54 amazing email marketing statistics and facts

The rise of data has had a transformative effect on marketing. As these email marketing statistics demonstrate, every interaction can be tracked, analysed, and optimised.
Since it’s humble beginnings in 1971, email has grown to be a truly global phenomenon, and one the business world relies on heavily.
Email marketing arguably started in May 1978, when Gary Thuerk sent a promotion for his company’s computers. Many actually see this as the first instance of spam; it was the first unsolicited mass e-mailing in history. Either way, his campaign resulted in $13m in total sales.
Clearly, email could get through to consumers and directly influence sales. Since then, the world of email, spam filters and automation software have developed the discipline beyond all recognition, but the core of email marketing remains the same: reach relevant consumers and influence their buying habits.
Thanks to endless data, we have no shortage of email statistics that can help inform and improve our marketing efforts.

Email marketing statistics – highlights

87% of marketers use email marketing to distribute content.
ROI on email marketing can be as high as $42 on every $1 spent.
59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI.
Segmented campaigns see as high as a 760% increase in revenue.
38% of businesses do not use any kind of email personalisation.
As many as 17% of all B2B marketing emails never make it to the inbox.
Content marketing is the most common use of email newsletters for 81% of B2B marketers. 
59% of survey respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.

Email usage statistics

Every day, 3.9 billion people use email.
By 2024, it is expected there will be 4.5 billion daily email users.
The number of active email accounts surpassed 5.6 billion in 2019.
306.4 billion emails are sent and received each day in 2020.
That number is expected to grow to 361.6 billion by 2024.
(Above all taken from Statista)

B2B email marketing statistics

As many as 17% of all B2B marketing emails never make it to the inbox.
Content marketing is the most common use of email newsletters for 81% of B2B marketers. 
 87% of B2B marketers think email is one of the most important free organic distribution channels.
90% of content marketers say email engagement is their top metric to measure content performance.
31% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are their top lead nurturing tactic.
80% of business professionals believe email marketing increases customer retention.
54% of B2B decision-makers want providers to communicate with them more frequently via email.
45% of B2B buyers prefer over all other channels to learn about a product or service.

Email marketing statistics

87% of marketers use email marketing to distribute content.
ROI on email marketing can be as high as $42 on every $1 spent.
59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI.
Businesses in the US spent over $350 million on email marketing in 2019.
Email is the main customer acquisition channel for 81% of small businesses.
35% of marketers send subscribers between 3-5 emails each week.
The average open rate for a welcome email is an amazing 82%.
73% of marketers rate email as their top digital channel for ROI.
86% of marketers rate email as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to their marketing mix.
Despite this importance, email marketing only receives 6% of marketing budgets.
83% of marketers consider their email marketing strategy to be “somewhat successful” or “very successful” compared to their competitors.
As the number of images in an email increases, the clickthrough rate decreases.

Work email statistics

Workers in the USA receive an average of 126 emails a day.
5.8% of professionals check their email outside business hours.
Despite the growing use of workplace messaging platforms, email continues to be the leading form of business communication.

Mobile email statistics

46% of all email opens happen on a mobile device, compared to 35% on webmail and 18% on desktop.
Depending on the industry, that figure can rise to 60%.
35% of business professionals check their emails on a mobile.
The iPhone is the most popular mobile device for emails with 29% of all opens. Gmail is a close runner-up at 27%.
Three-quarters of Gmail users access their email on a mobile device.

Spam email statistics

In 2008, 92.6% of all emails sent were classed as spam. 
In 2019, spam filters and regulations had brought that figure down to 28.5% of all email.
Surprisingly, fraud and scams make up only 2.5% of all spam email. 
73% of email scams involve identity theft (known as phishing).
36% of email spam is simply unwanted advertising.
In 2012 it was estimated that email spam costs businesses $20.5 billion every year. The additional associated costs to business mean this was more than email gangs earned from the same scams. 
76% of businesses are targeted by phishing attacks each year.
Over 99% of email attacks require human interaction to succeed.

Email segmentation and personalisation statistics

Segmented campaigns see as high as a 760% increase in revenue.
51% of marketers say segmented email lists are one of their top personalisation tactics.
38% of businesses do not use any kind of email personalisation.
50% of marketers rate individual messaging as one of their best personalisation tactics.
Targeted, segmented and triggered emails generate 77% of all revenue.
Almost 50% of marketers say they test alternate subject lines.

(For more, read our post on the benefits of market segmentation)

B2C email marketing statistics

64% of consumers prefer rich text emails.
49% of consumers would like weekly promotional emails from their favourite brands.
58% of millennials cite email as their preferred way for a brand to contact them.
15% of consumers would like to get daily promotional emails.
Basket abandonment emails have a 40.5% open rate.
59% of survey respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.

And breathe. 54 email marketing statistics that demonstrate how far the discipline has come since those early days in 1978.
Hopefully, some of those facts go beyond the interesting and tip into the realm of useful. SoPro’s approach to data and statistics has always been to continually learn and improve; it’s why we continue to be one of the best email prospecting services out there.