Summary
In 2018, email open rates typically hovered around a 20-25% average across industries, with Mailchimp reporting 20.81%. However, a critical takeaway was the significant variability of these rates by industry, making industry-specific benchmarks far more relevant than a universal average. Despite initial concerns, Gmail's Promotions tab did not appear to suppress open rates for engaged subscribers, reinforcing the importance of compelling subject lines. Ultimately, while benchmarks offered context, successful email marketing in 2018 focused more on list quality, content relevance, and overall engagement and conversion goals rather than solely on the raw open rate number, which was also understood to be an estimate due to tracking methodologies.
Key findings
- Overall Averages: The average email open rate across industries in 2018 was reported to be around 20-25%, with Mailchimp specifically noting an average of 20.81%.
- Industry Specificity: Open rates varied significantly across different industries, highlighting the importance of comparing performance against industry-specific benchmarks rather than a single overall average for proper interpretation.
- Gmail's Impact: Gmail's Promotions tab in 2018 generally did not significantly suppress open rates for engaged users, as users often checked that tab, though it did require marketers to focus on strong subject lines for visibility.
- B2B SaaS Rates: For the B2B SaaS sector in 2018, an open rate in the low 20s, such as 20-25%, was generally considered a good benchmark.
- Data Sources: Key reports from IBM, Cheetah Digital, GetResponse, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and Litmus provided aggregated data and benchmarks for 2018 email open rates.
Key considerations
- Interpret with Context: A 'good' open rate in 2018 was highly relative, depending on the specific industry, niche, list quality, and overall marketing goals. Marketers were advised to prioritize individual historical performance over general industry norms.
- Beyond the Number: While open rates provided an indication, sustained engagement, content relevance, list hygiene, and conversion goals were more critical indicators of email campaign success than the raw open rate itself.
- Measurement Limitations: Open rates were tracked via an invisible pixel, meaning they could be influenced by factors like image caching or blocking, and should therefore be viewed as an estimate rather than a precise count.
- Foundational Deliverability: Achieving good open rates fundamentally relied on strong email deliverability practices, including proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), low bounce rates, and minimal spam complaints, ensuring emails reached the inbox in the first place.
- Audience and Goals: When interpreting any benchmark, it was essential to consider your specific audience, industry, and goals, as these should guide individual performance assessment rather than just comparison to averages.
What email marketers say
14 marketer opinions
Interpreting 2018 email open rates, especially for a platform like Gmail, involved moving beyond a single average to a more nuanced understanding. While overall benchmarks from leading providers often cited rates in the 20-25% range, experts consistently emphasized that industry-specific performance was paramount. For Gmail users, the Promotions tab, although a subject of discussion, was generally found not to deter opens for engaged subscribers, reinforcing the enduring importance of compelling subject lines. Ultimately, marketers were advised to prioritize internal performance trends, list quality, and overall engagement metrics, recognizing that a 'good' open rate was highly relative to the specific niche and strategic goals rather than a static industry statistic.
Key opinions
- General Benchmarks: In 2018, general email open rate benchmarks across various sectors frequently ranged from 20-25%, with Mailchimp specifically reporting an overall average of 20.81% across all industries.
- Industry Variance: Open rates showed significant variation by industry, making industry-specific benchmarks more pertinent than a universal average for proper performance interpretation. Experts urged comparisons against relevant sector data.
- Gmail Promotions Tab: Despite initial concerns, Gmail's Promotions tab in 2018 generally did not significantly suppress open rates for engaged subscribers, as users often checked this tab, though it reinforced the need for compelling subject lines to encourage discovery.
- B2B SaaS Insights: For the B2B SaaS sector in 2018, an open rate in the low 20s, such as 20-25%, was typically regarded as a good performance indicator.
- Contributing Data Sources: Key insights and aggregated data for 2018 open rates were provided by reports from reputable sources including IBM, Cheetah Digital, GetResponse, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and Litmus, among others.
- Mobile Opening Trends: A significant portion of Gmail opens in 2018 occurred on mobile devices due to Gmail's substantial mobile market share, influencing how marketers approached email design and potentially open rate tracking.
Key considerations
- Contextual Interpretation: A truly 'good' open rate in 2018 was highly relative, depending on the specific industry, target niche, and the inherent quality of the email list. Marketers were strongly advised to prioritize their own historical performance and internal trends over broad industry norms.
- Beyond Open Rates: While open rates provided an initial indicator, email campaign success was more accurately gauged by sustained subscriber engagement, the relevance of content, ongoing list hygiene practices, and ultimately, conversion goals, rather than focusing solely on the raw open rate figure.
- Normalization Challenges: Interpreting aggregated open rate data presented challenges, as reported rates were heavily influenced by diverse sender hygiene practices and varying industry contexts, making direct comparisons difficult without detailed understanding.
- Gmail Mobile Focus: Given Gmail's significant market share on mobile devices in 2018, it was crucial for marketers to design emails optimized for smartphone viewing, as a large portion of opens would have occurred on these devices, potentially influencing reported rates based on image loading settings.
- List Quality Impact: The fundamental quality and segmentation of an email list played a more critical role in achieving desirable open rates and overall campaign success than merely chasing a high average, emphasizing that list health directly influenced engagement levels.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares an IBM report for 2018 which may contain relevant email open rate data.
