What Makes a Good Email Benchmark?
Email marketing is one of the highest-ROI marketing channels available. But "good"performance looks different depending on your industry, audience size, list quality, and campaign objective.
When email marketers ask "what is a good open rate for email,"they're often comparing themselves to outdated benchmarks or industry-wide averages that don't apply to their specific situation. A 15% open rate might be considered poor for B2C ecommerce (where 25–35% is typical), but exceptional for manufacturing (where 12–18% is the norm).
This guide breaks down email performance metrics by:
- Industry — Real data from 15+ sectors
- Campaign type — Welcome series, newsletters, promotional, abandoned cart, re-engagement
- Platform — Mailchimp, HubSpot, Klaviyo, Campaign Monitor
- Send time & day of week — When emails get opened and clicked
- Mobile vs desktop — Device-specific performance
- Subject lines — Which tactics drive higher open rates
The goal is to give you a clear picture of what's typical in your industry so you can set realistic targets and identify areas where you're outperforming — or underperforming — the competition.
Average Email Open Rates (2026 Data)
The average email open rate across all industries is 21.5% — up from 20.8% in 2025. This means that of every 100 emails sent, approximately 21–22 are opened by the recipient.
However, this headline figure masks enormous variation. Open rates range from as low as 11% (manufacturing and industrial B2B) to as high as 38% (nonprofits).
Average Open Rate by Industry
Several factors affect open rates beyond your control:
- List quality — A fresh list of opted-in subscribers will perform better than a decades-old list
- List age — Lists more than 2 years old see 15–20% lower open rates
- Audience familiarity — Existing customers open emails 2.5x more than new prospects
- Inbox placement — Emails in the spam folder have 0% open rates
If your open rate is below the industry average, don't panic. There may be legitimate reasons. But if it's significantly below average with an engaged, opted-in audience, that's a clear signal to test your subject lines and send cadence.
Email Open Rate Benchmarks by Industry
The most comprehensive email open rate breakdown by industry, based on analysis of 50+ million emails sent across multiple platforms (2025–2026):
| Industry | Avg Open Rate | 75th Percentile | 95th Percentile | List Size Impact | Segmentation Lift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits / Charities | 38% | 48% | 62% | −5% per 100K | +18% |
| Media / Publishing | 32% | 41% | 54% | −2% per 100K | +22% |
| Education / Training | 29% | 37% | 51% | −4% per 100K | +19% |
| Hospitality / Travel | 27% | 35% | 48% | −6% per 100K | +24% |
| Ecommerce (Fashion/Retail) | 25% | 33% | 46% | −8% per 100K | +26% |
| B2B Professional Services | 24% | 32% | 45% | −3% per 100K | +20% |
| Ecommerce (Electronics) | 23% | 31% | 44% | −9% per 100K | +25% |
| Health / Fitness / Wellness | 22% | 30% | 43% | −5% per 100K | +21% |
| Software / SaaS | 21% | 29% | 42% | −7% per 100K | +23% |
| Real Estate | 20% | 28% | 41% | −4% per 100K | +19% |
| Automotive | 18% | 26% | 39% | −5% per 100K | +17% |
| Legal Services | 16% | 24% | 37% | −2% per 100K | +15% |
| Financial Services | 14% | 22% | 35% | −3% per 100K | +14% |
| Manufacturing / Industrial | 11% | 19% | 32% | −1% per 100K | +12% |
| Government / Public Sector | 13% | 21% | 34% | −2% per 100K | +11% |
Sources: Mailchimp (2026), HubSpot (2025), Campaign Monitor (2026), Klaviyo (2025), Litmus (2026)
Nonprofits and media/publishing see the highest open rates (32–38%) — driven by strong emotional engagement and reader loyalty. B2B industries sit below the 21.5% average due to longer decision-making cycles. Segmentation provides a consistent +15–26% lift across all industries.
Email Click-Through Rate (CTR) Benchmarks by Industry
Average email CTR across all industries is 2.3%. CTR is far more predictive of revenue than open rate because clicking requires an extra action and is directly tied to relevance and offer strength.
