In an inbox where the average email fights for attention with a meager 21.33% chance of being opened globally, mastering the nuanced art of the subject line and send-time becomes the critical difference between being seen and being scrolled past.
Key Takeaways
- The global average email open rate across all industries in 2023 was 21.33%
- In the US, the average email open rate for marketing campaigns in 2023 stood at 34.23%
- Nonprofits achieved an average email open rate of 29.26% in 2023 quarterly benchmarks
- Retail industry average email open rate was 15.68% in Q1 2023
- Healthcare sector open rate averaged 23.45% for newsletters in 2023
- Ecommerce open rates hit 14.23% average in Black Friday 2023 campaigns
- B2B email open rates increased by 2.3% from 2022 to 2023
- Open rates for promotional emails dropped 1.5% YoY in Q1 2023 vs 2022
- Holiday season open rates peaked at 22.1% in December 2023 vs 18.4% in January
- Mobile open rates grew from 48% in 2022 to 52% in 2023
- Apple Mail app captured 52.3% of mobile opens in 2023
- Gmail open rates on desktop averaged 35.67% in 2023
- Emails with personalized subject lines saw 26% higher open rates
- Emojis in subject lines boosted opens by 45% on average in 2023
- Short subject lines (under 50 chars) had 12% higher open rates
Email open rates vary by industry, device, strategy, and time of year.
Device and Client Stats
- Mobile open rates grew from 48% in 2022 to 52% in 2023
- Apple Mail app captured 52.3% of mobile opens in 2023
- Gmail open rates on desktop averaged 35.67% in 2023
- Outlook desktop clients saw 28.14% open rates in B2B 2023
- Android device open rates were 14.2% lower than iOS in 2023
- Webmail clients accounted for 55.8% of all opens in 2023
- iOS Mail app open rate share was 38.9% of mobile traffic in 2023
- Desktop Gmail opens declined 5.2% YoY in 2023
- Samsung Mail app had 12.4% of Android opens in 2023 Q4
- Mobile opens 2021: 48%, 2022: 50.2%, 2023: 52.14%
- Desktop share 2023: 40.23%, down from 45% in 2022
- Gmail total opens 2023: 42.5% market share
- Apple Mail mobile: 52.3% of iOS opens, Android Gmail: 28.1%
- Outlook opens B2B: 28.14%, consumer: 15.2%
- Webmail 2023: 55.8% vs app opens 44.2%
- iPhone opens: 28.4% of total mobile, Samsung: 12.4%
- Yahoo Mail opens: 11.2% share, lower rates 16.8%
- Tablet opens 2023: 7.63% of total, mostly iPad
- Chrome browser opens desktop: 18.4% share
- iOS 17 update boosted Apple Mail opens by 3.2%
- Android webmail opens higher 22.1% vs apps 17.9%
- ESP-specific: Sendinblue opens 23.4%, avg ESP 21%
Device and Client Stats Interpretation
It appears the smartphone has officially become our primary mailbox, as mobile opens crossed the 52% threshold in 2023, with Apple Mail deftly holding over half of that captive audience while desktop clients quietly recede into a dignified, 40% minority.
General Benchmarks
- The global average email open rate across all industries in 2023 was 21.33%
- In the US, the average email open rate for marketing campaigns in 2023 stood at 34.23%
- Nonprofits achieved an average email open rate of 29.26% in 2023 quarterly benchmarks
- The overall average open rate for transactional emails in 2023 was 45.12%
- B2C brands saw an average open rate of 20.45% for promotional emails in Q4 2023
- Average open rate for welcome emails across industries was 50.68% in 2023
- Global email open rate benchmark for 2022 was 21.5%, down 0.02% from 2021
- US ecommerce open rates averaged 15.24% in 2023
- Average open rate for all email types in Canada was 22.67% in 2023
- UK email marketers reported 18.91% average open rate in 2023
- Average mobile open rate globally was 52.14% of total opens in 2023
- Desktop open rates accounted for 40.23% of total opens in 2023 benchmarks
- Retail Q1 2023 open rate: 15.68%; Q2: 16.2%; Q3: 14.9%; Q4: 18.4%
- US nonprofits average open rate 2023: 29.26%, Canada: 27.8%
- Ecommerce transactional emails open rate 2023: 45.12%, promotional: 14.23%
- B2B software open rate 2023: 29.34%, all B2B avg: 25.1%
- Welcome series opens: 50.68% email 1, 37.2% email 2
- Global avg open 2023: 21.33%, APAC: 19.8%, EMEA: 22.1%
General Benchmarks Interpretation
It appears we have perfected the art of the email subject line only to discover that, on average, 78.67% of humanity has mastered the art of ignoring it, though they will reliably open a welcome note and their receipt with the enthusiasm of a lottery win.
