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Email Marketing Glossary.

Clear, no-fluff definitions of every email marketing term that matters—from open rates to double opt-in. 

 

Open Rate

Open rate is the percentage of delivered emails that recipients open. It's a core email marketing metric used to gauge how well your subject lines and sender reputation earn attention in the inbox.

Also known as: email open rate, unique open rate

Your open rate tells you how many people actually opened an email out of everyone who received it. It's one of the first signals marketers check to judge whether a campaign landed — though privacy changes like Apple Mail Privacy Protection mean it's best read as a trend, not gospel.

How is open rate calculated?

Open rate = (unique opens ÷ emails delivered) × 100. "Delivered" excludes bounces, so you're measuring against inboxes you actually reached, not your full send list.

What's a good open rate?

The average sits around 20%, but ecommerce sends often land between 22% and 32% depending on industry and how well you segment. Automated emails like welcome and abandoned cart flows routinely beat broadcast averages because they reach people at the right moment.

How do you improve open rates?

Write specific, honest subject lines, keep your list clean, authenticate your domain, and segment so the right message reaches the right person. Personalized emails open at meaningfully higher rates than generic blasts.

Not sure where you stand? Drip's free Email Open Rate Calculator scores your rate against your industry benchmark in seconds.

Related terms

Click-Through Rate (CTR) Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR) Conversion Rate Bounce Rate Unsubscribe Rate

Related reading from Drip

How to Improve Your Email Open Rate: 10 Research-Backed Tactics 9 Email Subject Line Best Practices For High Open Rates

Frequently asked questions

How is email open rate calculated?
Divide the number of unique opens by the number of delivered emails, then multiply by 100. For example, 250 opens from 1,000 delivered emails is a 25% open rate. Bounced emails are excluded, so you measure against inboxes you actually reached.
What is a good email open rate?
A good open rate is roughly 20% or higher, though ecommerce campaigns often reach 22–32%. Benchmarks vary widely by industry, audience quality, and email type — triggered automations typically outperform one-off broadcasts.
Why did my open rate drop?
Common causes include deliverability problems (emails landing in spam), an aging or unengaged list, weak subject lines, or sending too often. Apple's Mail Privacy Protection can also distort opens, so watch the trend rather than a single send.
Are email open rates still accurate in 2026?
They're less precise than they used to be. Privacy features like Apple Mail Privacy Protection auto-load images and register opens that may not reflect real engagement. Use open rate as a directional trend and pair it with clicks and conversions for a fuller picture.
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