While a solid 21% of marketing emails get opened on average, the true unlock for explosive ROI—up to $42 back for every dollar spent—lies not in just reaching the inbox, but in mastering the specific strategies that drive your audience to click.
Key Takeaways
- The average email open rate across all industries in Q4 2023 was 21.33%, based on analysis of over 25 billion emails sent
- For the Retail industry, the average open rate for email campaigns in 2023 was 17.42%, derived from 1.2 billion emails
- E-commerce brands saw an average open rate of 15.68% in email marketing during 2023, from Campaign Monitor's data on 10 million campaigns
- Average click-to-open rate (CTOR) for emails in 2023 was 10.5% across industries
- Retail sector CTOR averaged 12.34% in 2023 email campaigns, Campaign Monitor stats
- B2C emails showed 8.7% CTOR in 2023, HubSpot data from 1 million campaigns
- Email marketing delivers an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent in 2023, DMA study on 4,000 marketers
- For every $1 invested, email generates $42 in revenue on average across industries in 2023, Litmus report
- E-commerce ROI from email was 3800% in 2023, Klaviyo benchmarks
- Average email list growth rate was 2.5% monthly for engaged brands in 2023
- Subscriber churn rate averages 0.5% per month in healthy lists, 2023 benchmarks
- Welcome series emails increase retention by 84% for new subscribers in first 30 days
- Retail industry open rate benchmark: 16.74% in 2023
- Healthcare emails averaged 23.12% open rates in 2023, Litmus data
- Software & IT sector CTR: 3.45% average 2023, HubSpot
Email marketing delivers excellent ROI with key performance varying by industry and strategy.
Click-Through Metrics
- Average click-to-open rate (CTOR) for emails in 2023 was 10.5% across industries
- Retail sector CTOR averaged 12.34% in 2023 email campaigns, Campaign Monitor stats
- B2C emails showed 8.7% CTOR in 2023, HubSpot data from 1 million campaigns
- Software industry CTOR was 14.2% for 2023 newsletters, per ActiveCampaign report
- Average click-through rate (CTR) for all emails in 2023 was 2.3%, Litmus State of Email
- E-commerce CTR benchmark was 2.8% in Q4 2023, Klaviyo analysis
- B2B CTR averaged 3.12% in 2023, HubSpot benchmarks
- Non-profits had 2.9% CTR on average in 2022-2023, Mailchimp data
- Mobile-optimized emails saw 15% higher CTR in 2023, per Sendinblue study
- Personalized subject lines boosted CTR by 14% on average in 2023 campaigns
- Automated emails had 320% higher CTR than manual in 2023
- Images vs text: image-heavy emails CTR 2.4x higher 2023
- Button CTAs increased clicks by 28% in 2023 campaigns
- Segmented lists CTR 14.31% higher than non-segmented 2023
- Product recommendation emails CTR 4.2% avg 2023
- Newsletter CTR benchmark 3.1% in B2B 2023, HubSpot
Click-Through Metrics Interpretation
While a 10.5% click-to-open rate suggests inboxes are a battlefield of polite indifference, the real victory lies in the fact that personalized, automated, and segmented emails are practically bribing readers with relevance, seeing click-through rates soar because, let's be honest, nobody has time for emails that don't feel like they were sent just for them.
Engagement Metrics
- The average email open rate across all industries in Q4 2023 was 21.33%, based on analysis of over 25 billion emails sent
- For the Retail industry, the average open rate for email campaigns in 2023 was 17.42%, derived from 1.2 billion emails
- E-commerce brands saw an average open rate of 15.68% in email marketing during 2023, from Campaign Monitor's data on 10 million campaigns
- B2B emails had an average open rate of 25.14% in 2023, according to HubSpot's study of 4 million emails
- Non-profit organizations achieved 28.41% average open rates in 2022 emails, per Mailchimp benchmarks
- The global average open rate for newsletters in 2023 was 29.5%, from GetResponse's report on 10 billion emails
- Travel industry emails opened at 24.56% on average in 2023, Litmus data from 500k campaigns
- Average open rate for US senders in 2023 was 34.14% for promotional emails, per Return Path
- Educational emails had 28.5% open rates in 2023, Constant Contact analysis of 2 million lists
- Q1 2023 open rate benchmark for all industries was 22.41%, Mailchimp Q1 report
- Q2 2023 all-industry CTR: 2.45%
- Mobile open rates reached 56% of total opens in 2023, Litmus
- Subject lines under 60 chars had 24% higher opens in 2023
- Emojis in subjects boosted opens by 45% avg 2023, Campaign Monitor
- Time-sent optimization improved opens by 20% in tests 2023
- A/B tested subjects lifted opens 12.5% on average, Klaviyo 2023
Engagement Metrics Interpretation
In a world where everyone is drowning in inboxes, cracking a 20% open rate means you've successfully convinced a fifth of your audience to momentarily choose you over the chaos.
