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Over the past six months, we analyzed 217,730 email campaigns from 33,000 ecommerce brands across 11 ecommerce industries, ranging from Fashion and Beauty to Automotive and Baby Products. This in-depth study spanned Q1 and Q2 of 2025, allowing us to compare brand strategies, inbox performance, and evolving trends in ecommerce email marketing.
What you’re about to explore is a comprehensive resource built for ecommerce marketers, agencies, and store owners who want to go beyond guesswork. We’ve uncovered when brands are sending emails, what types perform best, what drives opens and clicks, how subject lines and preview text impact engagement, and—most importantly—what lands in inboxes vs. promotions vs. spam.
This ecommerce email report combines broad trends and insights with industry-specific best practices to help you optimize your email strategy for better deliverability, higher open rates, and stronger conversions. You’ll also find links to deep-dive analysis for each industry so you can tailor your strategy to your niche.
Let’s break down what top-performing brands are doing—and how you can do it better.
| Ecommerce Email Marketing Q2 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metric | Q1 2025 | Q2 2025 |
| Total Emails Sent | 27,110 | 190,620 |
| Inbox Rate | 0.47% | 2.77% |
| Promotions Rate | 93.79% | 86.21% |
| Spam Rate | 5.74% | 11.03% |
Ecommerce email marketing is the use of email to promote products, build customer relationships, and drive sales for online stores. It includes everything from welcome emails, product launches, and promotional emails to abandoned cart reminders and post-purchase follow-ups.
The goal is to reach customers at the right time with the right message, whether it’s to increase conversions, boost repeat purchases, or improve brand loyalty. Done right, ecommerce email marketing is one of the most cost-effective and reliable ways to grow an online business.
Understanding the different types of emails helps you plan campaigns that align with your business goals. Here are the most common categories:
Used to drive sales by promoting products, discounts, or exclusive deals. These emails create urgency, introduce new collections, highlight bestsellers, or push back-in-stock items to encourage immediate purchases from both new and returning customers.
Product Launch Emails: Announce new product arrivals or collections. These emails generate excitement, drive early traffic, and help brands test new offerings by targeting loyal or engaged customers.
Sales & Discount Emails: Promote limited-time deals, flash sales, or exclusive discounts. These are designed to create urgency and boost conversions by encouraging immediate action.
Back-in-Stock Emails: Notify customers when popular or sold-out items are available again. Ideal for recapturing lost demand and converting high-intent shoppers.
Cross-Sell & Upsell Emails: Suggest complementary or upgraded products based on previous purchases. These emails help increase average order value and improve customer lifetime value.
Triggered after a customer takes an action like placing an order. These emails include order confirmations, shipping updates, and invoices. While mainly informational, they build trust and can include subtle cross-sell opportunities without disrupting the user experience.
Order Confirmation Emails: Sent after a purchase is made. They reassure customers that their order was received and typically include order details, estimated delivery dates, and contact info.
Shipping & Delivery Updates: Keep customers informed about their order status—shipped, out for delivery, or delivered. These emails help reduce support tickets and improve post-purchase satisfaction.
Receipts & Invoices: Provide a formal record of the transaction for the customer. While functional, they can also include support links or subtle upsell opportunities.
Sent based on customer behavior or their stage in the journey. Examples include welcome emails for new signups, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase emails. They’re highly personalized and aim to nurture, convert, or re-engage customers.
Welcome Emails: The first touchpoint after a user subscribes. These emails introduce your brand, set expectations, and often include a discount to encourage a first purchase.
Abandoned Cart Emails: Sent when a shopper adds items to their cart but doesn’t complete checkout. They serve as a gentle reminder and often include incentives to complete the purchase.
Post-Purchase Emails: Follow-up after a purchase to request reviews, suggest reorders, or offer product care tips. These help build trust and increase long-term engagement.
Tied to specific holidays, seasons, or personal milestones like birthdays. These emails tap into timely buying intent and help brands stay relevant during key shopping moments by offering themed deals or limited-time promotions.
Holiday Promotion Emails: Timed around key shopping holidays like Black Friday, Christmas, or Mother’s Day. These emails are designed to tap into heightened buying intent with timely offers.
Birthday or Anniversary Emails: Celebrate customer milestones with special offers or rewards. These personalized emails strengthen emotional connection and encourage repeat purchases.
Ecommerce email marketing remains one of the most effective, reliable, and profitable tools in a brand’s marketing toolkit. It gives you the power to reach customers directly, build lasting relationships, and drive consistent revenue. Here’s why it’s essential for your growth.
Email marketing consistently ranks as the highest-ROI channel for ecommerce brands. Unlike paid ads that charge per click or impression, emails reach thousands of users for a fixed cost. With platforms like Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Mailchimp, even small brands can automate personalized campaigns at scale. The ROI—often upwards of $40 per $1 spent—comes from the ability to target high-intent users with timely, relevant messages without continuously increasing ad budgets.
Unlike social media or search platforms where you’re at the mercy of algorithms, email gives you complete control over how and when you communicate. Your email list is an owned channel—you’re not renting space or visibility. This means you can consistently nurture, engage, and sell to your audience without worrying about organic reach dropping or CPMs rising during high-competition seasons.
Email marketing helps convert one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers. Post-purchase flows, loyalty program invites, and reorder reminders create ongoing touchpoints that encourage more frequent purchases. A skincare brand, for instance, can automate replenishment emails based on usage timelines. These small nudges lead to increased customer retention and higher average order values over time.
Modern email tools let you create hyper-targeted messages using dynamic content blocks and customer behavior triggers. You can send different products to different users in the same email based on their purchase history, browsing behavior, or location. For example, someone who recently bought running shoes might receive personalized recommendations for athletic socks or hydration packs—improving click-through rates and conversions.
Brands that consistently deliver value via product tips, behind-the-scenes content, or community features tend to build deeper emotional connections. A monthly newsletter with product education or founder insights keeps your brand top of mind, even when the customer isn’t actively shopping.
Studies show nearly 70% of online carts are abandoned. Well-timed abandoned cart emails can remind customers of what they left behind, include user reviews, offer limited-time discounts, or even show social proof to boost trust. Many brands recover 10–20% of abandoned carts through email alone, turning lost intent into revenue.
Email marketing platforms offer a wealth of performance data: open rates, click rates, conversions, deliverability, A/B testing results, and more. These metrics help you understand what resonates with your audience, allowing for ongoing refinement of your content, timing, segmentation, and offers to drive better outcomes with every send.
Email doesn’t exist in a silo. It integrates seamlessly with SMS, paid ads, retargeting campaigns, loyalty platforms, and even customer support tools. You can build multi-channel workflows, like following up on a Facebook ad click with an automated email, or pairing a restock email with an SMS alert for VIP customers. This cohesion strengthens your overall strategy and drives more conversions.
Not all ecommerce brands operate the same way, what works for a fashion brand may not work for a supplement or petcare brand. That’s why industry-specific ecommerce email marketing strategies are essential. They provide context, relevance, and a clearer roadmap for optimizing your own campaigns.
In our analysis of 217,730 email campaigns from over 8,498 ecommerce brands across 11 industries. We found significant differences in email strategies and trends, ranging from send times and subject line strategies to inbox placement and engagement rates.
By comparing your performance against relevant benchmarks, you gain insight into what “good” looks like in your niche, and where you can improve. That’s why benchmarking against leaders in your industry matters. It helps you spot gaps, test smarter, and fine-tune campaigns that resonate with your unique audience, without relying on guesswork.
Based on a thorough analysis of 99,840 emails from 2,859 brands—with 95,794 emails in Q2 and only 4,046 in Q1. We observed a major shift in how Fashion & Apparel brands approached email marketing.
Brands ramped up their sending behavior significantly in Q2, averaging 2.61 emails/week, compared to just ~0.54/week in Q1. This reflects a shift toward consistent, high-frequency outreach and campaign-driven engagement.
Q2 send times favored 3–6 PM (22%), 6–9 PM (18%), and early morning windows like 5–9 AM, suggesting brands are experimenting with timing to reach post-work and early riser segments more effectively.
Saturday (23.5%) and Wednesday (20.2%) emerged as the most popular send days, aligning with weekend shopping habits and midweek promotions.
