Happy Wednesday! Chase and Jimmy here. 👋

Quick question: Are your emails crushing it or just hanging out in the inbox abyss?

It’s time to cut through the noise. If you want to know whether your email marketing strategy is actually delivering, you don’t need a data science degree. 📊 

Today we’re talking 7 no-nonsense metrics that tell you everything you need to know. From subject lines that actually get clicks to making sure your emails look fabulous on mobile (because thumbs don’t lie), we’ve got the tips to level up your strategy.

Skip the guesswork and find out where you’re winning—and where there’s room to slay even harder.

Before we break it down, we’ve got a few extra goodies for you per usual.

Your 2025 Playbook Starts Here (and It’s Free!) 🔥

In just 90 minutes, The One eCommerce Webinar to Rule Them All will share top takeaways from 2024 and give you the tools to make 2025 your best year yet. It’s like upgrading to VIP status—because who doesn’t love skipping the line?

AND this isn’t just any guide—it’s packed with:

• Deliverability hacks to land in more inboxes.

• Actionable strategies that drive revenue.

• Fresh insights and industry updates to keep you ahead of the game.

Can’t make it live? No worries—be sure to register anyway, and you’ll get access to stream it on demand later.

Join us next Tuesday for Omnisend’s free webinar where we’ll break down the playbook and show you exactly how to level up your email strategy in 2025.

🎙️ New Episode Alert! eCommerce ESPs Ranked: A Comprehensive Guide to Choose the Right Tool - EP14

This week in our newest episode, we’re unpacking the pros and cons of eCommerce ESPs, spotlighting must-know features like integrations, deliverability, and automation to supercharge your retention marketing strategy. We’re also diving into how to choose the right ESP for your business size and needs, with tactical tips to help you make the smartest decision.

Here’s what’s on the agenda:

• 10+ key factors to weigh when picking an ESP

• Should pricing be the deciding factor?

• A breakdown of entry-level, mid-market, and enterprise tools

• Why aligning your ESP with your business size is a must

And a major thank you to our friends at Omnisend for sponsoring the show! Now, without further adieu, let’s send it! Watch the episode on YouTube or listen in on Spotify or Apple.

7 Email Metrics Every eCommerce Retention Marketer Needs to Master

Want to know if your email marketing strategy is actually working?

Skip the overwhelming analytics. These 7 powerhouse metrics will show you exactly how your email campaigns are performing and reveal where you can level up your results.

Ready to dive in? Let’s go

1. Open Rate

Your open rate gives you a glimpse of how many subscribers are popping open your emails to see what’s inside. Ready to calculate it? Here’s the formula:

Open Rate = (Total Opens / Total Emails Delivered) x 100

A healthy open rate means your subject lines are doing their job of grabbing attention. If your open rates are falling flat, you might be dealing with:

• Boring or generic subject lines

• Poor sender name recognition

• Bad timing (hello, 3 AM emails!)

• Declining list engagement

For example, if 4,000 people open your email out of 10,000 delivered, that's a 40% open rate. This is pretty solid for eCommerce where the average hovers around 34-36%.

Still, if your opens are trending down, it's time to spice up those subject lines.

Heads-Up on Open Rates: Open rates just aren’t the MVP of email metrics anymore. Thanks to Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) update in September 2021, their Mail app automatically preloads email content—tracking pixels included—even if the recipient doesn’t actually open the email.

Translation? Inflated open rates that don’t tell the full story. Since Apple Mail accounts for a hefty chunk of email opens (about 52% as of 2021), this update seriously skews the data.

2. Click-Through Rate

Your click-through rate (CTR) shows the percentage of subscribers who can’t resist clicking those enticing links or buttons in your email. Here’s how to crunch the numbers:

Click-Through Rate (CTR) = (Total Clicks / Total Emails Delivered) x 100

A high CTR means your email is driving action, whether that’s visiting a product page or heading back to an abandoned cart.

On the other hand, a low CTR could indicate:

• An unappealing product selection

• Confusing email design or copy

• Vague or unclear calls-to-action

For example, let's say you send 10,000 emails and 100 people click on the links inside. This means your CTR is 1%. That’s a pretty low rate compared to the industry average of 2.5%. You might want to tweak your email content, design or CTA placement.

