Chapter 2

Email program vitals

Experienced email marketers know their individual performance is shaped in part by larger global trends.

Global email volumes have increased steadily over the past few years, bolstered in part by the surge of online activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In keeping with this pattern, the majority of our respondents said their sending volumes were either flat or increasing in 2024.

How have your email sending volumes been trending through 2024 YTD?

There are several probably explanations for volumes flattening…

1. Focus on quality over quantity

Many brands are now prioritizing sending relevant, high-quality emails to engaged recipients rather than blasting large volumes of less-targeted emails. This shift towards personalization and segmentation is fueling a more cautious approach to sending.

2. Consumer preferences and privacy regulations

Increasing consumer sensitivity to privacy and unsolicited communications is pushing brands to be more selective about their email campaigns—and pushing consumers to be more active about opting out of communications they no longer wish to receive.

3. Gmail deleting old accounts

Beginning in late 2023, Gmail began deleting inactive accounts, leading to a natural reduction in some list sizes.

The headline email story of 2024—Gmail and Yahoo’s new requirements for bulk senders—likely had a multiphase impact on sending volumes (chapter five covers these changes in detail). In the short term, our experts suggest the new policies created more list churn due to more bounces generated by non-compliance, increased ease of unsubscribing, etc. But in the long term, list churn likely reduced because of brands establishing greater trust and transparency with their subscribers.

The headline email story of 2024—Gmail and Yahoo’s new requirements for bulk senders—likely had a multiphase impact on sending volumes.

Inbox placement rates

Inbox placement rate refers to the percentage of sent emails that reach subscribers’ inboxes as opposed to being blocked by mailbox providers (MBPs) or filtered to spam.

Impressively, 31.5 percent of respondents reported flat placement rates, showing many marketers are maintaining steady performance in a highly dynamic email environment.

The 16 percent who reported declining inbox placement rates can thank factors like Gmail and Yahoo’s new requirements making deliverability harder, MBPs using AI for spam filtering, an increase in bots skewing engagement signals, and rising user expectations for content.

The fact that 31.5 percent of respondents admitted they don’t know how their inbox placement rate is trending is troubling. Marketers who don’t track inbox placement tend to focus on surface-level delivery metrics provided by email service providers (which only measure if the email was accepted by the mailbox provider). They may assume their campaigns are performing well, while in reality, a significant portion of emails goes unseen.