Emoji use rose to 25.5% (from 19.9%), and product mentions doubled to 14.8%, while discount-heavy lines decreased from 39.7% to 30.1%.
Preview Text: More strategic use—34.6% complemented the subject line, 20.9% used personalization, and 17.6% included discount reinforcement.
Shift: From aggressive discounting to more nuanced and engaging copy.
Q2 saw 49.6% categorized as “Other Engagement” (relational, educational, seasonal), marking a pivot from Q1’s discount-heavy strategy.
Simple CTAs like “Shop Now” or “View Collection” made up nearly 20%, overtaking earlier aggressive discount CTAs.
Emails Analyzed
95,794
Brands Studied
2,822
Email Inbox Rate
2.59%
Promotions Rate
86.86%
Email SPAM Rate
10.55%
We analyzed 31,627 emails from 807 beauty and skincare brands—4,598 in Q1 and 27,029 in Q2—to reveal evolving strategies in email marketing across these quarters.
Brands increased average weekly sends from 2.17 in Q1 to 2.58 in Q2, reflecting a strategic push toward more consistent engagement and nurturing rhythms.
Both quarters named 3–6 PM as the prime send window, with Q2 shifting back-to-back emphasis on 6–9 PM (15.6%) and 12–3 PM (15.2%). This daytime-to-evening transition signals a move to reach subscribers during both work breaks and wind-down moments.
Weekend and midweek dominate in Q2: Saturday (25.6%), Wednesday (18.4%), and Friday (14.9%) outpaced Monday/Tuesday. Brands likely tapped into relaxed weekend browsing and midweek momentum.
Emoji use remains sky-high (~90% → 87.3%), while promotional triggers slightly declined:
Discounts in subject lines: 29.9% → 26.4%
Personalization (“your”, “just for you”): 28.1% → 24.4%
Product mentions dropped from 11.4% → 8.1%
Urgency and subtlety are at work in Q2 subject copy.
Discount emails decreased: 41.3% → 37.1%
Personalized emails rose slightly: 21.9% → 23.2%
Other engagement content (educational, seasonal, community) jumped from 22.7% → 29.2%
Clear commerce CTAs (Shop Now/Get Yours) surged from 11.2% → 21.3%
Urgency-driven CTAs fell from 22.9% → 18.7%
Vague “other” CTAs dropped from 61.8% → 56.1%
Emails Analyzed
27,029
Brands Studied
807
Email Inbox Rate
2.45%
Promotions Rate
85.90%
Email SPAM Rate
11.65%
We analyzed 6,264 emails from 462 Consumer Electronics brands—1,227 in Q1 and 5,037 in Q2—covering campaigns from over 460 unique brands.
Q1: Brands averaged approximately 0.86 emails per week.
Q2: This slightly decreased to 0.84 emails per week, indicating a shift towards more targeted and strategic email campaigns rather than increased frequency.
Q1: Emails were more evenly distributed throughout the day, with no dominant time block.
Q2: A clear preference emerged for sending emails during the afternoon to early evening hours:
3 PM – 6 PM: 21.6% of all emails
6 PM – 9 PM: 17%
12 PM – 3 PM: 15.6%
These three-time blocks alone account for over 54% of all sends, signaling a clear industry-wide shift toward post-lunch and after-work inbox targeting.
Q1: Emails were predominantly sent on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Q2: Brands shifted their focus to midweek and weekend days:
Saturday: 27.8% of all email sends
Wednesday: 23.2%
Friday: 15.4%
These three days together account for over 66% of all emails sent in Q2, showing a strategic lean toward midweek and weekend engagement.
Personalization: Increased to 23.6% in Q2, up from 19.5% in Q1.
Discount Mentions: Slightly decreased to 23.4% in Q2, down from 25.3% in Q1.
Emojis: Remained consistent at 8.1% in Q2, compared to 8.2% in Q1.
Product Mentions: Dropped from 4.2% to 2.1%, reflecting a growing focus on benefits or experiences over direct naming.
Discount Emails: Decreased to 32.8% in Q2, down from 37.3% in Q1.
Personalized Emails: Dipped to 27.1% in Q2, from 35.5% in Q1.
Other Engagement Emails: Increased to 37.9% in Q2, up from 26.6% in Q1. This shift suggests brands are moving beyond just selling, aiming instead to build ongoing relationships and retain attention.
