Email-Marketing Benchmark Report 2026
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How well do your newsletters perform compared to others in your field? You can find the answer in the new eworx Email Marketing Benchmark Report.
Newsletter key figures are easy to measure. But what do these figures actually mean? How can they be correctly interpreted? And where is it worth making targeted optimisations? The new eworx Email Marketing Benchmark Report 2026 shows how your newsletters actually perform in comparison to others in your field and which optimisation levers have proven effective in practice.
Based on over 160 million newsletter mailings evaluated from January to December 2025, the report provides well-founded key figures, differentiated by 15 industries and B2B and B2C segments. This gives you a reliable basis for realistically evaluating and classifying the performance of your own newsletters.
The eworx Benchmark Report at a glance:
- >160 million emails analysed
- Detailed newsletter key figures from 15 fields
- Separate evaluations for B2B & B2C
- Expert tips for analysing and optimising your performance
Email-Marketing Benchmark 2026
Key findings at a glance
The report shows that many companies and organisations use email marketing specifically as a central communication channel with customers and stakeholders. The decisive factor here is how well content is received and used.
What is becoming clear:
- Newsletters achieve stable to increasing engagement rates across all fields.
- Mobile usage continues to increase, yet most emails are still opened via desktop clients.
- High data quality, especially for subscriber data, has a measurable positive effect on deliverability and performance.
Field comparison:
Orientation instead of competition
The analysis of 15 fields shows clear differences in user behaviour. Some fields consistently achieve high engagement scores, while others have clearly identifiable potential for optimisation.
👉 Important: The benchmark is not a ranking, but rather a guide. It shows what is realistic in the respective environment – and where you can start with targeted improvements.
Opening Rates in Field Comparison:
Relevance determines Attention
Information-driven fields such as Automotive Industry & Traffic, Finance, Health & Medicine, and Science, Research, Education & Public Institutions achieve particularly high Opening Rates. Newsletters are used specifically as a relevant information channel in these sectors.
Sectors such as Media & Telecommunications and Tourism lag significantly behind. This suggests that newsletters in these sectors compete more strongly with other channels and content.
Conclusion: High Opening Rates are less a question of sector than of perceived relevance. Clear subject lines, consistent sender logic, personalisation and the right sending time are key levers.
Reading Rate in Field Comparison:
Opening does not mean reading
High Opening Rates do not automatically lead to high reading intensity. The Reading Rates shows whether content retains attention after it has been opened.
Particularly high Reading Rates are achieved in the Automotive Industry & Traffic, Health, Finance and Science & Research fields. This is less often the case in sectors such as Media, Tourism and Trade.
Conclusion: Opens generate attention – Reading Rates show the impact of content. Clear structures and immediately recognisable added value are crucial.
Mobil vs. Desktop:
Desktop dominates – mobile continues to gain importance
The majority of newsletters are still opened on desktop devices. However, the proportion opened on mobile devices continues to grow and now accounts for around a quarter of all openings.
Newsletters are often opened on mobile devices, but are used more intensively on desktops, especially for longer content or further actions.
Conclusion: Successful email marketing takes both usage scenarios into account, is optimised for mobile use and includes offers for interaction.
WhatsApp Newsletter
High visibility, genuine interaction
WhatsApp newsletters achieve exceptionally high interaction rates. With a Delivery Rate of 96,6%, an Opening Rate of 84,45% and a Reaction Rate of 21,58%, WhatsApp shows that content is not only noticed but actively used.
Conclusion: WhatsApp is an ideal complementary performance channel. In combination with email marketing, it creates a powerful synergy of reach, attention and interaction.
Conclusion:
Understanding Results, exploiting Potential
The eworx Email Marketing Benchmark Report 2026 shows:
- Newsletter marketing is evolving in terms of quality and strategy
- Relevance, clarity and data quality are key success factors
- Benchmarks help you to realistically assess your own performance and optimise it in a targeted manner