STRATEGY AND ANALYTICS / TARGETING / CREATIVE / TECHNOLOGY / DIGITAL

Q1 2010 EMAIL TRENDS AND

BENCHMARKS –
PRESENTED BY EPSILON AND
THE EMAIL EXPERIENCE COUNCIL

Research: June 2010

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Q1 2010 Email Trends and Benchmarks study shows an increase in open
rates compared to the first quarter of the previous year. In addition, eight of the
thirteen industries measured saw an increase in open rates over Q1 2009.

This report also delves into trends in specific verticals including Financial Services, Retail
and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG). Marketers within these industries are incorporating
email marketing strategies designed to engage consumers on a one-to-one basis. Additional
research from Epsilon has shown that email is consumers’ number one preferred channel to
receive information.

The Q1 2010 Email Trends and Benchmarks study is compiled from 6 billion emails sent by Epsilon
in Q1 (January – March) 2010, across multiple industries and approximately 160 participating
clients. This benchmark report should be used only as a guideline, since specifics for each
company will drive results.

Q1 2010 OVERALL PERFORMANCE

• Open rates increased 1.1% from the same time last year, with 8 of the 13 reported
industries increasing over Q1 2009.
• Click rates (6.0%) increased slightly from the previous quarter Q4 2009 (5.9%) and
were down slightly from the same time last year (6.1%).
• Average volume per client is up 25% from Q1 2009.
• The non-bounce rate (94.7%) increased slightly compared to this time last year.

Email Non-Bounce, Open and Click Rates

100% 93.4% 93.6% 94.4% 94.1% 94.1% 93.5% 93.9% 94.7%
93.2% 
       
90%

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
22.1% 22.2% 21.9% 22.0% 22.4%
19.9% 18.8% 19.8% 20.9%     
20%   


10% 6.4% 5.8% 6.1% 6.2% 6.0%

 5.9%

5.9% 
5.9% 5.9% 
    
0%
Q108 Q208 Q308 Q408 Q109 Q209 Q309 Q409 Q110

 Non-Bounce  Open rate  Click-through

Starting Q407, data represents all DREAM and DREAMmail clients

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INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE
Retail Specialty saw an increase in all major metrics – non-bounce, opens and clicks – compared
to last year.

Financial Services Credit Card/Banks, Financial Services General, and Consumer Services Telecom
had the highest increase in open rates compared to the previous year.

Consumer Products CPG had the highest increase in click rates compared to the previous year.
Consumer Publishing/Media General, Retail Apparel, and Retail Specialty also saw an increase
in the click rate compared to the same quarter in 2009.

Consumer Products CPG, Consumer Publishing/Media General, Retail General and Retail
Specialty showed significant increases in the click to open rate compared to Q1 2009.

Q1 10 North American Industry Non- Open Rate Click Rate Click to

Bounce Open Rate
Business Products and Services General 93.4% 20.3% 4.4% 21.9%
Business Publishing/Media General 96.8% 18.7% 5.7% 30.5%
Consumer Products CPG 91.2% 21.9% 14.0% 63.7%
Consumer Products Pharmaceutical 85.% 24.2% 6.4% 26.5%
Consumer Publishing/Media General 97.4% 16.6% 6.9% 41.9%
Consumer Services General 97.7% 17.0% 4.2% 24.5%
Consumer Services Telecom 94.5% 26.4% 5.2% 19.7%
Financial Serviced CC/Banks 93.1% 34.9% 3.6% 10.3%
Financial Services General 94.8% 31.9% 7.0% 22.0%
Retail Apparel 96.9% 17.2% 4.4% 25.9%
Retail General 94.0% 21.1% 5.9% 27.9%
Retail Specialty 97.6% 19.4% 4.2% 21.7%
Travel/Hospitality Travel Services 95.2% 23.4% 4.9% 20.9%

CAMPAIGN PERFORMANCE
The Q1 2010 Email Trends and Benchmarks also analyzed the types of messages sent and their
performance metrics. Nearly 61% of emails delivered by Epsilon were categorized as Marketing
messages. Services messages had the highest open (41.1%) and click (6.8%) rates.
61% of emails delivered through Epsilon
were tagged as Marketing messages
Acquisition
Service Editorial
0.1%
7.7% 1.5% Legal Message Type Open Rate Click Rate
Research 0.0%
0.1% Service 41.13% 6.8%
Editorial 22.73% 6.3%
Marketing 17.86% 3.7%
Other
29.7% Marketing Other 16.41% 4.3%
60.9% Acquisition/Legal/Research 14.25% 2.0%
* Message types are defined by the person(s) creating the campaigns and may not
reflect the same definitions as your company

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CONCLUSIONS
The email channel remains a valuable means of communication for both marketers and
consumers alike. With consistent performance in the early part of 2010, email will continue
to be a crucial component of multichannel marketing campaigns that drive a more engaged
customer. The best way to take advantage of this tool is to listen to customers – understand
their preferences, behavior, wants and needs. With all of this relevance drawn from customer
intelligence, communications can be tailored and delivered across channels to drive desired
behavior for marketers and provide the most relevant information for consumers.

4 epsilon.com
Epsilon Email Experience Council
Corporate Direct Marketing Association
Headquarters 1120 Avenue of the Americas
4401 Regent Boulevard New York, NY 10036
Irving, TX 75063
1-800-309-0505 Ali Swerdlow
917.213.9721
info@epsilon.com ali@emailexperience.org

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