Urgency-Driven CTAs: Rose to 47.9% in Q2, up from 41.8% in Q1.
Simple CTAs: Slightly decreased to 33.2% in Q2, from 35.2% in Q1.
Discount-Oriented CTAs: Dropped to 6.7% in Q2, down from 10.3% in Q1. This indicates a shift towards creating immediate action without relying heavily on discounts.
The Consumer Electronics industry saw a shift in Q2 2025, with brands focusing on more targeted timing (3 PM – 6 PM) and midweek/weekend engagement (Saturday, Wednesday). While email frequency remained steady, deliverability improved, and personalization and urgency-driven CTAs gained momentum for better conversions and customer retention.
Emails Analyzed
5,037
Brands Studied
462
Email Inbox Rate
8.08%
Promotions Rate
82.15%
Email SPAM Rate
9.77%
We analyzed 20,004 emails from 1,536 Home Decor eCommerce brands—2,602 in Q1 and 17,402 in Q2—to identify evolving email marketing strategies.
Q1: Brands averaged 1.26 emails per week.
Q2: This decreased to 0.87 emails per week, indicating a shift towards more strategic and less frequent emailing.
Q1: Emails were predominantly sent between 12 PM – 3 PM.
Q2: The most popular send time shifted to 6 PM – 9 PM, accounting for 23.68% of all emails, followed by 3 PM – 6 PM at 20.92%.
Q1: Emails were more evenly distributed across weekdays.
Q2: Saturday emerged as the dominant send day with 29.09% of emails, followed by Wednesday at 16.86% and Friday at 11.58%.
Emojis: Used in 83.84% of subject lines in Q2, up from 82.71% in Q1.
Discount Mentions: Decreased from 29.29% in Q1 to 26.8% in Q2.
Personalization: Increased from 18.6% to 19.94%.
Product Mentions: Dropped to 3.88% in Q2.
Discount Emails: Decreased from 43.54% in Q1 to 35.79% in Q2.
Personalized Emails: Increased from 16.99% to 21.26%.
Other Engagement Emails: Increased from 25.83% to 32.26%.
Urgency-Driven CTAs: Rose to 19.03% in Q2, up from 8.42% in Q1.
Simple CTAs: Increased to 20.6% from 13.72%.
Discount-Oriented CTAs: Decreased from 2.54% to 1.77%.
Personalized CTAs: Decreased from 4.07% to 1.44%.
Emails Analyzed
20,004
Brands Studied
1,536
Email Inbox Rate
2.49%
Promotions Rate
82.83%
Email SPAM Rate
14.68%
We analyzed 20,270 emails from 746 Food, Beverages & Tea e-commerce brands—3,012 in Q1 and 17,258 in Q2—to identify evolving email marketing strategies.
Q1: Brands averaged 2.17 emails per week.
Q2: This increased to 2.58 emails per week, indicating a 61% rise in email activity, reflecting a more aggressive engagement strategy.
Q1: Emails were predominantly sent between 12 PM – 3 PM.
Q2: The most popular send times shifted to 3 PM – 6 PM, followed by 5 AM – 9 AM and 6 PM – 9 PM, indicating a strategic segmentation to align with distinct shopper behaviors.
Q1: Brands maintained a balanced approach across the week.
Q2: Notable peaks were observed on Sundays and Saturdays, with brands like Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street and All City Candy leveraging these days for increased engagement.
Emojis in Subject Lines: Rose from 69.59% in Q1 to 75.36% in Q2, enhancing visual appeal and engagement.
Discount Mentions: Increased to 24.21% in Q2 from 19.65% in Q1, indicating a stronger emphasis on promotional content.
Urgency in Preview Texts: Grew from 6.48% to 8.04%, with phrases like “limited time only” becoming more prevalent to encourage immediate action.
Discount Emails: Increased from 17.99% in Q1 to 26.18% in Q2, reflecting a heightened focus on promotions.
Personalized Emails: Held steady at 15%, indicating consistent use of personalized content.
Other Engagement Emails: Decreased slightly from 53.35% to 47.03%, suggesting a shift towards more direct promotional content.