Industry-Specific
- Retail industry average email open rate was 15.68% in Q1 2023
- Healthcare sector open rate averaged 23.45% for newsletters in 2023
- Ecommerce open rates hit 14.23% average in Black Friday 2023 campaigns
- Education industry newsletters had 28.91% open rate in 2023
- Real estate emails opened at 19.67% average rate in 2023
- Travel industry open rate was 17.82% for promotional emails in 2023
- Finance sector achieved 20.15% open rate for B2B emails in 2023
- Software/SaaS open rates averaged 29.34% in 2023
- Food & Beverage emails had 16.45% open rate in Q3 2023
- Media & Entertainment open rate benchmark was 21.78% in 2023
- Education open rates 2023: newsletters 28.91%, course promos 24.5%
- Healthcare patient newsletters: 23.45% opens, appts reminders: 48.2%
- Travel promo emails 2023: 17.82%, loyalty: 32.1%
- Real estate listings emails: 19.67% opens, market updates: 26.3%
- Finance alerts: 38.9% opens, newsletters: 20.15%
- Food & Bev promo: 16.45%, recipes: 29.7%
- Media newsletters: 21.78%, event invites: 34.2%
- SaaS product updates: 31.4% opens, upsell: 22.8%
- Retail industry open rate averaged 17.2% across 2023 campaigns
- B2B tech sector open rates reached 27.8% in mid-2023
- Hospitality emails had 18.9% open rates for promotions
- Automotive newsletters opened at 21.3% average in 2023
- Non-profit fundraising emails: 31.4% opens
- Fashion ecommerce: 13.8% promotional open rate 2023
- Legal services B2B: 24.7% open rates
- Gaming industry promo emails: 19.2% opens
Industry-Specific Interpretation
In an inbox where attention is the ultimate currency, it seems we're all just vying for the coveted title of "Least Ignored," with healthcare newsletters and SaaS updates currently leading the miserably fascinating race, while Black Friday sales emails languish in the promotional spam folder of our collective consciousness.
Influencing Factors
- Emails with personalized subject lines saw 26% higher open rates
- Emojis in subject lines boosted opens by 45% on average in 2023
- Short subject lines (under 50 chars) had 12% higher open rates
- Time sent at 10 AM increased opens by 20% vs evenings
- Segmented lists improved open rates by 14.31% in 2023 tests
- Preview text optimization raised opens by 8.7%
- Mobile-optimized emails had 15% higher open rates on phones
- Re-engagement campaigns achieved 35.2% open rates vs 18% standard
- Numbers in subject lines increased opens by 20% per A/B tests
- Personalized subjects: 26% lift, non-personalized: baseline 18%
- Emojis: 45% boost, avg emoji subjects opens 24.3% vs 16.8%
- 10 AM sends: 20% higher than 8 PM (22% vs 18.3%)
- Segmentation: 14.31% uplift, lists >10k: 12% less effective
- Preview text >100 chars: 8.7% higher opens
- Mobile opt: 15% lift on phones, desktop same
- Numbers in subjects: 20% increase (23.5% vs 19.6%)
- Re-engagement: 35.2% vs standard 18%, inactive lists 8%
- Questions in subjects: 22% higher opens than statements
- Subject urgency words like "now" +18% opens
- List hygiene: clean lists 29% higher opens
- A/B testing subjects: winners 15-30% better
- Video thumbnails in preview: +10% opens
Influencing Factors Interpretation
While email's soul may be digital, its heart is unmistakably human, responding best to a name at 10 AM, a well-placed 😉, a promise of brevity, and a list that remembers you actually love dogs, not cats.
Time-Based Trends
- B2B email open rates increased by 2.3% from 2022 to 2023
- Open rates for promotional emails dropped 1.5% YoY in Q1 2023 vs 2022
- Holiday season open rates peaked at 22.1% in December 2023 vs 18.4% in January
- Q4 2023 open rates were 3.2% higher than Q1 across industries
- From 2021 to 2023, average open rates declined by 0.8% globally
- Newsletter open rates rose 4.1% in 2023 compared to 2022
- Post-pandemic open rates stabilized at 21% average in late 2023
- Early 2023 open rates were 19.5%, rising to 23.2% by year-end
- Open rates 2020-2023: 22.1%, 21.8%, 21.6%, 21.33%
- Q1 2023 opens: 19.5%, Q2: 20.8%, Q3: 21.2%, Q4: 23.2%
- Black Friday opens 2023: 22.1% vs Cyber Monday: 20.8%
- Newsletter opens 2022: 24.5%, 2023: 28.6% (+4.1%)
- Promotional drops 2023 vs 2022: -1.5% Q1, +0.8% Q4
- B2C opens 2023: 20.45%, up 1.2% from 2022 avg
- Open rates peaked Wednesday 10 AM at 24.1% weekly avg 2023
- 2023 vs 2021: opens down 0.77%, clicks stable
- Summer 2023 opens 2.1% lower than winter
- Transactional opens steady 45-48% across 2023 quarters
- B2B opens Q1 23%: 24.5%, Q4: 27.3%
- Global opens Jan 2023: 19.2%, Dec: 24.5% (+27.6%)
Time-Based Trends Interpretation
While inboxes remain a battlefield of declining attention, the data reveals a glimmer of hope: compelling newsletters are cutting through the noise, proving that substance, not just sales pitches, is the true key to unlocking engagement.