How To Succeed In Email Open Rates: 3 Must-Knows

Why Open Rates Still Matter in Ecommerce

Open rates indicate whether your emails resonate with your audience.

If customers don’t open your emails, conversion never gets a chance.

• Higher open rates correlate with stronger list health
• Consistent opens signal relevance and trust
• Low opens indicate fatigue or poor targeting

Key takeaway: Open rates are an early warning system for email performance.

Write Subject Lines That Respect Attention

Subject lines determine whether your email is opened or ignored.

They should be clear, relevant, and specific.

• Communicate value immediately
• Avoid vague or clickbait phrasing
• Tie subject lines to customer behavior

Customers don’t want long explanations—they want relevance.

Use Segmentation to Increase Relevance

Sending the same email to everyone lowers open rates over time.

Segmentation ensures messages match intent.

• Segment by browsing and purchase behavior
• Adjust messaging by lifecycle stage
• Avoid cross-category mismatches

Automation removes the manual burden of segmentation—see how Audience works.

Turn Transactional Emails into Opportunities

Transactional emails consistently achieve the highest open rates.

Customers open them because they expect value.

• Add relevant content beyond the receipt
• Link to guides, tips, or related products
• Include personalized recommendations where appropriate

Order confirmations are an opportunity—not just a receipt.

Send Emails When Your Audience Is Active

There is no universal best send time.

Optimal timing depends on your audience’s habits.

• Analyze engagement by send time
• Test frequency and spacing
• Prioritize behavior-based triggers over schedules

Observation and iteration outperform rigid calendars.

Build and Protect List Quality

Open rates start with list quality.

A smaller engaged list outperforms a large disengaged one.

• Grow lists organically
• Avoid purchased email lists
• Regularly clean inactive subscribers

Healthy lists compound results over time.

TL;DR

• Open rates signal relevance and trust
• Clear subject lines outperform clever ones
• Segmentation increases opens and engagement
• Transactional emails are prime opportunities
• Timing and list quality matter more than volume