Urgency-Based CTAs: Surged from 21.58% in Q1 to 36.96% in Q2, with phrases like “Shop Now” becoming dominant.
Informational CTAs: Decreased from 8.27% to 2.55%, indicating a reduced emphasis on educational content.
Discount-Oriented CTAs: Remained low, under 1%, suggesting a balanced approach to promotional messaging.
Email Analyzed
17,258
Brands Studied
746
Email Inbox Rate
2.52%
Promotions Rate
87.35%
Email SPAM Rate
10.13%
We analyzed 25,217 emails from 800+ Health & Supplement brands—4,370 in Q1 and 20,847 in Q2—to identify evolving email marketing strategies.
Q1: Brands averaged 1.34 emails per week.
Q2: This increased to 1.99 emails per week, indicating a shift towards more frequent and strategic email campaigns.
Q1: Emails were predominantly sent between 12 PM – 3 PM.
Q2: The most popular send time shifted to 3 PM – 6 PM, accounting for 23.86% of all campaigns, followed by 6 PM – 9 PM at 17.05%.
Q1: Emails were more evenly distributed across weekdays.
Q2: Saturday emerged as the dominant send day with 24.78% of all emails, followed by Wednesday at 18.89% and Friday at 15.21%.
Personalization: Increased to 22.51% in Q2, up from 20.95% in Q1.
Discount Mentions: Rose to 26.13% in Q2, up from 19.97% in Q1.
Emojis: Increased to 38.98% in Q2, up from 28.48% in Q1.
Product Mentions: Dropped to 3.88% in Q2, down from 4.2% in Q1.
Discount Emails: Increased to 26.18% in Q2, up from 17.99% in Q1.
Personalized Emails: Increased to 21.26% in Q2, up from 16.99% in Q1.
Other Engagement Emails: Increased to 47.03% in Q2, up from 25.83% in Q1.
Urgency-Driven CTAs: Rose to 36.96% in Q2, up from 21.58% in Q1.
Simple CTAs: Increased to 20.6% in Q2, up from 13.72% in Q1.
Discount-Oriented CTAs: Decreased to 1.77% in Q2, down from 2.54% in Q1.
Personalized CTAs: Decreased to 1.44% in Q2, down from 4.07% in Q1.
Emails Analyzed
20,847
Brands Studied
807
Email Inbox Rate
2.84%
Email Inbox Rate
87.24%
Email SPAM Rate
9.92%
In Q2 2025, the Automotive industry exhibited significant shifts in email marketing strategies compared to Q1. Our analysis encompassed 5,488 emails from 243 brands, highlighting key developments:
Q1: Brands averaged 1.4 emails per week.
Q2: This increased to 1.56 emails per week, indicating a trend towards more frequent customer engagement.
Q1: Email sends were more evenly distributed throughout the day.
Q2: A clear preference emerged for late-day sends, with 6 PM – 9 PM becoming the most popular time slot. Brands like Sky High Car Audio and Kemimoto capitalized on this timing, aligning with post-work browsing habits.
Q1: No dominant send day.
Q2: Saturday led with 982 emails, followed by Wednesday and Friday. Brands such as 10SecondRacing and Kemimoto leveraged weekends to reach automotive enthusiasts during their downtime.
Q1: Emphasis on discount-driven subject lines.
Q2: A shift towards incorporating emojis and reducing personalization. Subject lines like “Save $50 Off Your Next Oil Change” became prevalent.
Q1: CTAs were varied, with a focus on direct product links.
Q2: A surge in urgency-driven CTAs, such as “Shop Now” and “Hurry,” aiming to prompt immediate action.
Q1: Predominance of discount emails.
Q2: An increase in “Other Engagement” emails, including educational content and seasonal promotions, comprising 38.84% of all emails.
Emails Analyzed
4,321
Brands Studied
179
Email Inbox Rate
2.36%
Promotions Rate
81.90%
Email SPAM Rate
15.74%
In Q2 2025, the Arts & Crafts industry exhibited notable shifts in email marketing strategies compared to Q1. Our analysis of 6,365 emails from 204 brands revealed key trends:
Brands ramped up their email cadence, averaging 6.32 emails per week per brand in Q2, up from 4.61 in Q1. This surge indicates a strategic push to maintain consistent engagement with their audience.
