Why Benchmarks Matter (and Their Limits)
Benchmarks give you a reference point. Without them, you don't know if a 22% open rate is good or terrible. But benchmarks have limits — they're averages across many businesses, and averages flatten the extremes. A 20% open rate might be excellent for a cold prospect list and poor for a loyal customer segment.
Use benchmarks to identify areas that need attention, not as absolute targets. Your own historical performance is always the most relevant comparison.
Overall Email Marketing Benchmarks
These are broad averages across industries. Your numbers will vary based on industry, audience, and email type.
| Metric | Average | Good | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 20–25% | 25–35% | 35%+ |
| Click-through rate (CTR) | 2–3% | 3–5% | 5%+ |
| Click-to-open rate (CTOR) | 10–15% | 15–20% | 20%+ |
| Unsubscribe rate | 0.1–0.3% | Under 0.1% | Under 0.05% |
| Bounce rate | 0.5–2% | Under 0.5% | Under 0.2% |
| Spam complaint rate | Under 0.1% | Under 0.05% | Under 0.01% |
Important note on open rates: Since Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) launched in 2021, open rates have become less reliable as a metric. Apple pre-loads tracking pixels, inflating open rates for Apple Mail users (roughly 50–60% of email opens in Australia). Focus on click-through rate, conversion rate, and revenue as primary metrics. Open rates remain useful for subject line A/B testing (relative comparison) but less reliable as an absolute measure.
Benchmarks by Industry
Ecommerce / Retail
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Open rate | 18–25% |
| CTR | 2–3.5% |
| Revenue per email sent | $0.08–$0.20 |
| Revenue from email (% of total) | 25–40% |
| Cart abandonment recovery rate | 5–15% |
| Welcome flow conversion rate | 3–8% |
What good looks like: Ecommerce brands doing email well generate 30–40% of total revenue from email. If your email revenue contribution is below 20%, there's significant upside. Klaviyo is the platform most ecommerce brands use to reach these benchmarks.
B2B / Professional Services
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Open rate | 22–30% |
| CTR | 2–4% |
| Lead-to-opportunity rate (from email) | 1–5% |
| Newsletter unsubscribe rate | 0.1–0.2% |
What good looks like: B2B email is less about direct revenue and more about nurturing leads through long sales cycles. A B2B email programme is performing well if it consistently moves prospects from awareness to consideration, reflected in pipeline contribution.
SaaS
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Onboarding email open rate | 40–60% |
| Onboarding email CTR | 8–15% |
| Trial-to-paid conversion (email-assisted) | 10–25% |
| Churn reduction emails (save rate) | 5–15% |
| Newsletter open rate | 20–30% |
What good looks like: SaaS email marketing focuses on onboarding (getting users to activate), expansion (upselling), and retention (reducing churn). The highest-impact emails are behavioural triggers — sent based on what a user did or didn't do in the product.
Healthcare / Dental
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Open rate | 25–35% |
| CTR | 2–4% |
| Appointment booking rate | 1–3% |
| Recall/reminder open rate | 45–65% |
What good looks like: Healthcare email tends to have higher open rates because the content is personally relevant (appointment reminders, health updates). The key metric is appointment bookings from recall and reactivation emails.
Real Estate
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Open rate | 20–28% |
| CTR | 2–4% |
| Property alert CTR | 5–12% |
| Database reactivation response rate | 1–3% |
What good looks like: Real estate email drives enquiries and keeps the agent top of mind. Property alert emails (new listings matching criteria) typically have the highest engagement and should be automated.
Benchmarks by Email Type
Not all emails perform the same. Automated flows (triggered by behaviour) consistently outperform batch campaigns (sent to your whole list).
Automated Flows
| Flow | Open Rate | CTR | Conversion Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome series | 40–60% | 5–10% | 3–8% |
| Abandoned cart | 40–55% | 5–12% | 5–15% |
| Abandoned browse | 30–45% | 3–7% | 1–5% |
| Post-purchase | 50–65% | 5–10% | 2–5% (repeat) |
| Win-back | 15–25% | 1–3% | 1–3% |
| Birthday/anniversary | 35–50% | 4–8% | 3–6% |
Key insight: Automated flows generate 3–5x the revenue per recipient compared to batch campaigns because they're triggered by behaviour and sent at the right moment. If you're not running automated flows, you're leaving significant revenue on the table.
