Into The Inbox: Email Marketing Statistics for 2026
Get helpful email behavioral insights so you can be a better, smarter marketer
This report is part of the ZeroBounce Insights Studio, our editorial series exploring email behavior, digital culture, and the trends shaping how people and brands communicate.
ZeroBounce's Email Statistics Report for 2026 gives you a sneak peek into your prospects' inbox behavior. See how they use email and discover their likes and dislikes – so you can send the most engaging campaigns.
Updated January 2026: This report includes new survey data and the most recent email marketing statistics.
Ninety-three percent of people check their email every day, and 41% of them do it because they're looking for coupons and discounts from brands. Is your business in the right inboxes when people are ready to hit the "Buy" button?
Getting your emails into the inbox is the first step – and helping you with that is our core mission. But once your brand emails make it to the inbox, will they manage to engage your prospects? For many businesses – especially in the B2B space – increasing click rates is still a challenge.
What kind of content should your company send?
How often?
Does it matter how long your emails are?
Everything matters. It's the smallest details that can give you a boost in engagement. But to fine-tune your tactics, you need to learn how your subscribers think and what they like and dislike – so you know how to delight them.
ZeroBounce surveyed people across four continents to help you do just that. For this edition, we expanded the dataset with fresh responses and new insights into what actually drives opens, clicks, and conversions.
Read our Email Marketing Statistics Report below to:
- Get into the minds of prospects like yours and see how they use email
- Make data-driven email marketing decisions based on genuine user feedback
- Elevate and improve your email approach – and enjoy higher click rates and conversions.
93% of people use email every day.
Summary: email statistics for 2026
- 86% of respondents said they have at least three email addresses.
- 93% said they use email every day. Only 6% make an exception when they’re on vacation.
- 42% check their inboxes three to five times a day.
- 35% of our survey participants reported spending less than an hour on email each day. However, 35% spend between two and five hours of their day in the inbox.
- 79% of people check their email because they receive critical work messages.
- 41% of respondents check email looking for discounts from brands.
- 46% of people said the primary reason they open all emails from a brand is that the brand consistently sends relevant messages.
- 67% of respondents prefer short emails, with only 6% saying they enjoy longer emails. However, our email statistics show that, for 28% of people, email length is irrelevant if the content is tailored to them.
- 80% of the participants said they mark an email as spam if the email "looks like spam." Also, 55% stated they report a message as spam if the sender didn't ask permission to email them, while 47% will submit a spam complaint if the email doesn't give them a way to unsubscribe.
- For 43% of people, the primary reason they unsubscribe from an email list is that the sender emails them too often.
- Most of our respondents (76%) check their spam folders, but 25% only check it a few times a year. Also, 14% stated that they never check their spam folder.
- 25% never check their Promotions tab.
- 64% of people check their email primarily on mobile.
- 60% of them say email is their preferred channel for work communication.
Read on to get in-depth insights and tips to write emails that your customers will love.
80% of people will mark an email as spam because it "looks like spam."
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Email marketing statistics: survey results and insights
ZeroBounce recently surveyed 1,091 people across four continents about their email habits to help companies like yours improve email marketing strategies. Take a closer look at our findings to better anticipate what your audience most responds to.
How many email addresses do you have?
Billions of people use email – and most of them have at least three email addresses to streamline their personal and professional communication.
Do you use email every day?
People may not scan their social media feeds daily, but most check their inboxes at least once a day. Also, our email statistics show that only 6% of our respondents stay away from email on vacation.
How many times a day do you check your email?
It's hard not to refresh that inbox: most people we asked check their email up to five times a day. The true email geeks, which make up 19% of our respondents, open their email app more than 20 times a day.
On a typical weekday, how much time do you think you spend on email?
Most people don't spend a whole lot of time in their inboxes, which means you need to get their attention fast. However, 18% said they're in their inboxes for up to five hours a day.
Why do you check your email? What are you looking for?
Most people check their inboxes because they use email at work. But 41% of our survey participants said they log into email to keep in touch with family and friends. Also, 41% of them are looking for discounts. While flooding your subscribers with emails isn't a good idea, remember to send emails regularly.
In the "Other" section, respondents stated that they also use email to check for invoices, bills, orders and shipping tracking numbers, parcel delivery statuses, appointments, banking, church communication, flight confirmations and updates, possible business opportunities, job search activities, but also "deleting junk" and "checking news reports."
Sending marketing emails?
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Do you prefer short or long emails from brands?
It's been a long-standing debate among copywriters and email marketing strategists: does email length really matter? It turns out that it does – most people prefer short emails. But keep in mind that 27% of them say the length is irrelevant if the message is compelling. There are plenty of lengthy newsletters out there with impressive engagement rates.
What makes you open a brand email every time?
Possibly the most useful feedback we got: most people open an email from a company because they've been getting consistently good emails from that company. While having a catchy subject line is important, it's only the second reason why people open your messages, our 2026 email marketing statistics reveal.
In the "Other" section, respondents shared a few more reasons why they open a brand email. Many mentioned coupons and sales, while some said they open the email if the subject line reflects topics that "align with their professional and personal goals." A few stated that curiosity and "the desire to learn something new" is what gets them to click. However, some of our respondents admitted they only open brand emails "to mark them as read" or simply "to delete them."
What is the no. 1 reason you unsubscribe from an email list?
Want to keep unsubscribes at bay? Find a reasonable sending frequency, as most people say they opt out because they get too many marketing messages from the same sender. Another important reason is that the sender added them to their list without consent, so ensure you use double opt-in on your sign-up forms.
