Cart
0
Email performance rarely fails all at once. It slips. Open rates flatten. Clicks soften. Revenue still comes in, but not quite the way it used to. And because email touches so many parts of the business at once, acquisition, conversion, retention, and deliverability, it’s often hard to pinpoint where things are actually breaking down.
That’s where data helps, but only if it’s the right kind of data.
The problem with most email “benchmarks” is that they’re either too generic to be useful or too narrowly sourced to tell the full story. A single platform’s numbers can’t explain what’s happening across inbox providers, devices, consumer behavior, and regulation all at once.
The stats below are meant to do something different. They reflect how email is actually being used, measured, and constrained heading into 2026. Not to prescribe tactics, but to give you a clearer picture of the environment your program is operating in, and the assumptions worth revisiting.
The State of Email (Why It Still Matters)
1. There were approximately 4.5 billion email users worldwide in 2025, projected to reach 4.8 billion by 2027.
Source: Entrepreneur HQ
Takeaway: Email reach is still expanding. If email performance is weak, the problem isn’t audience size, it’s relevance or execution.
2. Over 376 billion emails are sent daily, with volume projected to exceed 400 billion by 2027.
Source: Marketing LTB
Takeaway: Inbox competition is intense. Winning means clearer positioning and tighter targeting, not higher frequency.
3. 93% of people use email every day.
Source: DesignRush
Takeaway: Email isn’t a “check-in” channel. It’s a daily habit. Treat it like one.
ROI and Revenue Reality
4. Email marketing delivers an average ROI of $36–$45 for every $1 spent.
Source: DesignRush, Litmus
Takeaway: Email remains one of the most efficient revenue channels available, provided you protect deliverability and list health.
5. E-commerce brands often exceed €45 in ROI per €1 spent on email.
Source: Apsis Email Benchmark Report
Takeaway: Retail and DTC brands tend to outperform generic benchmarks because email connects directly to checkout.
6. Email click-to-conversion rates increased by 27.6% year over year.
Source: Omnisend
Takeaway: Clicks are becoming more intentional. Reducing friction after the click matters more than chasing opens
Engagement Benchmarks (What “Normal” Looks Like)
7. Average open rate across industries in 2025 was 43.46%.
Source: MailerLite
Takeaway: Opens are still useful for directional insight, but not for performance judgment on their own.
8. Average click rate across industries was 2.09%.
Source: MailerLite
Takeaway: Click rate is a stronger indicator of message relevance than open rate in a post-MPP world.
9. Median click-to-open rate (CTOR) was 6.81%.
Source: MailerLite
Takeaway: CTOR is one of the cleanest creative signals you have. Low CTOR usually means message mismatch, not deliverability.
10. E-commerce open rates averaged 32.67%.
Source: MailerLite
Takeaway: Retail inboxes are crowded. Expect lower opens than lifestyle or media brands, and plan accordingly.
Devices, Clients, and Measurement Blind Spots
11. Apple Mail accounts for 60.6% of email opens.
Source: Litmus
Takeaway: Most opens are influenced by Apple Mail Privacy Protection. Use opens cautiously and comparatively.
12. Gmail accounts for 29.1% of email opens.
Source: Litmus
Takeaway: Gmail optimization (deliverability, formatting, clipping) still has outsized impact.
13. 50% of users delete emails that aren’t mobile-optimized.
Source: Affinco
Takeaway: Mobile-first design is not a “nice to have.” It directly affects engagement.
14. Responsive email design can increase unique mobile clicks by 15%.
Source: Mailchimp
Takeaway: Small structural improvements compound across large sends.
Personalization and AI (Where Advantage Is Emerging)
15. 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands offering personalized experiences.
Source: Affinco
Takeaway: Personalization is no longer a differentiator. It’s an expectation.
16. Emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.
Source: Campaign Monitor
Takeaway: Subject line relevance still matters, even with open-rate distortion.
17. AI-assisted email campaigns can generate up to 41% more revenue.
Source: Affinco
Takeaway: AI is becoming a force multiplier for teams, not a replacement for strategy.
18. 75% of marketers are expected to use generative AI in email workflows by 2026.
Source: Affinco
Takeaway: The competitive gap will increasingly be about how well teams direct AI, not whether they use it.
Automation and Triggered Email Performance
19. Automated emails generate 37% of email-driven sales from just 2% of send volume.
Source: Omnisend
Takeaway: If flows aren’t a priority, you’re working harder than you need to.
20. Roughly 1 in 3 people who click an automated email go on to purchase.
Source: Omnisend
Takeaway: Automation captures high-intent moments. Treat these emails as revenue infrastructure.
21. Abandoned cart, welcome, and browse abandonment emails drive 87% of automated revenue.
Source: Omnisend
Takeaway: Perfect these before adding niche flows.
22. Triggered emails average a 2.83% click rate.
Source: Zeta Global
Takeaway: Triggers should consistently outperform campaigns. If they don’t, timing or context is off.
23. Triggered emails average a 6.5% click-to-open rate.
Source: Zeta Global
Takeaway: High CTOR confirms that relevance beats volume.
Deliverability and Inbox Reality
24. Gmail inbox placement averages around 87%.
Source: Validity
Takeaway: Even “good” senders lose meaningful volume. Inbox placement affects revenue more than creative tweaks.
25. Microsoft inbox placement averages closer to 75%.
Source: Validity
Takeaway: Outlook audiences require stricter hygiene and more conservative sending.
26. Yahoo inbox placement averages ~84–85%.
Source: Validity
Takeaway: “Missing” mail (neither inbox nor spam) is an under-diagnosed problem.
27. Gmail considers senders “bulk” at 5,000+ emails per day.
Source: Google Sender Guidelines
Takeaway: Infrastructure and compliance matter long before you feel “big.”
Campaign Performance in Context
28. Average e-commerce click rate is ~1.07%.
Source: MailerLite
Takeaway: If you’re below this, focus on clarity and segmentation before redesigning templates.
29. Promotional emails average ~1% unique click rate.
Source: Zeta Global
Takeaway: Promo emails are blunt instruments. Expect modest engagement unless targeting is tight.
30. Promotional unsubscribe rates average ~0.2%.
Source: Zeta Global
Takeaway: Higher than this signals fatigue or misalignment.
Revenue, Spend, and Strategic Priority
31. Customers acquired via email spend 138% more than those acquired through other channels.
Source: BenchmarkOne
Takeaway: Email doesn’t just convert, it compounds value.
32. Email referrals average a 17% conversion rate.
Source: Score
Takeaway: Referral programs paired with email outperform most paid channels.
33. 44% of marketing professionals say email is their most effective channel.
Source: Shopify
Takeaway: If email underperforms for you, the issue is usually systems, not channel relevance.
34. 62% of marketers increased email budgets year over year.
Source: Wix
Takeaway: Investment is following results, not nostalgia.
Where Email Is Headed
35. 64% of marketers now consider accessibility a core part of email design.
Source: Pathwire
Takeaway: Accessibility affects deliverability, engagement, and brand perception.
36. 4 out of 5 marketers personalize emails using customer data.
Source: Constant Contact
Takeaway: The baseline has shifted. Surface-level personalization is no longer enough.
37. Re-engagement emails average a 10% open rate.
Source: Influencer Marketing Hub
Takeaway: Win-back works best when expectations are realistic and messaging is restrained.
38. Welcome emails generate 320% more revenue than other email types.
Source: Invesp
Takeaway: First impressions still matter disproportionately.
39. Welcome emails average open rates above 80%.
Source: GetResponse
Takeaway: Attention is highest at the beginning. Spend it carefully.
40. Automated win-back emails can reach conversion rates above 10%.
Source: Return Path
Takeaway: Email isn’t just for acquisition. It’s one of the most effective retention tools you have.
These numbers don’t exist to impress stakeholders or pad decks. They exist to help you make sharper calls: where to invest, where to simplify, and where to stop chasing the wrong metrics.
Email performance in 2026 won’t be defined by who sends the most or shouts the loudest. It will be defined by teams that respect attention, understand intent, and build systems that compound over time.
