Only 79% of legitimate marketing messages sent by brands are arriving in consumers' inboxes, with the rest ending up in spam folders or getting lost, according to a recent report from Return Path.
The report was based on an analysis of 357 million marketing messages sent by recognized brands to subscribers. Inbox placement statistics were based on performance across more than 150 mailbox providers in North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
This year's 79% email deliverability rate is down from 83% in 2014, the analysis found.
Below, additional key findings from the report.
Deliverability Rates by Country
Emails sent by marketers in the United States reach subscribers' inboxes 76% of the time, the analysis found. Just one country examined, Brazil, has a lower email deliverability rate (74%).
Email deliverability rates in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom dropped this year from 2014 levels; in Spain, the deliverability rate remained the same, and in Italy it increased by two percentage points.
Deliverability by Industry
Email messages sent by brands in the health/beauty (96% deliverability rate), food/beverage (93%), and apparel (92%) sectors are the most likely to reach consumers' inboxes.
Messages sent by technology (45% deliverability rate) brands are the least likely to reach their targets.
About the research: The report was based on an analysis of 357 million marketing messages sent by recognized brands to subscribers. Inbox placement statistics were based on performance across more than 150 mailbox providers in North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.