Australia is leading the way when it comes to email benchmarks with open rates, click-through rates (CTR), and click-to-open (CTP) rates significantly higher than the global average, according to the annual Campaign Monitor Email Benchmarks report.

The average open rate for Australian senders is 20.6%, while the average CTR is 3.1% and the average CTP rate is 14.8%.

The report, which looks at more than 100 billion emails, found that Australian retailers experience the lowest unsubscribe rate compared to other industries, although the education and food & beverage sectors ranked ahead of the pack for the highest open rates at 34.3% and 33.6% respectively.

Since the pandemic, Friday has become the best day for email sends globally.

“Last year was a turbulent year for marketers around the world, and Australia was no exception,” Campaign Monitor director of marketing, Lane Harbin said.

“However, Australian brands were still able to pull ahead of their global counterparts, outperforming in most metrics like open rate, click-through rate and click-to-open rates.

“With major moves to ecommerce, online learning, and remote work, we expect many of the email trends we saw in 2020 to shape the future of the channel. Australian marketers should continue to test and analyse behaviour to remain agile as 2021 unfolds.”

Tips to increase email engagement

How to improve your email open rate:

  • Test subject lines, offers, and content to discover what your audience prefers.
  • Write short but enticing subject lines.
  • Test ‘From’ name and avoid no-reply email addresses.
  • Test the day and time you send your email campaigns.
  • Optimise your preheader text for maximum efficiency.
  • Personalise and segment to send content to the most relevant subscribers.

How to improve your email click-through rate:

  • Segment your list into groups with a specific set of interests or behaviour.
  • Maintain your brand voice across platforms and messages.
  • A/B test different CTAs and offers to see what provides the best results.
  • Improve your calls-to-action through clear copy and better design.
  • Ensure your subject line accurately reflects the content of your emails.

How to improve your email click-to-open rate:

  • Automate your emails to do more for your audience.
  • Collect the right data to segment your list and personalise your content.
  • Tweak your design and copy to boost conversions.
  • Optimise your emails for mobile viewing.
  • A/B test your offers, CTAs, and design individually.
  • Include one, easy-to-click CTA.

How to improve your email unsubscribe rate:

  • Prioritise quality subscribers over quantity when growing your list.
  • Automate to increase long-term brand engagement by sending more of what works.
  • Segment your audience to send the most relevant emails and offers to the right people.
  • Send re-engagement campaigns to maintain list hygiene and reconnect with current customers.