Verified22Newsletters benchmark open 21.5%, CTR 2.4%
Verified23Promo benchmark open 15.9%, CTR 1.3%
Verified24Welcome benchmark open 68.8%, CTR 15.2%
Directional25Cart recovery benchmark open 45.9%, CTR 50.5%
Single source26Re-engagement benchmark open 33.2%, CTR 4.1%, unsub 17%
Verified27Educational benchmark open 24.1%, CTR 3.7%
Verified28Automotive benchmarks show open rates of 16.8% with CTR at 1.7% for 2023 campaigns
VerifiedBenchmarks Interpretation
While the average email languishes with a 21.3% open rate, a masterful marketer armed with a welcome email sent on a Tuesday morning can turn the inbox into a veritable goldmine.
Conversion Metrics
1Average click-through rate (CTR) for emails was 2.62% in 2023
Verified2Abandoned cart emails achieved 50.51% CTR in ecommerce
Verified3Personalized emails see 29% higher CTR
Verified4B2B CTR averaged 2.78% in 2023
Directional5Mobile clicks account for 57% of total CTR
Single source6Welcome series CTR at 15.2%
Verified7Retail CTR was 1.89% average
Verified8CTAs with urgency boost CTR by 14%
Verified9Single CTA emails have 21% higher CTR
Directional10Promotional emails CTR 1.3%
Single source11Images vs text: images get 12% higher CTR
Verified12Re-engagement CTR 4.1%
Verified13Ecommerce CTR 2.34%
Verified14Segmented lists CTR +14.4%
Directional15Best day CTR: Thursday 3.1%
Single source16Newsletter CTR 2.4%
Verified17Educational content CTR 3.7%
Verified18Non-profit CTR 2.9%
Verified19Travel CTR 3.2%
Directional20Button CTAs CTR +28%
Single source21Top quartile CTR 5.2%
Verified22Q2 CTR peaked at 2.8%
Verified23SaaS CTR 3.5%
Verified24Animated GIFs CTR +42%
Directional25US CTR 2.7%
Single source26Automated CTR 9x higher
Verified27Fitness CTR 2.8%
Verified28Product recs CTR 4.6%
Verified29Global CTR 2.1% in 2022
DirectionalConversion Metrics Interpretation
When you consider that a well-timed Thursday email with a single, urgent button can make people click at roughly the same rate they'd agree to pet a stranger's adorable dog (about 3.1%), it's clear that the science of email marketing is really just the art of politely interrupting the right person at the right moment.
Engagement Metrics
1The average email open rate across all industries in 2023 was 21.33%
Verified2B2C email open rates averaged 24.44% in Q4 2023
Verified3Welcome emails have an average open rate of 68.8%
Verified4Email open rates for non-profits reached 26.47% in 2023
Directional5Mobile-optimized emails saw open rates 15% higher than desktop-only
Single source6Abandoned cart emails averaged 45.9% open rates in 2023
Verified7B2B email open rates stood at 15.14% on average in 2023
Verified8Personalized subject lines boost open rates by 22.2% on average
Verified9Emails sent on Tuesdays have 4% higher open rates than other days
Directional10Short subject lines (under 50 chars) achieve 12% higher open rates
Single source11Holiday emails in retail saw open rates up to 30.5% in 2023
Verified12Re-engagement emails averaged 33.2% open rates
Verified13Ecommerce emails had 18.21% average open rates in 2023
Verified14Emails with emojis in subjects increased opens by 45%
Directional15Best send time (9 AM) yields 20.8% open rates
Single source16Newsletters averaged 21.5% open rates across industries
Verified17Educational emails opened at 24.1% rate
Verified18Promotional emails had 15.9% average opens
Verified19Travel industry emails opened at 22.7%
Directional20Time-sensitive subject lines boost opens by 8.9%
Single source21List segmented emails saw 14.31% higher opens
Verified22Average unique open rate is 34.2% for top performers
Verified23Q1 2023 open rates dipped to 20.1% industry-wide
Verified24SaaS emails averaged 27.3% opens
Directional25Preview text optimized emails +15.7% opens
Single source26US open rates averaged 22.4%
Verified27Automated emails opened 8x more than manual
Verified28Fitness industry emails at 25.6% opens
Verified29Numbered list subjects +20% opens
Directional30Global average open rate 18.5% in 2022
Single sourceEngagement Metrics Interpretation
With inboxes as fickle as cat video preferences, these stats clearly show that success in email marketing is a craft of meticulous timing, personalization, and relevance, where a welcome feels like a handshake, a cart reminder a gentle nudge, and anything generic is often just digital wallpaper.
ROI Metrics
1Email marketing delivers $42 ROI for every $1 spent
Verified289% of marketers report positive ROI from email
Verified3Email generates $36 for every $1 in B2C
Verified441% of revenue from email for ecommerce
Directional5Average ROI 3800% over 5 years
Single source6Segmented campaigns ROI +760%
Verified7Automated emails ROI 320%
Verified8Personalized ROI 6x higher
Verified9Cart recovery ROI $3.45 per $1
Directional10Email revenue $0.40 per recipient annually
Single source1180% B2B leads from email nurturing
Verified12$2.6B Black Friday revenue from email
Verified13Email 40x customer acquisition cost return
Verified14Top 10% ROI 29x average
Directional15Mobile-optimized ROI +15%
Single source16Welcome series ROI 10x
Verified17Re-engagement ROI 30%
Verified18Newsletters contribute 20% revenue
Verified19Travel email ROI $38/$1
Directional20Automation ROI 80% higher
Single source21Clean lists ROI +95%
Verified222023 avg ROI 4200%
Verified23SaaS email ROI 760%
Verified24Dynamic content ROI +18%
Directional25US email revenue $10B yearly
Single source26Nurture ROI 50%
Verified27Fitness ROI $30/$1
Verified28Holiday campaigns ROI 25x
VerifiedROI Metrics Interpretation
The numbers don't just speak, they brag, unanimously crowning email marketing as the undisputed heavyweight champion of profitable communication, where even a modest effort reliably prints money across every industry.
Subscriber Metrics
1Average list size for marketers is 326,000 subscribers
Verified259% of consumers prefer email communication from brands
Verified3Email lists grow 22% YoY for top performers
Verified44.24B global email users in 2023
Directional599% use email daily
Single source6Avg unsubscribe rate 0.5% per campaign
Verified7Complaint rates average 0.16%
Verified881% check email hourly
Verified960% open on mobile first
Directional10Gen Z subscribes 2x more than Boomers
Single source11Avg acquisition cost $1.38 per subscriber
Verified12Retention rate 91% with email
Verified13Popups acquire 6% visitors
Verified14Double opt-in lists 87% deliverable
Directional15Avg churn rate 22.5% annually
Single source1673% prefer opt-in for personalized offers
Verified17B2B lists average 10,000 subs
Verified1892% check promo emails
Verified19Millennials check 6.5x daily
Directional20Hygiene reduces bounce 9x
Single source21320B emails sent daily
Verified22SaaS avg 50,000 subs
Verified23Preference centers cut unsub 38%
Verified24US 4B emails/day
Directional25Win-back retains 13%
Single source26Fitness lists grow 15% faster
Verified27Avg engagement threshold 25%
VerifiedSubscriber Metrics Interpretation
Despite the sea of 320 billion daily emails where inboxes groan under promotional weight, the astute marketer navigates by a simple truth: respect the human behind the screen with permission and preference, and you'll find a customer who willingly opens, clicks, and stays.
Sources & References
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