3. Conversion Rate

Your conversion rate reveals the percentage of email recipients who go beyond just clicking a link—they actually take action, like making a purchase. Here’s how to calculate the conversion rate:

Conversion Rate = (Number of Conversions / Total Emails Delivered) x 100

A strong conversion rate means your entire email funnel is working – from open to click to purchase. Low conversion rates might point to:

• A complicated checkout process

• Trust issues or missing social proof

• Pricing that doesn’t match audience expectations

Let's say 250 people buy from your email campaign of 5,000 recipients. That's a 5% conversion rate. While this might seem tiny, the average eCommerce email conversion rate is around 2-3%, so you're actually beating the benchmark.

4. Deliverability Rate

Your deliverability rate tells you how many of your emails actually make it to inbox paradise instead of spam folder purgatory. Here's how to measure it:

Deliverability Rate = (Emails Delivered / Total Emails Sent) x 100

High deliverability means email providers trust you as a sender. Poor deliverability often stems from:

• Spammy words in subject lines or content

• High bounce rates from old email lists

• Too many spam complaints

• Poor sender reputation or domain issues

For instance, if you send 10,000 emails but only 7,500 get delivered, your deliverability rate is 75%. While this might sound decent, top performers hit 90%+.

If you're below 80%, it's time to clean your list and polish those email practices – because even the world's best campaign is worthless if it lands in the spam folder.

5. Unsubscribe Rate

Your unsubscribe rate reveals how many subscribers are jumping ship from your email list. Here's the formula:

Unsubscribe Rate = (Total Unsubscribes / Total Emails Delivered) x 100

A low unsubscribe rate means you're keeping your audience happy and engaged with your content and sending frequency.

A high unsubscribe rate might point to issues like:

• Sending too many emails (spam much?)

• Irrelevant content or product suggestions

• Poor timing of campaigns (e.g. pinging at midnight)

• Misleading subject lines (where’s my freebie??)

For instance, if 50 people unsubscribe from your list of 5,000 subscribers, that's a 1% unsubscribe rate – double the healthy threshold of 0.5%. Time to rethink your email strategy.

6. Revenue Per Open

Revenue per open (RPO) tells you exactly how much money each opened email brings in. Calculate it like this:

Revenue Per Open = (Total Email Revenue / Total Opens)

A healthy RPO shows your opened emails are turning into actual sales, not just window shopping. A disappointing RPO might suggest:

• Your offers aren't compelling enough

• Your products aren't positioned well

• There's a disconnect between email promises and landing pages

• Your pricing isn't hitting the mark

For example, if your email campaign generates $1,000 from 500 opens, your RPO is $2. If your previous campaigns averaged $5 RPO, you need to look at what's changed.

7. Mobile Engagement

Mobile engagement tracks how your subscribers interact with your emails on their phones and tablets. Here's how you measure this important metric:

Mobile Engagement = (Mobile Opens / Total Opens) x 100

High mobile engagement means your emails look and work great on small screens. This might sound trivial, but consider this: over 60% of eCommerce emails are opened on mobile devices.

If your emails don’t look good on phones, you’re missing out on a lot of potential sales. Specifically, low mobile engagement could mean:

• Your emails aren't mobile-responsive

• CTAs are too small for thumbs

• Images take too long to load

• Text is hard to read on small screens

So, if 700 out of your 1,000 total opens happen on mobile devices, that's 70% mobile engagement. If your mobile conversion rate is significantly lower than desktop, your mobile experience needs work.

Tracking these seven email metrics is like having a cheat code for email marketing success.

By diving into each one and fine-tuning your strategy, you can spark more engagement, drive more clicks and sales, and watch your eCommerce store thrive!

🗞️ Quick Clips

• Female wellness brand Lola is making big moves: Their product line is now available in Walmart stores nationwide, with exclusive new products set to hit Target shelves this March. And that’s not all—keep an eye out for an exciting partnership with a major New York sports organization coming soon.
  

• Hydroflask maker gets ready for tariff impact: To navigate tariff challenges, the company is building inventory ahead of potential cost impacts. This strategic move highlights how brands are adapting their supply chains to stay ahead in a turbulent global trade environment.
  

• AG1 and True Food Kitchen are shaking things up: Starting in January and running through March, you can enjoy two exclusive AG1-infused beverages at all 45 True Food Kitchen locations across the U.S. This collab is part of AG1’s ongoing exploration of innovative partnerships and creative channels.
  

• Proper Good just secured $3.5 million in funding to fuel its growth: Known for its ready-to-eat soups and meals, the brand is set to expand its product lineup and accelerate distribution. With a focus on convenience and clean ingredients, Proper Good is redefining the on-the-go meal game.
  

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Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

Thanks for hanging with Chase and me—always a pleasure to have you here.

If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond