73 Most Surprising Statistics About Email Marketing in 2025

While everyone's banging on about TikTok algorithms and Instagram reach rates, the "ancient" communication method that launched in 1971 is absolutely smashing it in 2025. 

These email marketing statistics are about to rock your entire marketing worldview. Because whilst you've been chasing the latest shiny social media trends, email has quietly been delivering ROI that makes everything else look frankly embarrassing.

From email marketing benchmarks that break industry norms to email campaign performance metrics that defy logic, these surprising email marketing insights are about to change how you think about your marketing strategy forever.

The scale alone is staggering: 4.6 billion people use email worldwide in 2025, with 376 billion emails sent daily (that's nearly 1.03 billion every hour). But it's not just about volume. It's about the shocking effectiveness that makes social media marketing look like amateur hour.

Ready to have your mind properly blown?

73 mind-blowing email marketing statistics

1. Gen Z email usage rates destroy millennial stereotypes

Plot twist nobody saw coming: amongst working-age adults, 16 to 24-year-olds are the most likely to be using email, even more than their millennial counterparts (MailerLite, 2025). Seems like Gen Z is more classic than we give them credit for.

This completely flips the narrative that email marketing effectiveness is just for "older" demographics. 67% of Gen Z say they primarily use email on their smartphone, compared to 59% of millennials (OptinMonster, 2025). So much for email marketing being yesterday's news.

2. Email marketing ROI statistics make every other channel weep

Here's a number that'll make your accountant do a little happy dance: email marketing generates an average of €42 for every euro invested (EmailChef, 2025). To put that into perspective, that's a 4,200% return on investment—the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel.

But wait, it gets better. 18% of companies achieve email marketing ROI greater than $70 per $1 invested (Porch Group Media, 2025). That's not just impressive—that's the kind of email campaign performance that makes CEOs cancel their golf meetings.

3. Email engagement time beats social media attention spans

Shocking truth alert: consumers, on average, spend 10 seconds reading brand emails, and 61% of email users spend at least 8 seconds on email. Compare that to the average 3-second attention span on social media platforms.

Even more surprising? People aged 35+ spend an average of 5 hours per day using email. Five. Hours. When was the last time someone spent five consecutive hours engaging with your Instagram content?

Here's the real kicker: professionals check email 15 times per day, or every 37 minutes. These email marketing engagement metrics prove that email delivers sustained attention in ways social media simply can't match.

4. Mobile email open rates are crushing desktop (but there's a twist)

55% of emails are opened on mobile devices (MailerLite, 2025), making responsive email design absolutely essential for email marketing success. But here's the fascinating bit: 23% of consumers who open an email on a mobile device will open that email again later, many times on desktop (OptinMonster, 2025).

The plot thickens: if an email is read on mobile and then read for a second time on desktop, that consumer has a 65% higher likelihood of clicking through (Campaign Monitor via OptinMonster, 2025). That's not just engagement—that's proper commitment to your email marketing campaigns.

5. Mobile optimisation determines email marketing performance

Harsh but true: 50% of people will delete an email if it's not optimised for mobile (OptinMonster, 2025). Not "might delete" or "probably delete"—will delete. No second chances, no forgiveness for poor mobile email design.

And yet, here's the kicker that shows the massive opportunity gap: 20% of marketing campaigns are not properly optimised for mobile (SuperOffice via Sixth City Marketing, 2025). That's one in five businesses essentially throwing away half their potential audience before they've even had a chance to read the message.

6. Email automation ROI outperforms manual campaigns by 320%

Hold onto your spreadsheets for this one: automated emails generate 320% more revenue than non-automated emails (OptinMonster, 2025). Not 32%, not 3.2%—320%. That's more than triple the revenue for setting up email marketing automation systems that run themselves.

The email automation performance stats are equally bonkers: automated emails had 52% higher open rates, 332% higher click rates, and an astounding 2,361% better conversion rates compared to regular scheduled campaigns (Omnisend via various sources, 2025).

7. Birthday email campaigns generate 342% higher revenue

Here's something that'll make you rethink your email marketing calendar: birthday emails tend to generate 342% higher revenue per email than standard promotional emails (Experian via Porch Group Media, 2025). Turns out people quite like it when brands remember their special day. Who knew personalised email marketing could be this powerful?

8. Subject line performance determines spam folder fate

This email marketing statistic is properly mind-bending: 69% of people mark emails as spam based only on the subject line — no opens needed (MailerLite, 2025). Your subject line isn't just competing for opens in email marketing campaigns— it's fighting for survival in the inbox.

But here's the contradictory bit that shows how complex human behaviour really is: whilst people say they prefer image-based HTML emails, A/B testing revealed that simpler, plain text emails performed better (MailerLite, 2025). Email marketing best practices often contradict what people think they want.

