Almost 1 in 5 Mktg Emails Opened in 2010

June 29, 2011

hh-overall-email-performance-2010-june-2011.JPGAlmost one in five (17%) emails sent by Postfuture marketing clients across nine industry verticals was opened in 2010, according to the Harte-Hanks Postfuture Index. Ninety-five percent were successfully delivered.

Unsubscribe Rate Improves 50% YOY

The unsubscribe rate for marketing emails in 2010, 0.16%, was a 50% improvement from the 0.32% rate recorded by Harte-Hanks in 2009. Harte-Hanks analysis indicates use of tactics such as targeted content, frequency control and suppression of non-responders will help continue to keep unsubscribe rates low. Three percent of marketing emails were clicked.

Pharma Has Highest Open Rate

hh-open-click-rates-2010-june-2011.JPGThe highest open rate was the pharmaceutical sector at almost 26%. Email content in this category tends to be highly targeted to the individual subscriber. Harte Hanks advises that relevant content will drive higher open rates.

The lowest open rate was technology at 6%. Technology companies tend to acquire a number of their subscribers from events such as trade shows. Harte-Hanks says self-registrants, those who ask to be on a marketer’s mailing list, should show much higher open and click rates.

Insurance Has Highest Click Rate

The highest click rate (8%) occurred in the insurance sector. This rate is well above the average click rate of 3%. The lowest click rate was for the technology sector at less than 1%.

Bounce Rates Average 5%

hh-bounce-rates-2010-june-2011.JPGBounce rates averaged 5% for 2010. Harte-Hanks data shows the automotive sector (12%) skewed this rate high. Without this sector, the average bounce rate for 2010 was 4%. Overall, this was a 29% improvement from the 2009 bounce rate average of nearly 7%; and about a 43% improvement without including automotive.

Harte-Hanks advises many companies are now using email verification services to cleanse email addresses collected offline before they attempt to market to those addresses. Eliminating bad addresses before adding them to your primary mailing list will minimize your bounce rate.

ReturnPath: ISP Rate Correlates with Sender Score

The average inbox placement rate (ISP) for promotional emails correlates with the sender score of the entity sending them, according to a study conducted from January to April 2011 by ReturnPath. Data from “The Sender Reputation Report” indicates that emails from IP addresses with the highest sender score (91-100) have an average 88% ISP rate.

About the Data: The Harte-Hanks Postfuture Index for 2009 – 2010 measures key performance indicators across nine industry sectors: automotive, entertainment, financial, government, insurance, pharmaceutical, retail, technology and travel/hospitality. The data sample included more than 2.8 billion emails sent by 99 Postfuture email marketing clients.

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