The most popular send times in Q2 were between 3 PM and 6 PM, followed by 9 AM to 12 PM. This shift suggests brands are aligning their email campaigns with peak consumer engagement periods.
Saturday emerged as the dominant send day, accounting for 23.06% of all emails, followed by Wednesday at 21.08%. This pattern reflects a targeted approach to reach consumers during their peak shopping times.
Discount-related subject lines appeared in 37.4% of emails, up from 32.6% in Q1. Product mentions increased to 28.5%, and emoji usage rose to 16.9%, demonstrating a trend towards more engaging and attention-grabbing subject lines.
Urgency-driven CTAs like “Shop Now” accounted for 37.9% of all CTAs, up from 23.8% in Q1. Discount CTAs remained stable at 5.5%, indicating a balanced approach to prompting immediate action without over-reliance on discounts.
Emails Analyzed
4,778
Brands Studied
204
Email Inbox Rate
2.89%
Promotions Rate
82.04%
Email SPAM Rate
15.07%
In Q2 2025, the Baby Products industry experienced significant shifts in email marketing strategies compared to Q1. Our analysis of 6,361 emails from 179 brands revealed key trends:
Q1: Brands averaged 1.26 emails per week.
Q2: This increased to 1.88 emails per week, indicating a push for more frequent engagement.
Q1: Emails were predominantly sent between 12 PM – 4 PM.
Q2: The most popular send time shifted to 4 PM – 8 PM, accounting for 32.7% of all emails.
Q1: Even distribution across weekdays.
Q2: Saturday emerged as the dominant send day with 26.7% of emails, followed by Wednesday at 22.7%.
Discount Mentions: Rose from 17.3% in Q1 to 30.8% in Q2.
Emoji Usage: Increased from 3.6% to 10.8%, aiming to capture attention in crowded inboxes.
Personalization: Slightly increased from 16.7% to 18.1%.
Urgency Phrases: Rose from 8.9% to 9.6%, indicating a push for immediate action.
“Shop Now”: Dominated with 75.4% of CTAs, up from 39.4% in Q1.
Discount CTAs: Increased from 5.6% to 7.8%, aligning with the surge in discount-driven subject lines.
Personalized CTAs: Dropped from 21.2% to 2.7%, suggesting a shift towards broader campaigns.
Discount Emails: Increased to 44.1% in Q2, up from 22.7% in Q1.
Personalized Emails: Decreased from 23.3% to 15.3%.
Promotional Emails: Slightly decreased from 18.9% to 12.1%.
Other Engagement: Decreased from 35.2% to 28.6%, indicating a focus on direct conversions.
Emails Analyzed
5,858
Brands Studied
170
Email Inbox Rate
3.33%
Promotions Rate
91.24%
Email SPAM Rate
5.43%
In Q2 2025, the pet care industry experienced notable shifts in email marketing strategies compared to Q1. Our analysis of 2,453 emails from 70 brands revealed key trends:
Brands sent an average of 2.29 emails per week in Q2, up from 1.85 in Q1, indicating a push for more frequent engagement.
The most popular send times in Q2 were between 3 PM and 6 PM, followed by 6 PM to 9 PM. This shift suggests brands are aligning their email campaigns with peak consumer engagement periods.
Saturday emerged as the dominant send day, accounting for 35.7% of all emails, up from 18.2% in Q1. This pattern reflects a targeted approach to reach consumers during their peak shopping times.
Discount-related subject lines appeared in 36.2% of emails, down from 50.8% in Q1. Emojis were used in 92.5% of emails, up from 96.3%, and personalization increased to 30.7% from 27.3%. Product mentions rose to 22% from 11.1%, demonstrating a trend towards more engaging and attention-grabbing subject lines.
Simple navigation CTAs like “Shop now” accounted for 65.4% of all CTAs, up from 52.1% in Q1. Discount CTAs decreased to 15.3% from 22.8%, while urgency-based CTAs slightly increased to 11.7% from 10.4%.
Discount emails decreased to 33.6% in Q2 from 47.1% in Q1. Promotional emails increased to 30.9% from 19.2%, and personalized emails rose to 25% from 21.9%. Other engagement emails decreased to 10.5% from 11.8%.