12 Oct 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks provides a link to Cheetah Digital's Q2 2018 Email and Mobile Benchmark Report, which may contain relevant open rate data.
26 May 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
0 expert opinions
To effectively find and interpret 2018 email open rate benchmarks, particularly within the Gmail ecosystem, marketers needed to consult diverse industry reports from major email service providers. While these often presented a general average open rate around 20-25%, true insights came from dissecting industry-specific data, recognizing the varied performance across sectors. For Gmail, the Promotions tab posed little threat to open rates among engaged subscribers, underscoring the enduring power of compelling subject lines. Ultimately, a strategic approach involved prioritizing unique audience insights, content relevance, and overall conversion goals over a singular focus on generic percentage figures, which were also understood to be estimates due to tracking limitations.
Key opinions
- Data Availability: Major Email Service Providers and marketing analytics platforms regularly published comprehensive annual reports providing detailed 2018 open rate benchmarks, often segmented by industry.
- Average Range: Email open rate benchmarks for 2018 commonly indicated a general range of 20-25% across diverse industries, though exact figures varied by reporting platform and sector.
- Gmail Engagement: The impact of Gmail's Promotions tab on 2018 open rates was minimal for engaged subscribers, as many users actively checked this tab, emphasizing the ongoing importance of persuasive subject lines.
- Industry-Specific Insights: Understanding email performance in 2018 required a focus on industry-specific benchmarks, as open rates demonstrated considerable variation between different sectors, making broad averages less informative.
- Mobile's Influence: Given Gmail's substantial mobile user base in 2018, a significant proportion of email opens occurred on smartphones, influencing effective email design and potentially tracking methodologies.
Key considerations
- Source Credibility: When seeking 2018 open rate benchmarks, it was crucial to rely on data from reputable email marketing platforms and industry research firms to ensure accuracy and relevance.
- Contextual Comparison: Interpreting your email open rates for 2018 required comparing them against benchmarks relevant to your specific industry, audience demographics, and overarching campaign objectives, rather than just a generic average.
- Beyond Raw Numbers: While open rates provided an initial indicator, a holistic assessment of 2018 email campaign success looked beyond this metric to include click-through rates, conversions, and the overall subscriber journey.
- Subscriber Behavior: Understanding how your audience interacted with their inboxes, including their propensity to check various Gmail tabs, was more valuable for optimizing engagement than merely reacting to the existence of a 'Promotions' tab.
- List Health and Segmentation: Maintaining a clean, engaged email list and utilizing effective segmentation strategies were fundamental drivers for achieving desirable open rates in 2018, significantly influencing overall campaign performance regardless of broader benchmarks.
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
To accurately find and interpret 2018 email open rate benchmarks, particularly concerning Gmail, it was essential to recognize the inherent limitations of open rate tracking, which relies on a simple pixel load and thus provides an estimate. Industry benchmarks, derived from vast aggregated data, offered valuable insights but needed to be viewed with an understanding of their collection methodologies and potential variances. Critically, achieving any meaningful open rate was predicated on strong email deliverability, ensuring emails successfully reached the inbox in the first place. Ultimately, marketers were advised to use benchmarks as a general context, prioritizing their specific audience, industry, and unique campaign goals to truly assess performance, rather than focusing solely on a generic average.
Key findings
- Estimated Open Rates: Email open rates for 2018 were tracked using an invisible 1x1 pixel, making them an estimate that could be influenced by technical factors such as image caching or blocking by recipient email clients.
- Aggregated Benchmarks: Leading providers like Litmus derived their 2018 email marketing benchmarks from aggregated data across millions of emails sent through diverse ESPs and email clients, accounting for various data collection nuances.
- Deliverability Foundation: Strong email deliverability, supported by authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, along with diligent list hygiene to minimize bounces and spam complaints, was a critical factor for achieving good open rates in 2018.
Key considerations
- Measurement Accuracy: Email open rates, tracked via an invisible pixel, are inherently an estimate rather than a precise count, as they can be influenced by factors like image caching or blocking by various email clients.
- Benchmark Nuance: While aggregated benchmarks provide valuable context, it is crucial to interpret them with an understanding of their underlying data collection methodologies and the inherent variances in client-specific behaviors.
- Deliverability as Prerequisite: Achieving favorable open rates fundamentally depends on robust email deliverability practices, including proper authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, coupled with low bounce rates and minimal spam complaints, ensuring messages actually reach the inbox.
- Individual Performance Focus: When assessing 2018 email open rates, benchmarks should serve as a general guide, but the ultimate evaluation of performance must be tailored to your unique audience, specific industry, and defined marketing objectives, rather than solely relying on average comparisons.
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp Knowledge Base explains that email open rates are tracked by an invisible 1x1 pixel image loaded when a recipient opens an email, and warns that this method means open rates can be inflated by image caching or blocked by some clients, thus should be interpreted as an estimate rather than a precise count.
16 Jun 2024 - Mailchimp Knowledge Base
Technical article
Documentation from Litmus explains that their 2018 email marketing benchmarks were derived from aggregated data across millions of emails sent through various ESPs and email clients, emphasizing that their interpretation accounts for variances in data collection and client-specific behaviors to provide a comprehensive view of performance.
14 Jan 2025 - Litmus Blog/Reports
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