Charity organisations get the highest open rates for emails, while education and retail sectors get the lowest impact in the inbox, according to a new global study.
In its 2012 Email Marketing Metrics Benchmark Study, digital marketing technology provider Silverpop looked at email messages sent by 1,124 brands during 2011 and the first quarter of 2012.
It found that, while open and click-through rates vary from sector to sector, travel had the worst click-through rates (2.3%) and third-worst open rates (13.2%) globally.
The best open rates were within the financial services (55.6%) and charity (52.2%) sectors. The best click-through rates were consumer software (8.6%) and media/publishing (8.9%) sectors.
The worst performing sectors globally are Education with 25.6 per cent and Retail 30.7 per cent.
Click-through rates were also found to vary from sector to sector, the overall click-through rate worldwide was found to be 5.2 per cent. Computer software and Media and Publishing were found to have the best click-through response with 8.6 per cent and 8.9 per cent respectively.
Worst performing sectors included Travel (2.3 per cent), Retail (3.1 per cent) and Financial (3.5 per cent).
Interestingly, sectors with high open rates often had the lowest click-through rates. For example, Financial Services had an open rate of 55.6 per cent and click-through rate of just 3.5 per cent.
The Retail sector had both a low open and low click-through rate, whereas Charity performed well in both areas with a 52.2 per cent open rate and 5.4 per cent click-through rate.
According to Loren McDonald, VP of industry relations at Silverpop, “These findings confirm that response rates vary widely based on the approach that is taken and the content that is delivered”.
“Companies that focus on helping recipients by providing behavior-based content that is meaningful, personal and relevant rather than just firing off one-size-fits-all promotions are far more likely to find themselves in the top 25%.”
The full report can be downloaded here (registration required)
