• by Ray Schultz , March 17, 2021

Small businesses have enjoyed high open and click-through rates as their email volume has spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis by Constant Contact. 

As of March 2021, the average open rate for all industries was 18.97%, the click-through rate 10.28% and the bounce rate 10.59%.But there are variances among categories. 

Perhaps reflecting the sense of uncertainty, religious organizations pulled an average open rate of 29.42%, and a click-through rate of 11.87%.

Primary/secondary education services achieved a 28.44% open 10.05% click-through and 8.50% bounce rate. Higher education drove a 19.95% open, 7.04% click-through and 8.92% bounce. 

Government agencies or services pulled a 28.22%, a 12.16% click-through and a 8.75% bounce rate. 

Brick-and-mortar retailers saw an average 11.04% open, 9.07% click-through and a 7.04% bounce rate. 

“Consumers raised their expectations of brands in the year since the pandemic hit, and we’re seeing the effects of that continue to play out across channels—most recently from other online platforms attempting to recreate what email marketing provides,” says Patrick Gillooly, marketing director at Constant Contact: 

Gillooly adds that small brands got better at personalized email during the year.  “The best way to make real connections with consumers and win their loyalty is to give them easy access to what’s most important to them, and it seems like 2020 was the year brands really figured out how to do this well,” he says.