| Industry | Avg CTR | 75th Percentile | 95th Percentile | Typical CTA | Mobile CTR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits / Charities | 4.1% | 5.8% | 8.2% | Donation/action | 3.2% |
| B2B SaaS | 3.8% | 5.2% | 7.5% | Free trial/demo | 2.9% |
| Ecommerce (Fashion) | 3.2% | 4.6% | 6.8% | Shop/view products | 2.1% |
| Media / Publishing | 3.0% | 4.2% | 6.0% | Read article | 2.3% |
| Real Estate | 2.9% | 4.0% | 5.8% | View property | 2.1% |
| Health / Wellness | 2.8% | 3.9% | 5.5% | Learn more | 2.0% |
| Ecommerce (Electronics) | 2.7% | 3.8% | 5.4% | Shop/view products | 1.9% |
| Hospitality / Travel | 2.6% | 3.7% | 5.2% | Book now | 2.2% |
| Education | 2.5% | 3.5% | 5.0% | Enrol/learn more | 1.8% |
| Automotive | 2.3% | 3.2% | 4.6% | View inventory | 1.7% |
| Professional Services (B2B) | 2.1% | 3.0% | 4.3% | Schedule consultation | 1.6% |
| Financial Services | 1.9% | 2.7% | 3.9% | Learn more | 1.4% |
| Legal Services | 1.7% | 2.4% | 3.5% | Contact us | 1.3% |
| Manufacturing | 1.5% | 2.1% | 3.2% | Request quote | 1.1% |
Sources: Mailchimp (2026), HubSpot (2025), Campaign Monitor (2026), Klaviyo (2025)
Mobile CTR is 20–45% lower than desktop CTR across all industries. As mobile opens increase (currently 55–65% of all opens), overall CTR can decline even if your email quality remains constant. Optimising for mobile is essential.
Email Conversion Rate Benchmarks
Average email conversion rate across all industries is 2.5% — significantly higher than paid advertising (0.5–1.5%) and organic search (1.8%), making email one of the highest-converting channels.
| Industry | Conversion Rate | Avg Value/Conversion | Annual Rev per 1K Subs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce (Fashion) | 4.2% | £55 | £2,310 |
| Nonprofits | 3.8% | £85 | £3,230 |
| B2B SaaS | 3.5% | £450 | £15,750 |
| Real Estate | 3.2% | £8,500 | £272,000 |
| Ecommerce (Electronics) | 3.1% | £180 | £5,580 |
| Hospitality / Travel | 2.9% | £125 | £3,625 |
| Media / Publishing | 2.8% | £12 (CPM equiv.) | £336 |
| Education | 2.7% | £750 | £20,250 |
| Health / Wellness | 2.6% | £95 | £2,470 |
| Professional Services (B2B) | 2.4% | £3,200 | £76,800 |
| Financial Services | 2.2% | £5,000 | £110,000 |
| Automotive | 2.0% | £8,000 | £160,000 |
| Legal Services | 1.8% | £12,000 | £216,000 |
| Manufacturing | 1.5% | £25,000 | £375,000 |
Sources: Klaviyo (2025), HubSpot (2025), Mailchimp (2026)
Real estate and legal services have lower conversion rates (1.8–3.2%) but enormous per-conversion values (£8,500–£12,000), resulting in massive annual revenue per subscriber. Email conversion rate is most heavily influenced by audience segmentation, personalisation, offer relevance, and mobile optimisation.
Email Marketing ROI by Industry
The average email marketing ROI across all industries is 3,600% — meaning businesses earn £36 for every £1 invested. This is 5x higher than SEO's 748% and 18x higher than PPC's 200%.
Email ROI vs Other Channels
| Channel | Average ROI | Cost-Per-Lead | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing | 3,600% | £0.50–£2 | Existing audience, retention, upsell |
| Affiliate Marketing | 2,100% | £1–£5 | Scale, performance-based |
| Content Marketing (with SEO) | 748% | £14 | Long-term traffic, brand authority |
| PPC (Google Ads) | 200% | £44 | Immediate results, testing |
| Social Media (Organic) | 95% | Variable | Brand awareness, engagement |
Sources: DMA (2026), HubSpot (2025), Litmus (2026), WordStream (2025)
Important caveat:Email ROI is so high because it operates on an existing audience. You've already paid (through other channels) to acquire those subscribers. Email ROI measures distribution return, not list-building cost.
Email ROI by Industry
| Industry | Average Email ROI | Email Spend as % Budget | Emails/Month | Annual Rev per 1K Subs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce | 4,200% | 8% | 45 | £2,310–£5,580 |
| SaaS / Technology | 3,800% | 12% | 32 | £15,750 |
| Nonprofits | 3,500% | 6% | 20 | £3,230 |
| Financial Services | 3,200% | 7% | 16 | £110,000 |
| B2B Professional Services | 3,100% | 9% | 24 | £76,800 |
| Real Estate | 3,000% | 5% | 12 | £272,000 |
| Hospitality / Travel | 2,800% | 10% | 28 | £3,625 |
| Manufacturing | 2,600% | 4% | 8 | £375,000 |
| Media / Publishing | 2,400% | 11% | 60 | £336 |
| Education | 2,200% | 8% | 18 | £20,250 |
| Recruitment | 2,000% | 7% | 14 | £12,500 |
| Automotive | 1,800% | 6% | 10 | £160,000 |
Email marketing generates £36 in revenue for every £1 invested. This is 5x higher ROI than SEO and 18x higher than PPC — making email the highest-ROI marketing channel available for businesses with an existing audience.
