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We analyzed over 20,270 emails from 746 popular food, beverages & tea e-commerce brands over three months and compared them with the previous quarter. This playbook highlights key trends in send times, frequency, subject lines, and CTAs to help you optimize your email campaigns.
This report is based on data collected from publicly available email campaigns sent by food & tea ecommerce brands between April and June 2025 to random subscribers across 15+ email inboxes. While we strive for accuracy in our analysis, individual results may vary based on specific audience demographics, market conditions, and other factors. The strategies outlined in this report should be tested and adapted to your unique business needs. TargetBay is not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this report unless explicitly stated. All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.
We analyzed 20,270 emails from leading Food, Tea, & Beverage brands—3,012 emails from Q1 2025 and 17,258 emails from Q2 2025, spanning 746 unique brands in total. This report breaks down key trends across email send times, frequency, deliverability, subject lines, preview text, email types, and CTAs. By comparing Q2 against Q1, we’ve identified what’s working, what’s changed, and what needs attention in a crowded and competitive inbox environment. Whether you’re a brand owner or email marketer, this analysis will give you clear, actionable insights to improve your ecommerce email performance in the quarters ahead.
| Metric Studied | Q1 (2025) | Q2 (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Emails Studied | 4,598 | 27,029 |
| Number of Brands Studied | 163 | 807 |
| Average Emails Sent / Week / brand | 2.17 | 2.58 |
| Email Inbox Rate (%) | 0.37% | 2.45% |
| Promotion Placement Rate (%) | 92.26% | 87.35% |
| SPAM Rate (%) | 7.37% | 10.13% |
| Popular Email Send Time Segment | 3pm - 6pm | 3pm - 6pm |
| Most Common Email Type | Discount Emails | Discount Emails |
| Most Common Email CTA | Shop now (133) | Shop now (2,760) |
In Q2 2025, email send times revealed strategic segmentation across the Food, Tea, Coffee, & Beverages industry, with brands targeting distinct shopper behaviors through timing.
Across 17,000+ emails, the most preferred window was 3pm–6pm, followed by 5am–9am and 6pm–9pm. This reflects a clear shift from Q1, where 12pm–3pm was dominant, especially among smaller brands.
Notably, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street favored early mornings (5 am–9 am), sending 141 emails in that slot—clearly targeting early risers or those checking emails before work. All City Candy, with 149 emails sent between 6 pm–9 pm, tapped into evening browsers likely looking for indulgent treats after a long day.
Brands like Bissinger’s leaned heavily on the 3 pm–6 pm window (88 emails), ideal for catching consumers during their afternoon slump—a prime time for snack and beverage consideration.
In Q2 2025, the average brand in the Food, Beverages & Tea industry sent 1.78 emails per week, up from 1.1 in Q1—a 61% increase. This spike indicates a more aggressive push in customer retention and promotions.
Among top senders, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street averaged 33+ emails per week—an extremely high cadence aimed at content-focused engagement, while All City Candy sent ~20/week, primarily on weekends.
Sunday and Saturday saw surprising email peaks across several brands.
✔️ Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street favored Sundays (186 emails), likely targeting relaxed weekend readers browsing recipes.
✔️ All City Candy leaned into Saturdays (150 emails), tapping into impulse candy purchases before the weekend.
✔️ Taste of Home maintained a balanced approach with steady sends from Tuesday to Friday, positioning itself for mid-week culinary inspiration.
Average inbox rate
Promotions Placement Rate
Average Spam Rate
Email deliverability saw a significant shift in Q2 2025, with only 2.52% of emails landing in the inbox, compared to 0.37% in Q1—a technical improvement, but still a red flag for the industry. The catch? An overwhelming 87.35% of emails landed in the Promotions tab in Q2.
While Spam rates also increased—from 7.37% in Q1 to 10.13% in Q2—most brands are struggling not with spam filters, but with Gmail’s promotional tab filters.
| Food & Tea Industry Email Deliverability Rate Comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Deliverability | Q1 (%) | Q2 (%) | % Change (Q2 vs Q1) |
| Inbox Rate | 0.37% | 2.52% | 2.17% |
| Promotions Rate | 92.26% | 87.35% | -9.3% |
| Spam Rate | 7.37% | 10.13% | 6.65% |
Brands with the highest inbox placement include:
✔️ BUTTERM!LK (Inbox Rate: 47.6%)
✔️ Backpacker’s Pantry (45.6%)
✔️ Bigger Bolder Baking (42.7%)
These brands likely focus on clean sender reputations, highly relevant content, and consistent engagement.
High spam rates can severely harm sender reputation and lower overall open rates, while landing in Promotions—though not always negative—often reduces visibility compared to the primary inbox.
Brands must focus on email list hygiene, domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and engagement optimization (like segmentation and A/B testing). Avoid using aggressive sales language or large images-only emails. Aim for a healthy mix of value-driven content and personalized campaigns to boost inbox placement.
