Study IDs email fatigue

SendGrid's latest Global Email Benchmark Report has been released, and among the key findings is this: despite high send frequency, emails from the Health/Fitness, Real Estate, and Mobile App spaces continue to have both strong open and click rates.

by Kristina Knight

While sending too many emails is never a good idea, even for the best lists around, high send rates in certain categories are not slowing the click or open rates. That is one key takeaway from the new SendGrid 2016 Global Email Benchmark report. The report authors found that the average send rate per month is 9.8; in that average, unique open rates are standing at 14% and open rates at just over 27%. Click rates remain in the 1.9% to 3% ranges.

The main exception to this trend is in eCommerce. According to the data eCommerce shows a monthly send rate of 18.3 with a 4% CTR; both numbers may be indicative of email fatigue.

"According to the Direct Marketing Association, email remains one of the most cost effective ways for businesses to communicate with customers and prospects, with an estimated ROI of $38 for every $1 spent, yet 20 percent of legitimate emails never reach the inbox," said Scott Heimes, CMO of SendGrid. "The 2016 Global Email Benchmark Report provides organizations with an industry benchmark that highlight successes, trends and establishes the best practices to deliver successful email marketing campaigns."

Other interesting findings from the report include:

• Highest monthly send rates are from Career/Job, Daily Deals/eCoupons and Dating sites
• 50% of emails from Travel, Social Media and eCommerce sites are opened on mobile devices
• 59% of Political/Advocacy emails are opened on desktops

Tags: email fatigue, email marketing, email marketing tips, email trends, SendGrid