Email read rates have been declining across the board as "images off" becomes the default setting for more and more users, according to email digital agency eROI, whose new study,
"Email Marketing Statistics By Day and Time" also found Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to have the highest read rates, and
Wednesdays and Thursdays leading in click-through rates.
While both read rates and click-through rates spiked during the workday at both 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., coinciding with pre-lunch and
pre-departure times, the highest peaks for read rates were 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.--with rates of 40% and 45%, as compared with workday rates between 24% and 30%. Click-through rates were between 4% and
5% during the workday, peaking at 7% at both 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.
As a result of its research, eRoi suggested to marketers that they slowly deliver their emails over the course of a few hours or
segment their lists into morning, midday, evening and late-night delivery "and see how your campaigns perform."