Emails Analyzed
2,020
Brands Studied
68
Email Inbox Rate
2.43%
Promotions Rate
91.98%
Email SPAM Rate
5.59%
In Q2 2025, the Outdoor & Sports industry experienced significant shifts in email marketing strategies compared to Q1. Our analysis of 18,258 emails from over 700 brands revealed key trends:
Brands sent an average of 4.09 emails per week in Q2, up from 2.64 in Q1, indicating a push for more frequent engagement.
The most popular send times in Q2 were between 3 PM and 6 PM, accounting for 22.58% of all sends, followed by 6 PM to 9 PM at 17.85%. This shift suggests brands are aligning their email campaigns with peak consumer engagement periods.
Saturday emerged as the dominant send day, accounting for 23.06% of all emails, followed by Wednesday at 21.08%. This pattern reflects a targeted approach to reach consumers during their peak shopping times.
Discount-related subject lines appeared in 25.48% of emails, up from 20% in Q1. Product mentions increased to 14.7%, and emoji usage rose to 6.8%, demonstrating a trend towards more engaging and attention-grabbing subject lines.
Simple navigation CTAs like “Shop now” accounted for 18.09% of all CTAs, up from 14.18% in Q1. Urgency CTAs increased to 17.97% from 12.07%, while discount CTAs remained rare at 0.6%. This indicates a balanced approach to prompting immediate action without over-reliance on discounts.
“Other Engagement” emails led the way, making up 48.58% of all emails in Q2, slightly down from 53.45% in Q1. Discount-driven emails rose to 25.48% from 20%, and personalized emails increased to 13.15% from 12.38%. Promotional emails slightly decreased to 12.79% from 14.18%.
Emails Analyzed
14,703
Brands Studied
697
Email Inbox Rate
2.58%
Promotions Rate
84.95%
Email SPAM Rate
12.47%
Get personalized ecommerce email marketing guidance niche brand and learn how TargetBay can help you optimize your email marketing strategy.
Across industries, from fashion and baby products to automotive and wellness, some trends consistently stand out in email marketing.
First off, personalization drives results. Brands using tailored subject lines, emojis, or preview texts like “Just for You” see higher engagement and open rates. Discounts and urgency remain powerful motivators. Phrases like “Last Chance”, “Limited Time”, and “50% Off” show up in nearly every vertical, proving that FOMO sells.
Whether you’re selling lipstick or car parts, the fundamentals hold: be relevant, be timely, and make it easy to take action.
Ecommerce email marketing can significantly boost your store’s revenue and customer retention if done right. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the best practices to ensure your campaigns are effective and provide incremental results over time:
A clean, segmented, and engaged list ensures that your emails reach people who are interested in what you have to offer.
Grow your email list by offering discounts, free shipping, or exclusive content. Make sure your sign-up forms are strategically placed across your website, at checkout, or on blog pages.
A quality, engaged list boosts deliverability and engagement. Regularly clean out inactive subscribers to keep content relevant and avoid spam filters.
Segmentation is the process of dividing your email list into smaller, more targeted groups based on customer data, preferences, or behaviors.
Whether you segment by demographic information, purchase history, engagement levels, or customer lifecycle stage, segmentation allows you to tailor your emails more precisely.
For example, you can send personalized offers to customers who have purchased before, or offer product recommendations based on past browsing behavior. This kind of targeting ensures your emails are highly relevant, which leads to higher open rates, better click-through rates (CTR), and ultimately, more conversions.
Personalization is more than just including a customer’s name in the subject line. It involves crafting email content based on the customer’s previous interactions with your brand.
By analyzing customer data, you can send personalized product recommendations, special offers, or tailored messages that resonate with the recipient.
Personalized emails create a more engaging experience for the customer, and they’re much more likely to open and act on a message that speaks directly to them. For instance, recommending products based on previous purchases or reminding customers of items they’ve left in their cart can boost conversion rates significantly.
With the majority of emails being opened on mobile devices, optimizing your emails for mobile viewing is essential.
Mobile optimization involves using responsive design, which ensures that your emails look great and function well on all devices, from smartphones to desktops.
