Email Marketing Benefits: Why Every Business Needs It in 2025
Email isn’t old-school — it’s foundational. In 2025, smart businesses treat email as owned, measurable, and high-ROI customer infrastructure, not just another channel. This guide explains the real, research-backed benefits of email marketing and shows exactly why every small business — brick-and-mortar, service, SaaS or ecommerce — should be investing in it now.
I’ll cover the tangible business benefits, real metrics you should watch, practical use cases, and quick “pro tips” you can implement today. Where useful, I back claims with up-to-date industry data so you can see the numbers behind the hype.
At a glance: the top benefits of email marketing in 2025
- Exceptional ROI — Email consistently returns multiples of every dollar spent.
- Owned audience — you control deliverability, frequency, and messaging (no algorithm).
- Personalization & segmentation — send the right message to the right people at scale.
- Automation that converts — welcome flows, abandoned cart recovery, and post-purchase sequences run 24/7.
- Reliable attribution — tie email to revenue (RPR) and prove ROI.
- Cost efficiency — low marginal cost per send; scalable for small budgets.
1) ROI: the business case with numbers
Email marketing’s ROI is not folklore — multiple recent industry analyses put the average ROI in the tens of dollars per $1 spent. Some aggregated studies report an average return of around $36 for every $1 invested, with many companies seeing even higher returns depending on industry and list quality. These aren’t hypothetical — they come from aggregated platform and research data.
Why does email outperform many channels? Because it’s permissioned (people opted in), measurable, and drives repeat purchases through targeted messaging. For ecommerce businesses, a small improvement in conversion rate or a well-timed abandoned cart email can recover significant lost revenue. Benchmarks show automated flows—especially abandoned cart and welcome series—often outperform one-off broadcasts.
Practical takeaway: Even with a modest list, optimizing a few automated flows (welcome, cart recovery, post-purchase) typically pays for your tool subscription and then some.
2) Owned audience: you don’t rent your customers
Social platforms change rules; search rankings fluctuate. Your email list is owned media. That means:
- You decide who you email and when.
- You’re not at the mercy of ad auction costs.
- You can build long-term value (LTV) by nurturing customers directly.
Compare that to paid ads, where costs and targeting change. Email gives predictability: a newsletter or sequence that converts today can still convert a year from now with small updates.
3) Personalization + segmentation = more revenue per send
Segmentation and dynamic personalization are standard features in modern platforms (Brevo, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, etc.). When you move from “one size fits all” to targeted segments (new subscriber, repeat buyer, high-value customer), metrics improve: higher open rates, higher click rates, and better conversion.
Research shows segmented campaigns often have significantly better performance than unsegmented sends, and many marketers report clear lift in engagement after implementing segmentation. That’s why revenue per recipient (RPR) reporting is an essential metric for ecommerce brands.
Pro tip: Start with two core segments: “buyers” and “non-buyers.” Build messaging funnels for each — the difference in conversion will usually justify more advanced segmentation later.
4) Automation: earn revenue while you sleep
Automation is where email’s leverage becomes obvious. A properly built welcome series, abandoned cart flow, and post-purchase sequence will repeatedly convert without manual intervention.
Benchmarks indicate abandoned cart flows can recover a measurable percentage of lost carts — and welcome emails tend to have the highest open rates of any campaign, making them low-effort, high-return assets. Set these up early.
Example: A 3-email abandoned cart flow that recovers 3% of cart abandoners can represent a meaningful percentage of monthly ecommerce revenue — often more than one-off promotions.
5) Better measurement & attribution than most channels
Modern ESPs and CRMs let you track revenue per campaign and per recipient. That shifts reporting from “vanity metrics” (opens) to business metrics (RPR, LTV uplift). Platforms like Klaviyo publish benchmark reports that include revenue and conversion metrics — use those to set realistic goals.
Metric to prioritize: Revenue per recipient (RPR). It’s the single best number to understand email’s contribution to the bottom line.
6) Mobile first: reach customers where they live
Most email opens happen on mobile devices. Studies show anywhere from roughly 45–60% of opens occur on mobile, which makes mobile-friendly design and concise subject lines essential. If your emails aren’t mobile optimized, half your audience may never meaningfully engage.
Quick UX rule: design single-column layouts, keep CTAs big and finger-friendly, and place the primary CTA early.
7) Use cases across business types (real examples)
- Ecommerce: abandoned cart recovery, product recommendations, post-purchase cross-sells, VIP programs. Abandoned cart flows alone can recover a measurable share of lost sales when done right.
- Local services & retail: appointment reminders, re-engagement messages, seasonal promotions.
- SaaS & B2B: onboarding sequences, feature announcements, trial-to-paid conversion funnels.
- Creators & publishers: newsletters, paid membership promotions, content-driven funnels.
Each of these uses leverages email’s core strengths: personalization, timing, and measurable outcomes.
8) Cost efficiency: scale without linear cost
Email platforms often charge by contacts or sends — but the marginal cost of an additional open is tiny compared to ads. Because automation reduces labor, email scales efficiently. For small businesses with limited budgets, this makes email one of the most cost-efficient channels for customer acquisition and retention.
9) Benchmarks you can use (2024–2025)
Benchmarks vary by industry, but current aggregated data suggests useful targets:
- Average open rate (across many industries): ~35–45% (varies by list quality & industry).
- Average click rate: ~2–5% depending on content and CTA.
- Abandoned cart recovery: flows can recover a few percent of lost carts; revenue per recipient varies by vertical.
Use these as directional targets — your own benchmarks will stabilize once you collect 3–6 months of data.
10) Common objections & the facts
“Email is dead.” — No. People still check email daily; many buyers prefer offers via email. Research shows high daily usage and purchase influence from email.
“It’s too technical.” — Modern tools (Brevo, Mailchimp, etc.) simplify setup. Basic automations can be created with a few clicks.
“My industry won’t respond.” — Segmentation and relevant offers beat blanket sends. Even niche B2B lists respond to targeted content and productized offers.
Practical roadmap: implement email quickly (90-day plan)
Week 1–2: Choose a platform (Brevo for a budget-friendly all-in-one), create a signup form, and publish a lead magnet.
Week 3–4: Build a 3-email welcome series and one simple broadcast (newsletter or offer).
Month 2: Implement segmentation: buyers vs non-buyers; test subject lines and CTAs.
Month 3: Launch abandoned cart & post-purchase automations; track revenue per recipient; iterate.
Pro tip: Prioritize automations that require low maintenance but high impact: welcome series and abandoned cart flows.
Quick checklist: what you need to start
- Domain authenticated (SPF/DKIM) for deliverability.
- A reputable ESP (choose one that integrates with your tech stack).
- At least one lead magnet or reason to subscribe.
- A 3-email welcome series and basic segmentation.
- Tracking (UTMs, revenue attribution) enabled.
Final thoughts — why email is indispensable in 2025
Email combines ownership, personalization, automation, and measurable ROI in one channel. In an ecosystem crowded with ephemeral social feeds and rising ad costs, email remains the most reliable way to build customer relationships and prove value to the business.
If you do one thing this quarter: set up a welcome series and an abandoned cart flow (if applicable). Those two automations will teach you the most about your audience and quickly demonstrate email’s value.
Sources & further reading
- Average email ROI and returns.
- Benchmarks: open rates, click rates (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Growth-onomics).
- Abandoned cart and automation benchmarks (Klaviyo, Shopify).
- Mobile open rates and behavior studies.
- Brevo (Sendinblue) product and pricing overview.