Benchmarks by Campaign Type
Different email types serve different purposes and have different benchmarks:
| Campaign Type | Goal | Avg Open Rate | Avg CTR | Avg Conversion | Frequency | Best Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Series (Email 1) | Engagement | 42% | 6.2% | 8.5% | Once at signup | All |
| Welcome Series (Email 2–3) | Nurture | 38% | 5.1% | 6.8% | 2–7 days later | All |
| Abandoned Cart | Revenue recovery | 28% | 5.5% | 12% | 4–24 hours | Ecommerce |
| Event Invitation | Attendance | 26% | 4.5% | 8.2% | 2–4 weeks prior | B2B, Nonprofits |
| Customer Feedback | Engagement | 24% | 1.8% | 0.5% | Post-purchase | All |
| Browse Abandonment | Re-engagement | 22% | 3.2% | 6% | 4–24 hours | Ecommerce |
| Product Update | Engagement | 21% | 3.2% | 2.1% | As-needed | SaaS, Tech |
| Newsletter (Educational) | Thought leadership | 19% | 2.1% | 1.2% | Weekly/bi-weekly | Media, SaaS |
| Win-Back / Re-engagement | Reactivate | 18% | 2.1% | 2.8% | Monthly | All |
| Promotional / Sales | Revenue | 15% | 2.8% | 4.2% | Monthly | Ecommerce |
Sources: Klaviyo (2025), HubSpot (2025), Campaign Monitor (2026)
Welcome series emails dramatically outperform all other types (42% open rate, 6.2% CTR). Abandoned cart emails have the highest conversion rate at 12%. Newsletters have lower conversion but subscribers who engage with them are 45% more likely to purchase from promotional emails later.
Benchmarks by Email Platform
Email performance varies significantly by platform due to differences in features, audience, and default settings. Based on analysis of 100+ million emails (2025–2026):
| Platform | Avg Open Rate | Avg CTR | Avg Conversion | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ConvertKit | 28% | 3.1% | 2.2% | Creators, publishers |
| Klaviyo | 24% | 2.8% | 3.2% | Ecommerce, segmentation |
| Campaign Monitor | 23% | 2.6% | 2.5% | Agencies, designers |
| HubSpot | 22% | 2.5% | 2.8% | B2B, CRM integration |
| Drip | 22% | 2.4% | 2.4% | E-learning, SaaS |
| ActiveCampaign | 21% | 2.3% | 2.6% | Mid-market, automation |
| GetResponse | 20% | 2.1% | 1.9% | SMBs, webinars |
| Mailchimp | 19% | 1.9% | 1.8% | SMBs, simple needs |
Sources: Platform-native analytics, aggregated from respondents (2025–2026)
Important caveat:Platform benchmarks vary by user base, not platform capability. A sophisticated user on Mailchimp can achieve Klaviyo-level results. The differences reflect audience maturity and segmentation practices, not the platform's technical capabilities.
Send Time & Day-of-Week Performance
When you send emails significantly affects performance. The optimal send time varies by industry and audience type:
| Industry | Best Day | Best Time | Open Rate Lift | CTR Lift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Travel | Sunday | 9 AM–12 PM | +20% | +16% |
| Ecommerce | Thursday | 12–2 PM | +18% | +14% |
| Nonprofits | Tuesday | 7–9 PM | +15% | +10% |
| Media / Publishing | Thursday | 8–10 AM | +13% | +9% |
| B2B SaaS | Tuesday–Wednesday | 10 AM | +12% | +8% |
| Education | Thursday | 4–6 PM | +11% | +8% |
| Real Estate | Friday | 10 AM | +10% | +7% |
| Healthcare | Wednesday | 1–3 PM | +9% | +6% |
| Financial Services | Monday–Wednesday | 9 AM | +8% | +5% |
| Manufacturing (B2B) | Tuesday | 8–9 AM | +6% | +4% |
Sources: HubSpot (2025), platform analytics across 50+ million emails
Tuesday–Thursday are universally strong days
10–15% higher open rates than Monday or Friday across most industries.
Time of day is more important than day of week
Sending at 10 AM performs 25–40% better than 3 AM or 8 PM, regardless of day.
Friday emails see 20–30% lower engagement
Reserve Friday sends for educational or time-sensitive content.
Tuesday–Thursday at 10 AM is the universal optimal send window. But your specific industry and audience may perform better at different times. The only way to know is to test with a sample of 1,000+ subscribers before rolling out to your full list.
Subject Line Statistics & Trends
Subject line performance is one of the most critical — and most testable — elements of email marketing. The right subject line can increase open rates by 30–50%.
| Tactic | Open Rate Lift | CTR Lift | Use Cases | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urgency ("Today only") | +18% | +8% | Promotions, ecommerce | High if overused |
| Benefit-driven ("Save £500") | +16% | +9% | Ecommerce, financial | Low |
| Curiosity gap | +15% | +7% | B2C, lifestyle | High |
| Number/List ("5 ways to...") | +14% | +6% | Educational, media | Low |
| Personalised segment | +13% | +5% | All industries | Low |
| Personalisation (name) | +12% | +3% | All industries | Low |
| Power words ("Proven") | +11% | +5% | All industries | Medium |
| Question format | +9% | +4% | B2B, nonprofits | Medium |
| Social proof ("Join 10,000+") | +8% | +3% | SaaS, B2B | Low |
| Emoji (1–2) | +7% | +2% | Ecommerce, nonprofits | Medium |
Sources: HubSpot (2025), Campaign Monitor (2026), Klaviyo (2025)
Keep subject lines under 50 characters
Mobile preview truncates at 50 characters. Under 50 averages 8–10% higher open rates.
Avoid spam trigger words
"FREE," "ACT NOW,"and excessive punctuation increase spam folder rates by 15–30%.
Test religiously
Subject line A/B tests show 15–25% variance between winning and losing lines. This is the highest-impact lever you can pull.
The difference between the highest and lowest-performing subject lines is typically 25–40% in open rate. Testing five subject lines on a 10,000-person list and selecting the winner is one of the highest-ROI activities in email marketing.
Mobile vs Desktop Email Performance
Mobile opens now account for 55–65% of all email opens across industries, yet many marketers still design emails for desktop first. This is a critical mistake.
| Metric | Mobile | Desktop | Tablet | Mobile as % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Rate (% of sends) | 13.5% | 7.2% | 0.8% | 65% |
| Click Rate (% of opens) | 2.1% | 2.9% | 1.8% | 62% |
| Conversion Rate | 1.8% | 3.2% | 1.2% | 56% |
| Avg Session Duration | 45 seconds | 2 min 15 sec | 1 min 20 sec | N/A |
| Unsubscribe Rate | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.15% | 65% |
Sources: Litmus (2026), HubSpot (2025), Mailchimp (2026)
Desktop click rates are higher than mobile
While mobile gets more opens (65%), desktop users click more (2.9% vs 2.1% CTR).
Mobile conversion rates are significantly lower
1.8% vs 3.2% — driven by smaller screens, slow connections, distractions, and login friction.
Mobile users unsubscribe more
1.5x higher unsubscribe rates (0.3% vs 0.2%), suggesting poor mobile experience drives abandonment.
If your email isn't mobile-optimised, you're destroying conversions for 55–65% of your audience. Mobile users get poor experience, unsubscribe more, and convert less. Yet mobile is where most of your opens happen.
List Segmentation & Personalisation Impact
Email ROI is heavily influenced by segmentation and personalisation. Targeted emails dramatically outperform batch-and-blast campaigns.
| Segmentation Method | Open Rate Lift | CTR Lift | Conversion Lift | Unsub Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-variable dynamic content | +35% | +16% | +42% | 0.12% |
| By customer lifetime value | +22% | +11% | +28% | 0.15% |
| By engagement level | +18% | +8% | +12% | 0.18% |
| By browsing behaviour | +14% | +7% | +18% | 0.19% |
| By purchase history | +12% | +6% | +15% | 0.22% |
| By industry | +8% | +3% | +5% | 0.23% |
| By location/geography | +6% | +2% | +4% | 0.24% |
| No segmentation (baseline) | — | — | — | 0.25% |
Sources: HubSpot (2025), Klaviyo (2026), Mailchimp (2025)
Impact of Personalisation (Beyond Name Usage)
Segmented campaigns deliver 35% higher open rates and 42% higher conversion rates than batch-and-blast campaigns. The difference between personalising for 3 segments vs sending to 1 list is a 2–3x increase in email ROI.
Methodology
Transparency matters. Here's how we compiled the data:
- Open rate, CTR, and conversion data — Mailchimp (2026), HubSpot (2025), Campaign Monitor (2026), Klaviyo (2025), Litmus (2026).
- Industry-specific benchmarks — Aggregated from platform-native analytics across 500+ active campaigns.
- Platform comparison — Analysis of 100+ million emails across 8 platforms in 2025–2026.
- Send time data — HubSpot Time Zone Testing Report (2025) and 50+ million emails.
- Mobile vs desktop — Litmus Email Client Report (2026), Mailchimp device analytics.
- Subject line performance — HubSpot A/B Testing (2025), Campaign Monitor, Klaviyo analysis.
- Segmentation impact — Proprietary analysis across 200+ campaigns using HubSpot, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign.
We update this article quarterly. These benchmarks represent aggregate data across industries. Your actual performance will vary based on list quality, audience type, email frequency, offer strength, and competitive factors.
Contact us at chris@visionary-marketing.co.uk with corrections or updated data.
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