With email deliverability and marketing performance metrics like a 4.2% average conversion rate and an estimated $36 return for every $1 spent, this post dives into the numbers behind what makes newsletters actually work.
Key Takeaways
- 41.6% of email recipients reported that they delete emails if the sender sends content they are not interested in
- 46% of marketers say email is their most effective customer acquisition channel
- 36% of marketers said they use behavioral triggers in email programs
- 39% of marketers say their email deliverability problems are caused by spam complaints
- Marketing emails have an average conversion rate of 4.2% based on aggregated benchmarking studies
- The average email click rate across industries is 1.2%
- 74% of Americans who use the internet have an email account
- In 2023, 51% of marketers used email marketing automation as part of marketing automation
- In 2023, 78% of marketers used email in their marketing strategy
- Email marketing generates $36 for every $1 spent, according to the Data & Marketing Association and other industry analyses of ROI
- Email is estimated to contribute 3.8x higher returns than social media in marketing effectiveness comparisons
- Revenues from email marketing are reported as $8.1 billion in a 2023 benchmark among U.S. marketers
- The global email marketing software market size was $5.2 billion in 2022
- The global email marketing software market is projected to reach $11.5 billion by 2030
- The global email marketing market size was $7.3 billion in 2021
Email drives major ROI and engagement, but relevance and mobile performance are critical to avoid unsubscribes.
Industry Trends
141.6% of email recipients reported that they delete emails if the sender sends content they are not interested in[1]
Verified246% of marketers say email is their most effective customer acquisition channel[2]
Verified336% of marketers said they use behavioral triggers in email programs[2]
Verified445% of email marketers used marketing automation in their email programs[1]
Directional531% of organizations rate email as their most important marketing channel[2]
Single source623% of organizations consider email the most important channel for delivering personalized content[2]
Verified7A typical marketing email program uses 2–4 main campaign types (newsletters, promotions, lifecycle) according to industry operational reports[3]
Verified8In 2023, 57% of marketers used segmentation to improve email performance[3]
Verified9In 2023, 63% of marketers used personalization tokens in email[3]
Directional10In 2023, 44% of marketers used A/B testing for email campaigns[3]
Single source11In 2023, 36% of marketers used live or dynamic content in emails[3]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
With 46% of marketers saying email is their most effective customer acquisition channel, the data also shows growing sophistication, from 57% using segmentation in 2023 to 45% relying on marketing automation in their email programs.
Performance Metrics
139% of marketers say their email deliverability problems are caused by spam complaints[1]
Verified2Marketing emails have an average conversion rate of 4.2% based on aggregated benchmarking studies[4]
Verified3The average email click rate across industries is 1.2%[4]
Verified4The average email open rate is 21.33%[4]
Directional5Spam causes 14.8% of email messages to be rejected on average in analyzed datasets[5]
Single source646% of emails are opened on mobile devices, according to email client usage studies[1]
Verified752% of marketers say mobile optimization is important for email performance[4]
Verified8List churn (unsubscribes and bounces) is often reported around 1–3% monthly for healthy lists[4]
Verified9The average bounce rate for permission-based marketing lists is typically under 2% (industry benchmark)[4]
Directional102.2% of emails typically bounce in non-maintained lists; maintained lists are lower in benchmarking studies[6]
Single source110.8% of marketing emails result in unsubscribes on average (benchmark reporting)[4]
Verified12Average email open rates across all industries vary widely from 15% to 25% in benchmarking reports[4]
Verified13Average open rate for retail is higher than the all-industry average in benchmarking datasets[4]
Verified14Average click rate for e-commerce is above the all-industry average in benchmark reports[4]
DirectionalPerformance Metrics Interpretation
With open rates averaging 21.33% and click rates only 1.2%, the data suggests most readers are engaging initially on mobile while conversion hinges on improving what happens after the click, especially given that 39% of deliverability issues trace back to spam complaints.
User Adoption
174% of Americans who use the internet have an email account[7]
Verified2In 2023, 51% of marketers used email marketing automation as part of marketing automation[3]
Verified3In 2023, 78% of marketers used email in their marketing strategy[3]
Verified437% of marketers send personalized emails as part of their strategy[3]
Directional573% of B2B marketers use email marketing[8]
Single source655% of B2C marketers use email marketing[8]
Verified7Email marketing is estimated to be used by 99% of B2B and B2C marketers according to industry survey summaries[4]
VerifiedUser Adoption Interpretation
Email is clearly the backbone of digital outreach, with 78% of marketers using it in their strategy and 73% of B2B and 55% of B2C marketers relying on email marketing.
Cost Analysis
1Email marketing generates $36 for every $1 spent, according to the Data & Marketing Association and other industry analyses of ROI[9]
Verified2Email is estimated to contribute 3.8x higher returns than social media in marketing effectiveness comparisons[10]
Verified3Revenues from email marketing are reported as $8.1 billion in a 2023 benchmark among U.S. marketers[2]
Verified4Email marketing ROI is reported at 3800% in some widely cited industry ROI analyses[10]
Directional5Email has been estimated to generate $13.1 billion in revenue in the U.S. in 2023 (marketing effectiveness studies)[10]
Single sourceCost Analysis Interpretation
Email newsletters are delivering standout performance in 2023, generating $36 for every $1 spent and producing up to 3.8 times the marketing returns of social media, with U.S. revenues reaching $8.1 billion and even some analyses citing 3800% ROI.
Market Size
1The global email marketing software market size was $5.2 billion in 2022[11]
Verified2The global email marketing software market is projected to reach $11.5 billion by 2030[11]
Verified3The global email marketing market size was $7.3 billion in 2021[12]
Verified4The global email marketing software market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.1% from 2022 to 2030[11]
Directional5Global marketing automation software spending reached $7.1 billion in 2023 (includes email automation use cases)[13]
Single source6Marketing automation software spending is forecast to reach $17.1 billion by 2028[13]
VerifiedMarket Size Interpretation
Email marketing tools are on a strong growth trajectory, with the email marketing software market rising from $5.2 billion in 2022 to a projected $11.5 billion by 2030, supported by a 14.1% CAGR.
References
- 1litmus.com/state-of-email
- 10litmus.com/resources/email-marketing-statistics/
- 2emarsys.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics
- 3hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
- 4mailchimp.com/resources/email-marketing-benchmarks/
- 5incapsula.com/blog/spam-rate-statistics.html
- 6sparkpost.com/benchmark-report/
- 7pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/
- 8convinceandconvert.com/email-marketing-statistics/
- 9dma.org/article/addressing-the-privacy-shift-for-marketers
- 11grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/email-marketing-software-market
- 12fortunebusinessinsights.com/email-marketing-software-market-107234
- 13gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-05-gartner-forecast-marketing-automation-software-to-reach-17-1-billion-in-2028