Batch Campaigns
| Campaign Type | Open Rate | CTR |
|---|---|---|
| Promotional/sale | 15–25% | 1–3% |
| Newsletter | 18–28% | 2–4% |
| New product launch | 20–30% | 3–5% |
| Educational/content | 20–30% | 2–4% |
| Re-engagement | 10–20% | 1–2% |
Revenue Benchmarks
Revenue Per Email (RPE)
Revenue per email sent is the most important metric for ecommerce email marketing. It tells you how much revenue each email generates on average.
| Segment | RPE Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Full list campaign | $0.05–$0.15 |
| Engaged segment campaign | $0.10–$0.30 |
| Welcome flow | $0.50–$2.00 |
| Abandoned cart flow | $1.00–$5.00 |
| Post-purchase flow | $0.30–$1.00 |
Email Revenue as % of Total Revenue
For ecommerce businesses, email revenue contribution is a key health indicator:
- Below 15% — Email is underperforming. Likely missing key automated flows or not sending enough campaigns.
- 15–25% — Decent, with room to improve. Usually missing some automated flows or not segmenting effectively.
- 25–35% — Good. Core flows in place, regular campaigns, some segmentation.
- 35–45% — Excellent. Sophisticated programme with advanced segmentation, multiple flows, and regular testing.
- 45%+ — Exceptional, but check that you're not over-relying on email at the expense of acquisition.
SMS Benchmarks
SMS marketing is growing rapidly in Australia and complements email. Here are the benchmarks to know:
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Delivery rate | 95–99% |
| Click-through rate | 10–20% |
| Opt-out rate per send | 0.5–2% |
| Revenue per SMS sent | $0.10–$0.50 |
| Conversion rate | 2–8% |
Important: SMS has higher engagement than email but also higher opt-out rates. Use it sparingly — 2–6 SMS per month maximum. Reserve it for time-sensitive offers, shipping updates, and high-value promotions. The Australian Spam Act 2003 applies to commercial SMS — explicit consent is required.
List Health Benchmarks
The quality of your email list directly impacts every other metric. Monitor these:
| Metric | Healthy | Warning | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| List growth rate | 3–5%/month | 1–3%/month | Under 1%/month |
| Hard bounce rate | Under 0.5% | 0.5–1% | Over 1% |
| Spam complaint rate | Under 0.05% | 0.05–0.1% | Over 0.1% |
| Unsubscribe rate | Under 0.2% | 0.2–0.5% | Over 0.5% |
| Inactive subscribers (no engagement 90+ days) | Under 20% | 20–40% | Over 40% |
List Hygiene
A large list of disengaged subscribers hurts your deliverability (the likelihood your emails reach the inbox). Clean your list regularly:
- Remove hard bounces immediately (most platforms do this automatically)
- Suppress consistently inactive subscribers after 90–120 days of no engagement
- Run a re-engagement campaign before removing inactive subscribers — give them a chance to opt back in
- Never purchase email lists — they destroy deliverability and violate Australian spam law
Deliverability Benchmarks
Deliverability — whether your email reaches the inbox — underpins everything else. Poor deliverability means your emails go to spam, and your open rates, click rates, and revenue all collapse.