In the "Other" section, respondents shared a few more reasons why they unsubscribe from email lists. Some said they "just don't like receiving marketing emails," while others admitted they send "emails without discounts" straight to the trash folder. Including a perk in your marketing emails – like sales offers or free shipping – can go a long way.
What makes you mark an email as spam?
Spam complaints are hugely damaging to your sender reputation and email deliverability. To avoid them, scrutinize every element of your email, as most people will report you only because it "looks like spam." Coming across as a spammer is even worse than not asking for permission to send emails. Also, double-check that all your email templates have an Unsubscribe link.
In the "Other" section, our survey participants shared a few more details on what prompts them to hit the "Mark as spam" button. Some of these include grammatical errors, sloppy design, political messages, repetitive emails, too many emails, irrelevant info, subject lines that are "odd and not to be trusted," unrecognizable sender, content they are not interested in, getting another email after they unsubscribed or their personal data being sold to a third party.
Do you ever check your spam folder?
It could be fear of missing out or sometimes finding legitimate emails relegated to the junk folder, but most of our respondents check their spam folder.
How often do you check your spam folder?
There's a reason email marketers fear having their campaigns land in spam: 25% of people only look in their junk folder a few times a year. To help your emails land in the inbox, verify your email database regularly, segment your list and send content that's most relevant to your audience.
Will your next email land in the inbox or spam?
Use our inbox tester to find out – and adjust your content until you hit the inbox.
Do you check your Promotions tab?
While the Promotions tab is not the spam folder, it's easy to understand why everyone strives to arrive in the inbox. Most people scan their Promotions only sometimes, while 25% never check it.
What do you use most to check your email?
An email marketing statistic that reconfirms the importance of optimizing your messages for mobile. A staggering 64% of people check email on their phones and tablets, so test every campaign and newsletter to ensure it renders correctly on all devices.
What channel do you prefer for work communication?
Messaging apps may be growing in popularity, but at work, most people prefer email. Only 24% of respondents said they prefer messaging apps such as Slack or Skype. At a whopping 60%, the majority prefer email. It's more personal, more secure and allows you to retrieve information easily.
Related: Want more data-driven email marketing tips? Read the ZeroBounce Email List Decay Report
Methodology
ZeroBounce conducted this survey to learn more about consumer email usage behaviors and understand how companies like yours can better serve their audiences. We ran the initial survey from January to May 2023 and updated the report with fresh data in January 2026.
The 1,091 participants are aged 18 to 65, with 25 to 44 being the main age group. Respondents are 48% male and 51% female, with 100% fully employed. They reside in the United States, Canada, Australia, India, Israel, and various European countries. Respondents represent a diverse range of household incomes, from under $10,000 to over $200,000 per year.
Key takeaways from the ZeroBounce Email Marketing Statistics 2026 Report
Peeking into the inbox behavior of our survey respondents around the world was a fascinating exercise in deciphering email likes and pet peeves. Our goal was to give email marketers and business owners like you the data you need to improve your strategies.
Now that we've looked at the data, let's see what it teaches us. Here are the key takeaways from our Email Marketing Statistics Report for 2026.
People love email
All right, that may be a stretch for some – but whether they love it or not, most people use email every day. And although messaging apps have grown in popularity, email is still the preferred work communication channel across generations.
Email is popular outside of work, too
A surprising finding of our study was that many people use email often outside of work, too. Forty-one percent of our survey participants check email to stay in touch with family and friends. Also, 30% log into their email accounts to read their favorite newsletters. If your company isn't sending a newsletter, you're missing out on the opportunity to connect with your audience.
Email is a trove of discounts
Wondering how often you should send special offers to your list? Forty one percent of people open email looking for discounts from the brands they like. If your only sales happen on Black Friday, consider running a few more campaigns throughout the year. However, avoid sending too many emails because…
"Too many emails" turn people away
Following an email-sending schedule is beneficial. Being consistent boosts your brand awareness and increases sales. It also fosters good email deliverability rates. But overdoing it has the opposite effect: receiving too many emails from the same brand is the most prevalent reason people unsubscribe (43%).
Consistently good emails yield high open rates
Make it short. Use emojis. Avoid emojis. Polish up your preview text! All the advice on increasing open rates revolves around the subject line. While the subject line does carry a lot of weight, it's only the second reason people will open your emails. What gets your subscribers to click on your emails every time is consistent content quality. Make every email relevant – and you'll gain your audience's trust.
Yes, people prefer short emails
This finding didn't take us by surprise, as several past studies have shown most people enjoy shorter emails. However, 27% of our respondents said they don't care how long an email is as long as its content is pertinent. So, if what you have to share takes more than 200 words, don't shy away from sending a longer email. Just make every word count.
See that your email doesn't "look like spam"
Most people (80%) will report an email as spam only because "it looks like spam." Aside from the obvious – such as grammatical errors and poor design – other elements can make your email come across as spam. For instance, if you've rebranded your business, ensure the transition isn't startling so that your audience recognizes you right away.
Some people never check their spam folder
Most people will navigate to their spam folder regularly, but 25% of them check their junk only a few times a year. Furthermore, 14% never bother to look in spam, so strive to get your timely campaigns into the inbox. Once you've verified your database, consider using an inbox tester to find out if your email has the highest chance of going to your customers' inboxes.
Will your email go to spam?
Email marketing statistics FAQ
Email is the preferred communication channel at work, with 93% of people checking their email daily. While 35% of people spend less than an hour a day in their inboxes, 35% say they spend between two to five hours a day reading and writing emails.
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