Executive Summary

Email hasn’t been sexy in years, and that’s quite all right. It consistently delivers a better return on investment than many other higher-profile disciplines, such as social media and influencer marketing. And with cookies being phased out, the importance of an email address as a unique identifier will only increase the channel’s significance.

How many people use email?

Despite the penetration of email to date, global email growth has still not peaked. In 2021, over 4 in 5 individuals in the US will use email at least once per month, according to our latest projections. We forecast that the total number of email users in the US will reach 277.7 million in 2024, representing 81.2% of the US population. Moreover, there is ample evidence that the pandemic actually grew email’s prominence as a touchpoint between brands and their consumers. It’s not just US email usage that’s on the rise: Radicati Group projected that the number of global email users will rise from 4.04 billion this year to 4.48 billion in 2024.

How are marketers using email today?

Gone are the days when all marketers used email in a similar fashion. In today’s economy, marketers are using email to create deeper connections with customers, increase ecommerce sales, push consumers to new calls to action such as click and collect (buying an item online to pick up in-store), onboard new customers, and reactivate lapsed ones.

What techniques and trends will impact email marketing in 2021 and beyond?

The typical marketer will be moving more toward true personalization and further away from the “batch-and-blast” techniques that were previously commonplace. The email address will rise in importance as a unique identifier that enables targeted advertising in other channels. A greater emphasis on ROI means that more marketers will double down on marketing that works—which starts with email.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report includes our estimates of consumer email usage, email performance benchmarks, and the effect COVID-19 has had on the state of email marketing. We also cover best practices and trends within the discipline.

KEY STAT: In 2021, a record 4 out of 5 individuals in the US will use email at least monthly, making email a highly valuable tool for marketers.