The most recent Return Path Email Intelligence Report finds that email read rates were below 17% worldwide during Q4 2012, down slightly from 2011. While some industries performed well (such as finance at a 27.5% read rate), others were below the average. Notably, only 15% of shopping emails were read during the quarter, down from 17% the year before. Return Path attributes the decline to subscriber fatigue due to an increase in volume.