Positive email engagement metrics improved significantly in 2016, according to a new report by data solutions provider Return Path.
The Hidden Metrics of Email Deliverability report provides sector-specific results for email marketing metrics such as read rate, reply rate, forward rate and complaint rate.
Findings from the report, which were drawn from more than five billion commercial emails received in 2016, showed that overall spam placement increased slightly year-on-year (13% in 2016 versus 12% in 2015), and positive engagement metrics such as read rate, reply rate and forward rate saw significant improvement.
Moreover, overall read rate increased by 8% year-on-year, and every industry saw an increase in read rate compared with 2015. Industries with the highest read rate were distribution and manufacturing (58%) and utilities (57%).
George Bilbrey, president of Return Path, said: “More than ever before, subscriber engagement is critical to getting your email delivered to the inbox. Major mailbox providers like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo are constantly looking for ways to improve their customer experience, and are increasingly reliant on engagement signals to filter out unwanted messages. Yet many marketers don’t track these metrics, and may not even be aware that they’re available.
“Optimising consumer engagement can certainly improve deliverability, but these metrics also provide valuable data about the effectiveness of your email campaigns.”