Industry Benchmarks
- Retail industry open rate benchmark: 16.74% in 2023
- Healthcare emails averaged 23.12% open rates in 2023, Litmus data
- Software & IT sector CTR: 3.45% average 2023, HubSpot
- Hospitality open rates: 26.89% in Q4 2023, Campaign Monitor
- Finance industry ROI from email: $42 per $1 in 2023, DMA
- Education sector list growth: 4.2% monthly avg 2023, GetResponse
- Automotive emails CTR: 2.1% benchmark 2023, Klaviyo
- Non-profit CTOR: 15.6% in 2023, Mailchimp
- Real estate open rate: 21.5% avg 2023, Constant Contact
- Manufacturing industry open rate: 19.8% 2023
- Legal services CTR: 2.9% avg 2023, HubSpot
- Publishing open rates: 30.2% benchmark 2023, Litmus
- Government emails ROI: $29 per $1 2023
- Average unsubscribe rate: 0.25% per campaign 2023
- Sports & recreation CTR: 2.6% 2023, Klaviyo
- Religion open rate: 35.1% highest industry 2023
Industry Benchmarks Interpretation
Healthcare patients eagerly open their care updates, while finance emails quietly earn $42 for every dollar spent, proving that whether you're saving souls or savings accounts, a good message always gets a heavenly response.
ROI Metrics
- Email marketing delivers an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent in 2023, DMA study on 4,000 marketers
- For every $1 invested, email generates $42 in revenue on average across industries in 2023, Litmus report
- E-commerce ROI from email was 3800% in 2023, Klaviyo benchmarks
- B2B email campaigns yielded $38 ROI per dollar in 2023, HubSpot data
- Average revenue per email sent was $0.41 in retail 2023, Campaign Monitor
- Email contributes 23% of total revenue for online retailers in 2023, per Forrester
- Abandoned cart emails recover 10-30% of lost sales, averaging $3.45 revenue per recovery in 2023
- Win-back campaigns generated 12% of total email revenue in 2023 for brands, Klaviyo stats
- Email automation ROI was 760% in 2023 studies, ActiveCampaign report
- Cross-sell emails had 20% higher ROI than general campaigns in 2023
- Email revenue share: 21% of Black Friday sales 2023
- Cart abandonment emails ROI $10 per $1 spent 2023
- Post-purchase emails upsell ROI 25% higher 2023
- Loyalty program emails generated 18% revenue lift 2023
- Seasonal campaigns ROI 4500% in retail 2023, Klaviyo
- A/B testing ROI improved by 30% for optimized campaigns 2023
- Lifetime value increase from emails: 25% avg 2023
- Review request emails boosted repeat purchase ROI 15%
ROI Metrics Interpretation
The statistics resoundingly declare that while other marketing channels are shouting into the void, email is quietly and profitably whispering directly into your customer's wallet.
Subscriber Metrics
- Average email list growth rate was 2.5% monthly for engaged brands in 2023
- Subscriber churn rate averages 0.5% per month in healthy lists, 2023 benchmarks
- Welcome series emails increase retention by 84% for new subscribers in first 30 days
- Re-engagement campaigns recover 10-15% of inactive subscribers annually, 2023 data
- Average list size for small businesses grew 15% YoY in 2023 via sign-up forms
- Double opt-in lists have 20% higher retention rates over 12 months, per AWeber
- Personalized onboarding emails boost subscriber lifetime value by 25%, 2023 stats
- Average acquisition cost per subscriber via email referrals was $1.20 in 2023
- Lists segmented by behavior retain 45% more subscribers after 6 months
- Pop-up forms convert 9.3% of visitors to subscribers on average in 2023
- Annual subscriber acquisition: 25% via organic sign-ups 2023
- Exit-intent pop-ups acquire 10.5% conversion 2023
- Social proof on forms lifts sign-ups 12% 2023
- Lead magnet downloads grow lists 22% faster 2023
- Referral programs add 16% to list growth monthly
- Clean lists reduce churn by 35% over year 2023
- Frequency: weekly emails retain 18% more subs 2023
- Preference centers cut unsubs 42% in 2023 tests
Subscriber Metrics Interpretation
While your list is growing like a cautious, well-tended garden at 2.5% a month, remember that a flourishing email program is less about the seeds you plant and more about tending each subscriber with a personalized welcome, intelligent segmentation, and the humble pop-up, which together ensure your 15% annual growth doesn't quietly hemorrhage through the back door.
Sources & References
- Reference 1MAILCHIMPmailchimp.comVisit source
- Reference 2CAMPAIGNMONITORcampaignmonitor.comVisit source
- Reference 3BLOGblog.hubspot.comVisit source
- Reference 4GETRESPONSEgetresponse.comVisit source
- Reference 5LITMUSlitmus.comVisit source
- Reference 6RETURNPATHreturnpath.comVisit source
- Reference 7CONSTANTCONTACTconstantcontact.comVisit source
- Reference 8KLAVIYOklaviyo.comVisit source
- Reference 9ACTIVECAMPAIGNactivecampaign.comVisit source
- Reference 10SENDINBLUEsendinblue.comVisit source
- Reference 11DMAdma.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 12FORRESTERforrester.comVisit source
- Reference 13BAYMARDbaymard.comVisit source
- Reference 14HUBSPOThubspot.comVisit source
- Reference 15BLOGblog.aweber.comVisit source