Dotdigital has released its Global Benchmark Report 2026, based on aggregated campaign data across email, SMS, MMS, and WhatsApp. The report analyzes activity between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025, with WhatsApp benchmarks based on sends from 1 January 2025 to 31 July 2025 Dotdigital-GBR-26.
The report suggests email remains a stable channel in 2026, but engagement behavior continues to shift.
Email Opens Rise Despite Increased Send Volumes
Dotdigital reports global email send volumes increased year-over-year, while email open rates also climbed. The global open rate reached 55.4%, up year-over-year Dotdigital-GBR-26.
This indicates that higher email volume has not translated into declining attention at scale.
Click-to-Open Rate Drops
While overall click-through rate improved, Dotdigital’s benchmarks show the global click-to-open rate fell to 3.7%, down year-over-year Dotdigital-GBR-26.
This suggests more subscribers are opening emails, but fewer are clicking through once inside. The trend may reflect changing consumption habits, with email increasingly used as a browsing or discovery channel rather than a direct response channel.
Deliverability Remains Strong
The report also shows global deliverability remains stable, with delivery rates holding above 99% and bounce rates declining Dotdigital-GBR-26.
SMS and WhatsApp Continue to Drive Higher Click Rates
Dotdigital’s cross-channel benchmarks highlight significantly higher click-through rates for SMS and WhatsApp compared to email, reinforcing the role of mobile messaging channels in driving direct action Dotdigital-GBR-26.
The full Global Benchmark Report 2026 includes detailed breakdowns by region and industry across more than 40 sectors.
Download the report: Dotdigital Global Benchmark Report 2026