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In Q2 2025, brands leaned heavily into emoji usage, appearing in 75.36% of subject lines—up from 69.59% in Q1. Emojis clearly remain a favored tactic to stand out in crowded inboxes, especially among high-volume senders like All City Candy and Bigger Bolder Baking.
Discount-oriented subject lines also rose to 24.21% in Q2 (from 19.65% in Q1), showing an industry-wide push for urgency and promotional campaigns.
However, product mentions dropped to 16.83%, signaling a pivot away from content-specific headlines to broader promotional hooks. Personalization remained flat at ~18%, underutilized given its potential to increase open rates.
| Brand Name | Food & Tea Email Marketing Subject Lines |
|---|---|
| Taza Chocolate | Last Chance! 20% Off Our New Favorites Ends Tonight |
| Bean Box | Last Chance! Claim Your Free Coffee + Audiobook! 📚☕ |
| Two Bears | Last chance for 10% off your coffee cans☕ |
| Gourmesso | Last Chance: SAVE 20% on Coffee you’ll love! ☕🌟 |
| Fuel Meals | Simplify Your Holiday Meals – Save $100 Today |
| Bean Box | 6 HRS LEFT: Your $10 Coffee Cash + $500 Golden Ticket Chance expires soon! 📧☕ |
| Choffy | 🔥 Big News! The NEW CHOFFY.COM is LIVE! YOU NEED TO CHECK IT OUT!🔥 |
| 49th Parallel Coffee | Take 15% OFF Your Favourite Coffee & Brew Gear |
| Bean Box | ENDS TONIGHT: Your $10 Coffee Cash + $500 Golden Ticket Chance ⏰ |
| Bean Box | 6 HRS LEFT: You have $10 Coffee Cash + 2X Entries 🎁 |
| Twinings | Your Mornings Just Got Better: 15% Off Select Twinings Teas on Amazon! |
| Bean Box | ENDS TONIGHT: Your COFFEE CASH expires soon ⏰ |
| Bad Ass Coffee | This Veterans Day, Your Coffee Gives Back—Buy 2, Give 1 |
| Bad Ass Coffee | Coffee Bundles Built for You by You—Shop & Save! |
| Fuel Meals | Your Christmas Gift: $100 Off Your Meals |
| Volcanica Coffee | Are you low on coffee? 😧 |
| Backyard Beans Coffee | Giving Tuesday: Your Morning Coffee Can Make A Difference Today |
| Twinings | Up to 30% Off Your Favourite Twinings Tea on Amazon 🫖 |
| Fuel Meals | Last Chance for Next Week’s Meals—30% Off + Free Chicken |
| Mingle Seasoning | 🔥Up to 50% Off + 7 New Flavours Just Dropped! Your Pantry’s About to Party 🎉 |
From the 10.13% of emails landing in spam in Q2, the most common trigger was the word “free” (used 42 times). Other red flags included “limited time” (6 times), “winner” (2), and “money” (2).
Interestingly, these words were also present in non-spam emails (e.g., “free” used 856 times), indicating that overuse or combination with other factors (like poor sender reputation or high frequency) may lead to spam placement.
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In Q2 2025, brands in the Food, Tea, Coffee, & Beverages industry doubled down on visual hooks—84.64% of preview texts used emojis, a major jump from 57.61% in Q1. This strategy is especially popular among brands like beanbox.com and gourmesso.com, who paired emoji-filled subject lines with vibrant previews to stand out in crowded inboxes.
However, while emojis surged, informative previews—those that logically expand on the subject line—dipped slightly to 0.49%, down from 0.69% in Q1. This signals a growing trend of using preview texts more as emotional hooks rather than supporting text.
On the upside, urgency-based preview texts rose from 6.48% in Q1 to 8.04% in Q2. Phrases like “limited time only,” “ends today,” and “don’t miss out” were commonly used to nudge users toward immediate action.
| Preview Text Strategy | Q1 2025 | Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Emoji Usage | 57.61% | 84.64% |
| Informative Preview | 0.69% | 0.49% |
| Urgency Preview | 6.48% | 8.04% |
Despite the spike in urgency and emojis, the email inbox rate remains low at 2.5%, while promotions placement sits at a high 87%. This suggests that while these tactics may increase visual appeal and open intent, they’re also triggering filters that hurt overall visibility.
Balance emotion and utility. Instead of relying solely on emojis and urgency, try adding value-based previews that clearly expand on the subject line and hint at what’s inside the email. This can improve both engagement and inbox placement
In Q2 2025, nearly half (47.03%) of all emails in the Food, Tea, Coffee, & Beverages industry fell under the “Other Engagement” category—slightly down from 53.35% in Q1. This category includes educational emails, seasonal campaigns, reminders, thank-you notes, and urgency-based sends like “Last chance to save!” from brands like twobears.ca and fuelmeals.com.
