Key Takeaways:

  • Average email open rate across industries: 15–25%. Above 25% is excellent.
  • Average click-through rate: 2–5%. Above 5% is excellent.
  • B2B emails have higher open rates but lower CTR. B2C has lower opens but higher CTR.
  • Email delivers $36 for every $1 spent — the highest ROI of any marketing channel.

Your email campaign hit a 22% open rate. Is that good? What about your 3% click-through rate?

Email marketing benchmarks vary wildly by industry, audience type, and email format. A 20% open rate is excellent for e-commerce but below average for SaaS. A 4% CTR is outstanding for newsletters but low for promotional campaigns.

This guide gives you the benchmarks you need — by industry, by email type, by audience — so you can set realistic targets and know where to improve.

Why Email Benchmarks Matter

Email marketing delivers an average $36 for every $1 spent — the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel. But "average" hides enormous variation.

A B2B SaaS company sending product updates will have very different benchmarks than a B2C e-commerce brand sending promotional offers. Comparing yourself to the wrong benchmark leads to wrong conclusions.

Use these benchmarks as directional guidance. Your own historical data is always the most important benchmark.

Email Marketing Benchmarks by Industry

Open Rate by Industry

Open rate = percentage of delivered emails that were opened.

Industry Average Good Excellent
Overall 15–25% 25–35% 35%+
B2B SaaS 20–28% 28–35% 35%+
B2B Services 18–25% 25–32% 32%+
E-commerce (B2C) 12–18% 18–25% 25%+
Media/Publishing 18–25% 25–30% 30%+
Nonprofit 20–28% 28–35% 35%+
Education 20–27% 27–33% 33%+
Healthcare 18–24% 24–30% 30%+
Real Estate 15–22% 22–28% 28%+
Finance/Insurance 18–25% 25–32% 32%+

Click-Through Rate (CTR) by Industry

CTR = percentage of delivered emails that received at least one click.

Industry Average Good Excellent
Overall 2–5% 5–8% 8%+
B2B SaaS 2.5–4% 4–6% 6%+
B2B Services 2–4% 4–6% 6%+
E-commerce (B2C) 1.5–3% 3–5% 5%+
Media/Publishing 3–6% 6–10% 10%+
Nonprofit 2–4% 4–6% 6%+
Education 2.5–4.5% 4.5–7% 7%+
Healthcare 2–3.5% 3.5–5% 5%+
Real Estate 1.5–3% 3–5% 5%+
Finance/Insurance 2–4% 4–6% 6%+

Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR) by Industry

CTOR = percentage of opened emails that received a click. This measures how compelling your email content is.

Industry Average Good Excellent
Overall 8–15% 15–20% 20%+
B2B SaaS 10–15% 15–20% 20%+
E-commerce 8–12% 12–18% 18%+
Media/Publishing 12–18% 18–25% 25%+

Unsubscribe Rate by Industry

Industry Average Good Excellent
Overall 0.2–0.5% <0.2% <0.1%
B2B 0.1–0.3% <0.1% <0.05%
B2C 0.3–0.6% <0.3% <0.15%

Rule of thumb: Above 0.5% unsubscribe rate per send = you're emailing too frequently or your content isn't relevant.

Conversion Rate by Industry

Conversion rate = percentage of delivered emails that resulted in a desired action (purchase, signup, download).

Industry Average Good Excellent
Overall 1–3% 3–5% 5%+
E-commerce 1–2.5% 2.5–4% 4%+
B2B SaaS 2–4% 4–7% 7%+
Lead Generation 2–5% 5–8% 8%+

Benchmarks by Email Type

The type of email dramatically affects benchmarks:

Email Type Avg. Open Rate Avg. CTR Why
Welcome email 40–60% 5–10% High intent, fresh subscriber
Transactional 30–50% 3–7% Expected, high relevance
Newsletter 15–25% 2–5% Regular cadence, mixed interest
Promotional 12–20% 1.5–3% Commercial intent, lower trust
Re-engagement 8–15% 1–3% Cold audience
Cold outreach 15–25% 1–3% Unknown sender

Key insight: Welcome emails outperform every other type by 2–3x. Invest in your welcome sequence.

