Email Marketing Benchmarks 2026

Email is still the most profitable channel in retention marketing, but if you’re expecting 2019 tactics to work in 2026, you’re in for a rude awakening.

Your audience has evolved. Algorithms have shifted. And inboxes? They’re more competitive than ever.

We’re not just saying that to scare you. It’s the reality we see every day with ecommerce brands. You’ve got to be sharper, more strategic, and more relevant than ever if you want to consistently drive email revenue.

In this guide, we’ll unpack the good and excellent email marketing benchmarks for 2026—and how you can reach them, too.

This data comes straight from our internal reporting across dozens of ecommerce accounts, combined with Klaviyo’s most recent platform-wide insights.

And if you’re not just here to read benchmarks, but to beat them, working with an ecommerce email marketing agency might be your next smart move.

Why These Benchmarks Matter

We don’t believe in throwing out numbers just to impress. Every benchmark you’ll see here is based on:

• Real ecommerce performance from brands at the top of their game
• A mix of Stimulate client data and Klaviyo platform averages

Of course, these aren’t set in stone. Think of them as a measuring stick, not a fixed goal. Because what works for one brand might look totally different for another.

And if your numbers are falling short, that doesn’t mean you’re failing. It just means there’s room to improve—and that’s where a refined email marketing strategy comes in.

Open Rate Benchmarks (Campaigns vs Flows)

Good/Excellent 2026 Targets

• Campaigns: 62%
• Flows: 54%

Open rates are still a good starting point. They hint at subject line effectiveness, timing, and whether you’re landing in the inbox at all.

Improving your open rates could mean:

• Writing subject lines based on recent behavior (think “Still deciding on those sneakers?” rather than “Last chance!”)
• Segmenting your sends more precisely by lifecycle or recent action
• Regularly trimming inactive subscribers to protect your sender reputation
• Running tests on timing, day of week, or preview text combinations

Click Rate Benchmarks (Campaigns vs Flows)

Good/Excellent 2026 Targets

• Campaigns: 1.25%
• Flows: 5.10%

Click rate goes deeper than just having a good CTA button. It’s a pulse check on whether your email content and structure are actually encouraging action.

Try this:

• Instead of showing random products, surface ones based on what a customer recently browsed. If they were eyeing that backpack last week, make sure it shows up.
• Layout matters. Keep things clean, with enough white space for the reader to breathe. Highlight your CTAs visually so they’re easy to find.
• Give your audience a reason to click beyond just shopping. Maybe it’s a peek at something exclusive or early access to a collection.
• Test CTA placement. See what performs better—having a button near the top, one in the middle, or a final nudge at the end.

Click-Through Rate (CTR) Benchmarks

Good/Excellent 2026 Targets

• Campaigns: 2.02%
• Flows: 9.44%

When your open rate looks fine, but revenue feels low, CTR helps explain the gap. It reflects whether your email’s message, layout, and offer are all pulling in the same direction—or competing for attention.

To lift your CTR:

• Focus the email around a single clear action. If a reader can’t tell what you want them to do after a quick skim, you’ve lost them.
• Use structure to guide attention. Try limiting your design to just a few focused sections—any more and people start skimming or bouncing.
• Insert product recommendations that match what the customer browsed or bought. That kind of personalization feels helpful, not pushy.
• Reinforce your CTA by making it visually stand out and emotionally relevant. Placement, wording, and timing all matter.

Placed Order Rate Benchmarks (Campaigns vs Flows)

Good/Excellent 2026 Targets

• Campaigns: 0.16%
• Flows: 1.80%

This is where email proves its worth—whether your emails actually generate sales.

Want to boost conversions?

• Start with your flow foundation: abandoned cart, post-purchase, winback, and welcome series. These should be doing the heavy lifting.
• Remove friction. If someone clicks “Buy Now” and has to re-enter all their info, you’ll lose them. Use dynamic cart pre-loads.
• Show product bundles that feel thoughtful and helpful, not upsells for the sake of it.
• Be transparent with urgency. If your promo ends tonight or a product is running low, say so—but keep it honest.

Deliverability Benchmarks (Campaigns vs Flows)

Good/Excellent 2026 Targets

• Bounce Rate: Campaigns: 0.25%, Flows: 0.50%
• Spam Report Rate: Campaigns and Flows: 0.005%
• Unsubscribe Rate: Campaigns: 0.20%, Flows: 0.30%

Landing in the inbox is everything. If your emails never make it to the customer, nothing else matters.

Here’s how to stay in good standing:

• Use confirmed opt-in wherever possible. Fewer fake signups means better metrics.
• Don’t over-send. Especially to cold or disengaged segments. Sending less often to the right people beats frequent blasts to the wrong ones.
• Add clarity up top. Something like, “You’re receiving this because you purchased from us recently” can reduce confusion—and complaints.
• Make unsubscribing easy. It’s better than getting marked as spam.

Why Flows Outperform Campaigns

Campaigns are broad. Think sales promos, product launches, or brand announcements. You get to decide when they go out, and to whom.

Flows? They’re triggered by what your customer actually does. Cart abandoned? They get a reminder. Just placed a first order? Time for a post-purchase email. That behavior-based timing is why flows consistently convert better.

High-performing brands rely on both. Campaigns create the buzz. Flows seal the deal.

2026 Email Marketing Benchmark Table

‍

If you’re using SMS too, you’ll want to see how your performance compares to our latest SMS benchmarks.

What’s Actually Working in 2026

A few things have become clear this year:

• AI isn’t a trend, it’s infrastructure. From subject-line testing to send-time optimization, the best brands are leaning on AI for efficiency and relevance.
• Campaigns are being sent less frequently, but with better targeting.
• Flows are responsible for more and more revenue—especially when paired with smart segmentation.
• Deliverability is under the microscope. Gmail and Yahoo are enforcing new sender guidelines that can penalize even minor missteps.
• Owned channel synergy matters. Email, SMS, and direct mail are working together to build consistent customer experiences.

What Working with Stimulate Actually Looks Like

You don’t need more tools or templates. You need a partner who gets what’s driving revenue—and what’s holding it back.

At Stimulate, we:

• Build strategies grounded in your customers’ real behavior and buying patterns
• Combine design and copy to make every message feel clear, helpful, and worth engaging with
• Use performance data to adjust and optimize—not just guess
• Help your channels play nicely together, from email to SMS to direct mail

If you're still sending the same message to everyone, start here: our blog on email marketing segmentation lays out how to break that habit—and build smarter audiences.

Not Sure Where You Stand? Let’s Figure It Out

You’ve made it this far, so clearly you care about performance. The next step? Let us dive into your numbers. We’ll take a close look at your email flows, campaign strategy, and deliverability signals—then walk you through what’s working, and what’s not.

Want us to do the heavy lifting? Schedule your performance audit, and we’ll handle the analysis.

Your list has potential. Let’s help it pay off.