To implement this, ensure that your email layout is clean and simple, with text that’s easy to read and buttons that are easy to click. Keep your email design minimalistic to avoid overwhelming the reader with too much content, and prioritize key information that drives action. A mobile-optimized email boosts user experience and ensures that your message gets across clearly, no matter the device.
The subject line is the first thing your audience sees in their inbox, so it needs to grab their attention immediately. Keep it short, to the point, and engaging. Incorporating urgency, curiosity, or personalization can significantly improve your open rates.
For example, subject lines like “Last Chance to Save!” or “Your Exclusive Offer Awaits” create a sense of urgency, while adding the recipient’s name or product preferences can make the email feel more personal.
A/B testing subject lines is a great way to figure out what works best with your audience. By testing different variations, you can find the winning formula that increases your open rates and engagement.
A/B testing is a powerful tool that allows you to compare two versions of an email to determine which one performs better. Whether you’re testing subject lines, email copy, CTA buttons, or send times, A/B testing helps you gather data and make informed decisions to optimize your campaigns.
You can test different aspects of your emails, such as the subject line, which might affect open rates, or the CTA placement, which could influence click-through rates. By continuously testing and optimizing, you can improve your email performance over time and ensure you’re getting the best results from your campaigns.
Every email you send should include a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA). Whether you want the reader to shop now, view a new collection, or sign up for a webinar, your CTA should be easy to find and click.
Use actionable language that clearly states what you want the recipient to do, such as “Shop Now,” “Explore the Collection,” or “Claim Your Discount.”
The placement and design of the CTA also matter. It should stand out from the rest of the email and be large enough to click easily on both desktop and mobile devices. Clear CTAs guide the reader’s next steps and increase the likelihood of conversions.
Email marketing automation allows you to set up email sequences that are triggered by specific actions or timeframes.
For example, you can automatically send a welcome email when someone subscribes to your list, a thank-you email after a purchase, or a reminder email if someone abandons their cart.
Setting up automated workflows ensures that your emails are timely and relevant. It helps you stay connected with customers without having to manually send each email, freeing up your time for other tasks. Automation also enables you to nurture leads and retain customers by sending them the right message at the right time.
Regularly tracking and analyzing the performance of your email campaigns is key to understanding what’s working and what’s not.
Use key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates (CTR), bounce rates, and conversion rates to evaluate the success of your emails.
By analyzing these results, you can identify patterns, tweak your content, and optimize your campaigns for better performance. For instance, if you notice that emails sent on a particular day or time perform better, you can adjust your sending schedule accordingly.
The content you send should always provide value to the recipient. Avoid sending irrelevant promotions or too many emails that can overwhelm your audience.
Instead, focus on offering helpful and informative content that aligns with the customer’s interests and needs. For example, sending personalized product recommendations, tips on how to use your products, or exclusive offers can improve engagement and build long-term customer relationships.
By keeping your content valuable and relevant, you’ll maintain customer interest and build trust, ensuring that they continue to open and engage with your emails over time.
No matter the industry, great email marketing comes down to timing, relevance, and making every click count. From personalized subject lines to urgency-driven CTAs, the top brands know how to stay in the inbox and on the customer’s mind.
Want to dive deeper? Check out the individual industry breakdowns. We’ve packed them with insights you can use.
And if you’re curious how your brand stacks up, we’d be happy to run a quick email audit for you. Just drop us a message or sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop.
Yes, email marketing is highly effective for ecommerce, driving sales and increasing brand loyalty. By sending targeted, personalized emails, ecommerce brands can see high ROI. Platforms like BayEngage help optimize email strategies for better engagement and conversions.
Results come from segmenting your audience, personalizing content, improving email deliverability, and automating key workflows like cart abandonment. Using TargetBay’s tools to optimize timing and deliverability boosts open rates, click-throughs, and conversions.
Saturdays and Wednesdays are optimal days for sending ecommerce emails. These days align with consumer shopping patterns. Testing different days can help you fine-tune your timing strategy.
The best times are 3 PM – 6 PM and 6 PM – 9 PM, based on consumer engagement trends. TargetBay’s analytics can help you optimize send times for your audience.
Yes, automation is crucial. TargetBay enables automated emails like welcome messages, cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups, ensuring timely and relevant communication to boost engagement and conversions.
