In the fast-evolving world of digital marketing, email remains one of the most reliable and cost-effective channels. But as inbox competition intensifies and audience expectations rise, marketers need a sharp understanding of email marketing benchmarks to evaluate performance, set realistic goals, and drive better results.
This article brings together the latest secondary research (2024–2025) to provide a comprehensive snapshot of global and industry-specific email performance metrics.
We’ll cover open rates, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, unsubscribe trends, and the growing impact of privacy regulations and AI. Plus, we’ll explore actionable tips to help your campaigns outperform the benchmarks. Let’s kick off with the email marketing benchmarks for 2025.
The Current State of Email Marketing
According to Litmus’s 2024 State of Email Report, email delivers a remarkable ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, making it one of the highest-returning digital channels.
HubSpot’s 2024 Email Marketing Report reinforces this, noting that 77% of marketers have seen email engagement rise over the past 12 months.
However, Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) and similar privacy measures have significantly reshaped how open rates are tracked, making click rates, conversion rates, and engagement metrics more reliable indicators of success.
Email Open Rates: What’s Normal Now?
Before MPP, global average open rates hovered around 21–25%, according to Campaign Monitor’s 2024 Email Marketing Benchmarks. Post-MPP, these rates are often artificially inflated, especially for Apple users. Marketers now focus more on click-to-open rates (CTOR) and overall click rates to gauge engagement.
Across industries, average open rates still provide some directional insight:
- Nonprofits: ~26%
- Financial services: ~23%
- Retail/eCommerce: ~19%
- Media & Publishing: ~23%
Click-Through and Click-to-Open Rates
Global average click-through rates (CTR) currently range between 2–3%, per GetResponse’s Email Marketing Benchmarks 2025.
Click-to-open rates (CTOR), which adjust for inflated opens, average 10–15% depending on the industry.
- Financial services: ~11% CTOR
- eCommerce: ~9% CTOR
- B2B SaaS: ~14% CTOR
- Nonprofits: ~13% CTOR
These figures indicate that while people may open emails out of habit or curiosity, only a fraction engage with the content, underscoring the need for strong calls to action and relevant offers. Understanding customer behavior is important for any marketing execution.
Conversion Rates and Revenue Impact
Conversion rates from email vary widely by industry and offer type. Omnisend’s Email Marketing Statistics Report reports average email conversion rates of 1.3% for promotional emails and up to 5% for triggered, behavior-based emails like cart abandonment reminders.
B2B marketers often see slightly lower conversion rates (0.8–1.2%) but higher deal value, making email a critical lead nurturing and sales enablement tool.
Unsubscribe and Bounce Rates
Healthy email lists maintain unsubscribe rates below 0.2% per send, while bounce rates (both soft and hard) typically stay under 1%. Higher numbers can signal list fatigue, poor targeting, or deliverability issues.
HubSpot notes that email lists decay at a rate of ~22% per year, making regular list cleaning and re-engagement campaigns essential.
The Impact of Privacy and AI on Metrics
The rollout of privacy measures like Apple MPP, Gmail’s new protections, and GDPR/CCPA compliance have made engagement-focused metrics more critical than ever. Marketers increasingly rely on first-party data, such as clicks, conversions, and preference center updates, to gauge success.
At the same time, AI tools are reshaping email marketing by optimizing subject lines, send times, and even content variations. According to Salesforce’s 2024 State of Marketing Report, 63% of marketers now use AI to improve email personalization, driving up to a 15% increase in engagement.
Best Practices for Outperforming Benchmarks
To maximize email performance, marketers should:
- Prioritize segmentation and personalization. According to Campaign Monitor, segmented campaigns drive 58% higher revenue than non-segmented ones.
- Focus on mobile optimization. Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices, so ensuring responsive design and concise copy is critical.
- Test relentlessly. A/B test subject lines, CTAs, send times, and content formats to identify what resonates with your audience.
- Invest in triggered and automated campaigns. Behavior-based emails (cart recovery, re-engagement, post-purchase) consistently outperform one-off campaigns.
- Clean your list regularly. Remove inactive subscribers, monitor deliverability, and ensure compliance with privacy regulations to maintain a healthy sender reputation.
Looking Ahead: Email’s Evolving Role in 2025
Despite predictions of email’s decline, it remains a central pillar of integrated marketing strategies. As first-party data becomes more valuable and automation capabilities expand, email will continue to play a pivotal role in nurturing leads, driving sales, and deepening customer relationships.
The key for marketers is to stay data-driven, leverage emerging tools like AI, and never lose sight of what matters most: delivering timely, relevant, and valuable content that meets your audience’s needs.
For personalized support with your email marketing performance, ask us about creating effective client funnels.