B2B vs. B2C Email Benchmarks

Metric B2B B2C
Open rate 20–28% 12–18%
CTR 2.5–4% 1.5–3%
CTOR 10–15% 8–12%
Unsubscribe rate 0.1–0.3% 0.3–0.6%
Best send time Tue–Thu, 9–11 AM Tue–Thu, 6–8 PM
Best frequency 1–2x/week 2–4x/week

B2B emails have higher open rates because professionals check email during work hours. B2C emails have lower opens but can drive more impulse purchases.

How to Improve Your Email Benchmarks

Open Rate

  1. Subject line optimization — Test length (6–10 words), personalization, urgency
  2. Preview text — Don't waste it. Complement the subject line
  3. Sender name — Use a real person's name, not a company name
  4. Send time — Test Tuesday–Thursday, 9–11 AM for B2B; 6–8 PM for B2C
  5. List hygiene — Remove inactive subscribers (no opens in 90 days)

Click-Through Rate

  1. Single CTA — One clear CTA outperforms multiple competing CTAs
  2. Button vs. link — Buttons get 2–3x more clicks than text links
  3. Personalization — Beyond "Hi {name}" — segment by behavior and interest
  4. Mobile optimization — 60%+ of emails are opened on mobile
  5. Content relevance — Match email content to the subscriber's stage in the funnel

Conversion Rate

  1. Landing page alignment — Match email message to landing page headline
  2. Reduce friction — Fewer form fields, clear value proposition
  3. Social proof — Testimonials, ratings, trust badges near the CTA
  4. Urgency — Limited-time offers, stock scarcity (when genuine)
  5. Segmentation — Send the right offer to the right segment

Unsubscribe Rate

  1. Set expectations — Tell subscribers what they'll get and how often
  2. Frequency caps — Don't email more than your audience expects
  3. Preference center — Let subscribers choose frequency and content type
  4. Re-engagement before removal — Win back inactive subscribers before they unsubscribe

Email Marketing ROI

The most important email metric:

Email ROI = ((Revenue from Email − Email Cost) / Email Cost) × 100

Industry Avg. Email ROI
Overall 3,600% ($36 per $1)
E-commerce 4,200%
B2B SaaS 3,000%
Media/Publishing 2,800%

Email's high ROI comes from low cost (email platforms are cheap) and high conversion potential (you're reaching people who opted in).

Email KPI Dashboard

Weekly Check

  • Open rate (this send vs. average)
  • CTR (this send vs. average)
  • Unsubscribe rate
  • Top performing email by CTR

Monthly Review

  • List growth rate (new subscribers − unsubscribes)
  • Average open rate (trending up or down?)
  • Average CTR (trending up or down?)
  • Revenue per email sent
  • Email ROI

Quarterly Strategy

  • Segmentation performance (which segments convert best?)
  • Send frequency optimization
  • Subject line A/B test results
  • List hygiene (remove inactive subscribers)

Conclusion

Email benchmarks are directional, not absolute. A 20% open rate might be excellent for your industry or below average — it depends on your audience, your list quality, and your email type.

Start by calculating your current benchmarks. Compare them to the industry averages above. Then focus on the highest-impact improvements: subject lines, list hygiene, segmentation, and mobile optimization.

Calculate your email marketing ROI with our Email ROI Calculator and ROAS Calculator.

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FAQ

1. What is a good email open rate?
The average open rate is 15–25%. Above 25% is good. Above 35% is excellent. However, this varies by industry — B2B SaaS averages 20–28%, while e-commerce averages 12–18%.

2. What is a good click-through rate for email?
The average CTR is 2–5%. Above 5% is good. Above 8% is excellent. Newsletters and media companies tend to have higher CTRs than promotional emails.

3. How often should I send emails?
B2B: 1–2 times per week. B2C: 2–4 times per week. The best frequency is the one your audience expects — set expectations at signup and honor them.

4. What is the best day to send emails?
Tuesday through Thursday consistently outperform Monday and Friday. For B2B: 9–11 AM. For B2C: 6–8 PM. But always test with your own audience.

5. How do I improve my email deliverability?
Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Maintain list hygiene (remove bounces and inactive subscribers). Avoid spam trigger words. Keep your sender reputation high by sending consistently.

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