About the Analysis
Sample: 31 active email senders in the Sweat Pants Agency portfolio (DTC and subscription brands, trailing 12 months) for email metrics. 17 active SMS senders for SMS metrics. 30 brands with full prospect funnel and repeat-purchase tracking. All metrics reported as P10 / P25 / P50 / P75 / P90 distributions so the reader can place themselves precisely.
Email metrics
The four metrics that show up in every Klaviyo dashboard. The medians are reference points. The percentile distributions tell you where you actually stand.
| Metric | P10 | P25 | P50 (Median) | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 29.7% | 44.7% | 53.7% | 61.8% | 66.0% |
| Click rate | 0.23% | 0.35% | 0.68% | 1.00% | 1.13% |
| Unsubscribe rate | 0.15% | 0.21% | 0.32% | 0.44% | 0.59% |
| Bounce rate | 0.16% | 0.18% | 0.46% | 0.62% | 1.22% |
Source: Sweat Pants Agency portfolio · 31 active email senders · trailing 12 months
A note on open rates: Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) inflates open rates by pre-firing the tracking pixel on the user's behalf. Our 53.7% median is inclusive of MPP inflation, same as every other public DTC benchmark. The practical implication: open rate is no longer a reliable winner-vs-loser signal. Click rate and revenue per recipient are.
SMS metrics
SMS sample is smaller (17 active senders) and the distributions are wider because SMS audiences vary more by category and onboarding flow.
| Metric | P10 | P25 | P50 (Median) | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Click rate | 1.1% | 4.5% | 7.96% | 20.5% | 36.8% |
| Unsubscribe rate | 0.26% | 0.56% | 1.28% | 2.11% | 2.67% |
Source: Sweat Pants Agency portfolio · 17 active SMS senders · trailing 12 months
Prospect-to-customer conversion (30 days)
Median: 23.3%. P25: 11.8%. P75: 34.7%. P90: 49.2%. Across 30 DTC and subscription brands in the portfolio.
This is the percentage of new prospect subscribers who convert to a first purchase within 30 days of signing up. Brands in the top decile (P90) are converting nearly half their popup signups within a month. Brands in the bottom decile are converting under 8%. The gap is the difference between a tight welcome program and a leaky one.
First-to-second purchase curve
The percentage of customers who place a second order, measured at 30 / 60 / 90 / 180 / 365 days from their first purchase. The curve climbs fast through 90 days and then flattens. Most repeat-purchase activity is decided by Day 90.
| Window | P10 | P25 | P50 | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 3.3% | 5.6% | 11.1% | 20.8% | 35.8% |
| 60 days | 4.0% | 8.3% | 18.0% | 34.1% | 61.8% |
| 90 days | 4.4% | 9.2% | 20.9% | 37.3% | 62.3% |
| 180 days | 4.9% | 11.6% | 23.2% | 39.5% | 62.9% |
| 365 days | 5.3% | 11.9% | 23.8% | 39.9% | 63.1% |
Source: Sweat Pants Agency portfolio · 30 brands · trailing 12 months
The flattening between Day 90 and Day 365 is dramatic. The median brand goes from 20.9% to 23.8% over those 275 days — meaning ~12% of total lifetime repeat purchases happen after Day 90. The retention work that pays is loaded into the first 90 days.
Why this matters
Most public benchmarks give you a median and call it a day. The median is the least useful number in the distribution because half of brands are above it and half are below — it doesn't tell you whether you're leading or trailing, just where the middle is.
Percentile distributions let you place yourself precisely. A 50% open rate puts you in the P25-P50 band — below the median, not a leader. A 1.0% click rate puts you at P75 — top quartile. The gap between the median and P75 is where most retention upside lives.
What to do Monday
- Pull your last 90 days of email metrics. Compare against the P50 column above for each metric. Note which metrics you sit below the median on.
- Stop reporting on open rate alone. MPP makes it noisy. Pair every open rate with click rate and revenue per recipient when reporting to stakeholders.
- Measure your 30-day prospect-to-customer conversion. If you're below 23%, your welcome program is leaky. The unsub and welcome anatomy reports show where the leverage is.
- Audit your win-back flow trigger. If it fires at Day 180, you're past the curve. Move it to Day 90-120 where the math still works.
How we use this in our audits at Sweat Pants Agency
Every audit starts with placing the brand against this benchmark table. Where do they sit on open rate, click rate, unsub, bounce, 30-day conversion, and repeat purchase? The percentile placement points us at the levers with the most room. A brand at P25 on click rate has more upside than a brand at P75. We attack the percentile gaps first.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between P50 and median?
Same thing. P50 is the value where 50% of the portfolio falls below and 50% above. We use 'median' and 'P50' interchangeably. P25 means 25% of brands fall below this value (the bottom quartile). P75 means 75% fall below (the top quartile starts here). P10 and P90 are the 10th and 90th percentiles, the extreme tails.
Should I aim to be in the top decile (P90) on every metric?
No. Some metrics, like open rate and click rate, are positive (higher is better). Some metrics, like unsubscribe rate and bounce rate, have a sweet spot, not a maximum. The unsub research we published shows the top-RPR campaigns cluster at 0.4-0.7% unsubscribe rate, not at the lowest possible. Aim for the percentile that correlates with the business outcome you care about, not the absolute extreme.
Does the 30-day prospect conversion benchmark apply to my brand?
The 23.3% median (P50) prospect-to-customer conversion within 30 days is across 30 brands in our DTC and subscription portfolio. Brands with high-AOV products ($200+) tend to see lower conversion rates (longer consideration cycles). Brands with low-AOV impulse categories (snacks, beverages, pet treats) tend to see higher rates. Use it as a reference, then test against your own funnel.
Cite this report
You're welcome to quote any figure from this report. Please credit Sweat Pants Agency and link to this page.
Citation
Sweat Pants Agency, "The Email Marketing Benchmarks Report 2026," May 2026. https://sweatpantsagency.com/reports/email-marketing-benchmarks
HTML link
<a href="https://sweatpantsagency.com/reports/email-marketing-benchmarks">The Email Marketing Benchmarks Report 2026</a> by Sweat Pants AgencyWant to see how your account stacks up?
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