73 Email Marketing Statistics Marketers Need to Know (2021)

Email marketing statistics can help marketers understand the buying habits of their subscribers. They can also help you build long-lasting relationships with your customers and maximize your ROI.

Email metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates are crucial to marketers. And they can help measure the success of an email marketing campaign.

So, you’ve created a campaign, and you’ve put in the work. But you’re not yielding the results you expected.

It’s not your fault.

On average, only around one-fifth of all emails sent are actually opened.

The trick then is finding new ways to entice your readers to open your emails and take action.

Email Marketing Defined

You may be thinking, “wait, does email need marketing?”

While email marketing has been around for decades, it’s more than sending messages to inboxes to promote your products or services.

Boost subscriber engagement and promote your brand with engaging, timely, and relevant emails. It's also a great way to keep your audience engaged between purchases.

Your email marketing campaign may include brand updates, promotions, and exclusive deals. This can help to convert prospects into customers and incentivize customer loyalty.

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective and conversion-rich forms of marketing out there. It’s potent, persuasive, and can deliver some incredible results to your eCommerce store.

The Power of Email Marketing

You’d be forgiven for thinking email is old school and social media is the top performer. But, if you want to reach a massive percentage of your demographic quick-smart, email is still the top dog.

1. The average ROI for email marketing is $42 (or 4200%) for every $1 spent on email marketing.
2. 18% of companies with an email marketing campaign achieved an ROI greater than $70 per $1 invested.
3. The email marketing stats for the UK see an open rate of 16.4% compared to 17.6% in the US.
4. Email is 40 times more effective at customer acquisition than Facebook and Twitter combined.
5. Email conversion rates are around 17% higher than social media.
6. Shoppers open around 40% of abandoned cart emails.
7. Emails sent within one hour of cart abandonment boost conversion rates by 6.33%.

General Email Marketing Statistics

If you’re wondering, “is email marketing growing?” Absolutely. Not only do more than 4.1 billion people use email every day, but by 2025, that number is expected to reach almost 4.6 billion.

1. Over 306 billion emails are transmitted daily worldwide. In 2025, that number is forecast to exceed 376 billion.
2. 90% of Americans aged 19 to 24 regularly use email, as do 93.6% of those aged between 25 and 44.
3. The average open rate across all industries is 21.3%.
4. Businesses sending 1 to 2 emails per month experience the highest open rate, around 35%.
5. What entices people to open an email? 72% say brand recognition, and 64% open because of the subject line.
6. Only 85% of emails sent actually make it to the recipient’s inbox.

Mobile Email Marketing Statistics

Each time you hit the “send” button, expect almost half of your recipients to open it on a mobile device. Utilize this fast-evolving channel to gain leads and stay ahead of less mobile-savvy competitors.

1. 75% of Americans check their emails on their smartphone.
2. Mobile opens by client: 28% of emails are opened on an iPhone. 26% of opens are Gmail users, 9% using an iPad, and 2% on an Android device.
3. 33% of business professionals use their mobile devices to check emails.
4. 40% of people 18 years old and under open emails on their mobile phone before using a desktop or laptop
5. Only 78% of click-throughs occur on a mobile device on the first email open.
6. But, if they open that email a second time using a desktop or laptop, they’re 65% more likely to click through.

The Importance of Mobile Optimization

The number of mobile searches increases every day. This is why eCommerce businesses need to create desktop and mobile-friendly pages. Mobile-friendliness increases not only engagement but the ranking of your page in SERPs.

1. Over 40% of online transactions are performed using a mobile device.
2. 48% of users feel frustrated and annoyed when encountering a site that’s not optimized for mobile.
3. People are 60% less likely to purchase from a brand after a negative mobile experience.
4. According to a consumer survey, 42.3% will delete non-mobile-friendly emails.
5. 96% of consumers say they've come across sites that were not designed for mobile devices.
6. 48% of shoppers feel that a company doesn’t care about their business if a site isn’t optimized for mobile.
7. 74% of users waited no more than 5 seconds for an email to open before deleting it.

B2B Email Marketing Statistics

Your email subscribers are your most loyal fans and the leads who may be close to making a purchase. For a B2B marketer, marketing emails convert well, but they can turn off cold leads if not done correctly.

1. B2B email statistics show eCommerce transactions are expected to account for 17% of all US B2B sales — or $1.8 trillion — by 2023.
2. 40% of companies send email newsletters as part of their marketing strategy.
3. 81% of B2B marketers use email newsletters for their content marketing.
4. 50% stated email marketing is the best channel for generating leads.
5. 90% track email engagement to measure content performance.
6. 77% of buyers place orders via email, and 72% using their mobile device.
7. Around 80% of B2B purchase decisions are based on a shopper’s brand experience. Only 20% of their purchases are based on the price or offer.

B2C Email Marketing Statistics

What is the future of email marketing for B2C marketers? These statistics will give you a good idea of where it’s heading.

1. The global email marketing market is forecast to grow by 19.6% annually, reaching just over 22 billion by 2025.
2. 59% of shoppers say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.
3. Just over 50% of shoppers buy from marketing emails at least once a month.
4. For email marketing statistics by industry, government emails receive the highest average open rate at 28.7%. Hobby-related emails follow at just under 28%.
5. 42.3% of Americans subscribe to email lists for savings and discounts.
6. 60% of shoppers subscribe to a brand’s email list to receive promotional messages, compared to 20% on social media.
7. 60% of people have made a purchase after receiving a promotional email
8. On Black Friday, customer reactivation orders increase by 106%.

The Importance of Segmentation and Personalization

Email segmentation and personalization turn generic emails into ultra-targeted marketing and sales machines. What is the success rate of email marketing using a segmented campaign? Read the stats below.

1. Marketers who have added this powerful tool to their marketing belt found a 760% increase in revenue.
2. Marketers implementing a personalized email campaign found an 82% increase in email opens. The CTR also jumped by 75%, and customer satisfaction grew by 58%.
3. 74% of marketers also discovered an increase in customer engagement, resulting in a 20% boost in sales.
4. Segmented campaigns yield 50% more click-throughs than untargeted campaigns.
5. 52% of shoppers say they’ll find somewhere else to go if they receive a non-personalized email.
6. On the other hand, 86% of subscribers believe that most of the emails they receive provide little or no value.

But clearly, it's worth the time and effort to use personalized emails with a personalized subject line in your email marketing.

Email Marketing Engagement Statistics

Readers sharing your content helps you expand your reach and generate more conversions. They're also a powerful indicator that you’re meeting your subscribers’ needs at the highest level. You’re delivering such impressive deals, content, and experiences that they’re worth passing on.

1. Including social sharing buttons in your emails can increase CTR by 158%.
2. 1 in 170 opened emails is forwarded, and 1 out of every 313 is printed.
3. Adding a CTA button instead of a text link can increase the CTR by 28%.
4. Four-word length subject lines received the highest open rates at an average of around 19%.
5. What are the top 3 reasons people unsubscribe from an email list?  59% say too many emails, 43% say the information is no longer relevant, and 43% don’t recognize the brand or remember signing up.
6. 74% of women prefer gender-neutral marketing emails.

The Use of Visuals in Email Campaigns

Emails are no longer limited to monotonous paragraphs of static text. Visuals can spark interest and teach your subscribers something new about your product, service, or brand.

1. 51.3% of marketers occasionally use animated GIFs in their marketing emails.
2. But, adding GIFs decreases open rates by 37%.
3. 64% of subscribers say they prefer HTML and image-based emails. But, marketers who add a lot of HTML see a reduction in the open rate by 23%.
4. Adding videos to your emails, however, can increase click-throughs by 300%.
5. 90% of shoppers say videos entice them to make a purchase.
6. Emails including the word "video" in the subject line increase open rates by 19%, clickthrough rates by 65%, and unsubscribers drop by 26%.
7. Including emojis in the subject line increases feelings of brand negativity by 26%.
8. Marketers report a 200% boost in conversions sending interactive emails.

Using Automation in Email Marketing

Email marketing automation is an invaluable tool that helps engage customers in a more personal way. Marketers can target shoppers using automated emails with the right message at the right time. Create an automated campaign based on your subscribers’ behavior, preferences, and purchase history.

1. What is the success rate of email marketing using automation? 64% of marketers say it results in a higher conversion rate.
2. On average, 51% of companies use marketing automation.
3. Automation increases e-store visits by 37%, engagement by 30%, and more significant insights into the target audience by 24%.
4. 30% of marketers found the most significant benefit of email automation is saving time, followed by a 22% increase in lead generation.
5. Triggered email campaigns see a 306% increase in click-throughs compared to non-triggered emails.
6. On average, welcome emails receive a 50% open rate making them 86% more effective than standard newsletters.

Timing and Frequency Matter

Timing matters. Understanding the time and day subscribers are most likely to open an email is crucial to your campaign’s success. Statistics vary, however, depending on your target audiences, their location, the season, and any special upcoming events. The below statistics are a global average.

1. Friday is the best day for the highest number of email opens at around 20.6%.
2. Tuesday is the best day for click-throughs, with a rate of 2.3%
3. Email marketing statistics for Canada and the US: The best time to send emails is 4 a.m., with an open rate of 32%.
4. Emails sent at 6 a.m. see a CTR of 3.2%
5. Brands that send out just one weekly email have the highest open rate at 30% and click-through rate at 3.6% than higher-frequency senders.
6. 61% of subscribers say they want to receive weekly promotional emails.

It’s Now Up to You

How will you use these email marketing statistics? Hubspot surveyed 3,400 marketers who implemented an email marketing campaign between 2019 and 2020. The results revealed that almost 80% of marketers found an increase in email engagement.

Email marketing is the most effective way to connect with your leads, nurture your existing customers, and create a loyal fan base.

Gain the upper hand over the competition. Create tailor-made, compelling, and relevant emails that cut through the noise and drive better results for your brand.

Leverage these email marketing statistics to supercharge your email marketing strategy.