| Metric | Healthy |
|---|---|
| Inbox placement rate | 95%+ |
| Spam placement rate | Under 2% |
| Domain reputation (Google Postmaster) | High |
| Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) | All passing |
Deliverability basics:
- Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication on your sending domain
- Use a dedicated sending domain (not your primary business domain)
- Warm up new sending domains gradually (start with small, engaged segments)
- Monitor Google Postmaster Tools for domain reputation
- Keep complaint rates below 0.1% — above this, Gmail starts filtering you to spam
How to Improve Your Metrics
Low Open Rates
If your open rates are consistently below 18%:
- Test subject lines systematically — A/B test every campaign
- Improve sender name recognition (use a person's name + brand, not just a brand name)
- Send at optimal times (test different days and times for your audience)
- Segment your list — send more relevant content to smaller groups
- Check deliverability — your emails may be going to spam
Low Click-Through Rates
If your CTR is below 2%:
- Improve your email content — make the value proposition clearer
- Use a single, clear CTA (call to action) per email
- Design for mobile first — 60%+ of opens are on mobile
- Personalise content based on past behaviour and preferences
- Test different content formats (long vs short, image-heavy vs text)
Low Revenue Per Email
If your ecommerce RPE is below $0.05:
- Implement automated flows if you haven't (welcome, cart abandonment, post-purchase)
- Segment promotional campaigns — send relevant products to relevant audiences
- Improve your product recommendation engine
- Test promotional offers (percentage off vs dollar off vs free shipping)
- Optimise your email-to-site experience (do landing pages match email promises?)
High Unsubscribe Rates
If your unsubscribe rate is above 0.3%:
- You're probably sending too frequently — reduce frequency
- Your content isn't relevant — improve segmentation
- Set expectations at signup — tell subscribers what they'll receive and how often
- Offer a preference centre where subscribers can choose email frequency and topics
Australian-Specific Considerations
Australian Spam Act 2003
Australian email marketing must comply with the Spam Act:
- Consent: You must have the recipient's consent (express or inferred) before sending commercial emails
- Identification: Every email must clearly identify your business
- Unsubscribe: Every email must include a functional unsubscribe mechanism that's honoured within 5 business days
- No purchased lists: Sending to purchased email lists almost certainly violates the Act
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces the Spam Act and can impose significant penalties for non-compliance.
Timezone Considerations
Australia spans three main time zones (AEST, ACST, AWST). For national campaigns, send at 10am AEST — this hits most of the population during business hours. For state-specific campaigns, optimise for the local time zone.
Seasonal Patterns
Australian email marketing follows southern hemisphere seasons:
- EOFY (June): Major promotional period for B2B and retail
- Black Friday/Cyber Monday (November): Growing in significance
- Christmas (December): Peak period for ecommerce — start campaigns early November
- January sales: Strong post-holiday clearance period
- Back to school (late January/February): Relevant for education, retail, and family-oriented businesses
Getting Help
If your email marketing metrics are below benchmark and you want to improve them, learn about our email marketing services or book a free consultation.
For Shopify and ecommerce email specifically, see our Klaviyo services.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a good open rate for email marketing in Australia?
A good open rate is 25–35%. The overall average is 20–25%. However, open rates have become less reliable since Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (2021), which inflates open rates by pre-loading tracking pixels. Focus on click-through rate and revenue as more reliable metrics.
How often should I send marketing emails?
For most Australian businesses, 2–4 email campaigns per week is appropriate. Ecommerce brands can send more frequently (4–6 per week) if the content is relevant and segmented. B2B businesses typically send 1–2 per week. Monitor unsubscribe rates — if they spike, reduce frequency.
What's the best time to send emails in Australia?
Generally, Tuesday to Thursday between 9am and 11am local time performs best for B2B. For ecommerce, evenings (7–9pm) and weekends can also perform well. The best approach is to test send times with your own audience — every list behaves differently.
How do I calculate email revenue?
Most email platforms (Klaviyo, Mailchimp) track revenue attribution automatically by connecting to your ecommerce platform. The standard attribution window is 5 clicks / 5 opens — meaning revenue is attributed to email if the customer clicked an email within 5 days or opened one within 5 days before purchasing. Some platforms use different windows, so check your settings.
Are my email benchmarks different because I'm in Australia?
Australian benchmarks are broadly similar to global averages, with a few nuances: Australian audiences tend to have slightly higher engagement rates than global averages (smaller, more targeted lists), the Spam Act is stricter than some jurisdictions (stronger consent requirements), and seasonal patterns follow the southern hemisphere calendar.