Discount emails saw a sharp increase, rising from 17.99% in Q1 to 26.18% in Q2. Brands like gourmesso.com and beanbox.com aggressively pushed messages like “SAVE 20% on Coffee You’ll Love! ☕” to trigger conversions and clear stock in mid-year cycles.
Personalized emails held steady at around 15%, with subtle use of “Your favorites are back” or “Picked for you” lines. These are generally used by content-driven brands like Bigger Bolder Baking that nurture long-term engagement.
Discount
Promotional
Personalized
Others
Promotional emails slightly dropped from 13.38% to 11.72%, likely indicating that broad, non-specific campaigns are becoming less effective compared to focused, value-driven messages.
The emails classified under “Other Engagement” is a catch-all that includes:
Call-to-Action (CTA) strategies saw a notable shift in Q2 2025. The majority of CTAs still fell under the “Other” category (59.8%), which includes general or vague commands like “Explore” or “See more.”
However, the standout change came from the surge in Urgency-based CTAs, which grew from 21.58% in Q1 to 36.96% in Q2. Examples like “Shop Now,” “Get Started,” and “Try It Today” were dominant across campaigns by brands like Fuel Meals and Two Bears
Meanwhile, Informational CTAs (e.g., “Learn more,” “Discover the guide”) dropped sharply from 8.27% to 2.55%, suggesting brands deprioritized content education in favor of direct conversions. CTAs with Personalization (“See your picks”) and Discount triggers (“Save now,” “Get 20% off”) remained very low in both quarters, each under 1%.
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We analyzed 17,000+ Food, Beverages, & Tea marketing emails in Q2 2025 to uncover key email marketing trends in the Food, Beverages, & Tea industry. Here’s how Q2 evolved—and how it compares to Q1.
Email Frequency Increased: Brands sent 1.78 emails/week on average in Q2, up from 1.1/week in Q1. Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street and All City Candy led the surge in volume, indicating a shift toward higher engagement cycles.
Shift in Send Times: In Q2, 3pm–6pm and 6pm–9pm emerged as the top send windows, overtaking Q1’s dominant 12pm–3pm slot. Brands are adapting to post-work email habits.
Deliverability Challenge: Only 2.52% of Q2 emails reached inboxes, despite being up from 0.36% in Q1. Promotions tab placement jumped from 16.3% to 87.35%, showing Gmail’s filters remain strict on frequency and format.
Rise in Discounts & Urgency: Discount emails rose to 26.18% (from 17.99% in Q1) and urgency-based CTAs surged to 36.96%, driven by brands like Fuel Meals and Gourmesso.
Emojis were used in 75.36% of Q2 subject lines and 84.64% of previews, up from 69.59% and 57.61% in Q1 respectively, boosting visibility, though possibly contributing to promo placement.
Q2 was aggressive and emoji-heavy, with more discounts, later send times, and tighter inbox filters. Food & Tea brands are leaning into performance, but may risk deliverability if they don’t balance value and frequency.
➤ Aim for 1–2 high-quality emails per week. Q2 showed higher volumes (1.78 emails/week), but inbox placement was just 2.5%.
➤ Brands like Christopher Kimball's Milk Street and Bissinger's saw higher sends and likely engagement here.
➤ Urgency CTAs like “Shop Now” surged to 37%, but also contributed to promotion tab placement.
➤ Relationship-building, seasonal, or educational content made up 47% of Q2 emails.
➤ Words like “free” or “winner” can trigger filters, used 42+ times in spam emails.
➤ Q2 showed better balance with discounts (26%) and personalized content (15%).
➤ This keeps your sender reputation high.
➤ Test sends across days to find your audience's sweet spot.
Begin by analyzing your current email metrics against the benchmarks in this report. Identify gaps in your strategy and prioritize areas for improvement based on potential impact.
Create a structured testing plan to experiment with different send times, subject line formulas, and CTA strategies. Document results and iterate based on performance data.
Implement more granular audience segmentation based on purchase behavior, engagement level, and product preferences to deliver more relevant content to each subscriber.
With over 60% of Food & Tea marketing emails opened on mobile devices, ensure your templates are fully responsive and CTAs are easily “tappable” on smaller screens.
Thousands of templates in one place.
The Food, Beverages, & Tea industry continues to evolve its email marketing playbook, with brands pushing the envelope through higher send volumes, urgency-driven campaigns, and emoji-rich messaging. But as inboxes get more crowded, standing out is no longer just about frequency or flair, it’s about balance.
Our Q2 analysis shows that success comes from pairing timely promotions with genuine engagement strategies like educational content, thoughtful previews, and well-timed sends. Brands that maintain this balance, like Bigger Bolder Baking and Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, are more likely to build lasting inbox presence and brand loyalty.
As the competition intensifies and inbox algorithms get smarter, a thoughtful, data-driven approach becomes more essential than ever.
One-up your email marketing strategy and your email deliverability. Our email experts at TargetBay are here to help you turn these findings into real, revenue-driving results.
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