9. Email personalisation statistics reveal the true power of customisation

Everyone knows personalisation boosts email campaign performance, but these email marketing metrics are staggering: personalised emails are 6 times more likely to drive conversions (Porch Group Media, 2025). Six times. Not 6% more—six times more likely.

And it's not just about shoving someone's first name in the subject line. Personalised calls to action result in 42% higher conversion rates than regular CTAs (Zembula via Porch Group Media, 2025). The email personalisation ROI speaks for itself.

10. Consumer email preferences contradict marketer assumptions

This email marketing insight properly breaks conventional wisdom: over 60% of consumers appreciate receiving promotional emails weekly (HubSpot via EmailChef, 2025). 38% would like to receive emails even more frequently, while 15% want them daily. Daily email marketing!

Meanwhile, 59% of people in a Manifest survey said the most common reason they unsubscribe is too frequent emails (GetResponse, 2025). The lesson? Email marketing frequency isn't about volume—it's about relevance and email segmentation strategy.

Companies that send two emails a month tend to see a higher open rate (Techjury via Sixth City Marketing, 2025), suggesting there's definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing in email marketing strategy.

But before you slash your email marketing calendar, remember: marketers utilising segmented email campaigns report a substantial 760% increase in revenue (Campaign Monitor via Cognism, 2023). It's not just about email marketing frequency—it's about sending the right message to the right person through proper email list segmentation.

12. Digital marketing channel preferences favour email over social media

Here's a statistic that puts everything into perspective: 4 out of 5 marketers say that they would rather give up social media marketing than email marketing (Luisa Zhou via Sixth City Marketing, 2025). When marketing professionals have to choose between channels, email marketing effectiveness wins every single time.

89% of marketers use email as the primary channel for generating leads (Porch Group Media, 2025), and email marketing ranks as the most effective channel for 41% of marketing professionals (Omnisend, 2025).

13. B2B email marketing performance metrics outshine B2C in key areas

Plot twist: whilst B2B marketing emails do see a slightly lower open rate (15.14%) compared to B2C emails (19.7%), here's the interesting bit that reveals superior email engagement quality: B2B has a 3.18% click rate, compared to 2.09% for B2C (OptinMonster, 2025).

Translation? B2B audiences might be pickier about what they open, but when they do engage with email marketing campaigns, they're more likely to take action. This makes B2B email marketing ROI particularly strong for businesses targeting professional audiences.

14. Australia dominates worldwide email marketing engagement rates

Geographic quirk alert: Australia has the highest average email open rates and click rates, at 46.34% and 2.35% respectively, while Latin American countries have the lowest email marketing performance (MailerLite, 2025). Why? Nobody's quite sure, but Australian audiences are absolutely crushing it when it comes to email engagement metrics.

15. Religious organisations achieve the highest email marketing benchmarks across all industries

Final surprise for the road: religious organisations have the highest email open rates, averaging 59.7% (MailerLite, 2025). That's nearly 60% of people opening emails—an email marketing performance rate that makes every other industry look frankly inadequate.

For context, that's double the cross-industry email marketing benchmark of around 25-30%. Faith-based organisations clearly understand something about building genuine relationships with their audiences through email marketing strategy that the rest of us could learn from.

What these email marketing statistics actually mean for your business

Email marketing isn't just surviving in the age of social media – it's absolutely thriving. Whilst brands are busy chasing algorithmic changes and paying for reach on platforms they don't control, email marketing remains the one channel where you own the relationship and the email marketing ROI speaks for itself.

The most successful businesses aren't choosing between email marketing and social media. They're using email marketing as the foundation of their digital marketing strategy and social media as the top of the funnel to build their email list.

Here's what the data tells us:

• Email marketing generates between $36 and $40 for every dollar spent, whilst most social media advertising delivers ROI in single digits

• 87% of brands said that email marketing contributes to their business' success, yet many still treat it as an afterthought

• Email is 40x more effective than social media for customer acquisition, making it the ultimate competitive advantage

The bottom line? These email marketing statistics prove that whilst everyone else is chasing the latest trends, the smartest businesses are doubling down on email marketing automation, email personalisation, and proper email segmentation strategies that deliver consistent, measurable results.

What's really surprising? Most businesses are still treating email marketing like an afterthought rather than the revenue-generating powerhouse these email marketing benchmarks prove it to be. 73% of SMBs surveyed lacked confidence in their marketing strategies, which means they're probably underinvesting in the channel that could transform their business.

Your competitors are probably making the same mistake right now. Which means there's never been a better time to get your email marketing strategy right.

Ready to transform your brand's voice and create email marketing that actually converts? These statistics are just the beginning. If you want copy that connects, engages, and drives real results, I'm here to help. 

Book a discovery call with me and let's turn these insights into revenue for your business.