The health and beauty sector is fiercely competitive, but with high levels of brand loyalty, there is plenty of opportunity to foster repeat business.
So how do you know if your campaigns are performing well, and where you stand against rival retailers? This is where benchmarks are very handy. Of course, industry benchmarks aren’t the be-all-and-end-all of success, but they can give you an idea of where your campaigns are excelling, and where they might be falling short.
Using The 2024 Benchmark Report from Klaviyo, we’ve pulled all of the key stats for email marketing in the health and beauty sector, so you can see where your own business stacks up. We’ve also provided some actionable tips from our email marketing consultants, so you can improve your click-through rates, conversion rates and more (you might want to bookmark this page so you can come back to it later!).
Open rate
Average open rate: 37.82%
Top 10% open rate: 54.81%
How to improve open rate:
Subject lines: subject lines can make or break your email open rates. Craft personalised and engaging subject lines tailored to your audience’s specific interests and needs. Using the recipient’s name or preferences (e.g., skincare or makeup) can create a sense of connection.
Timing: timing is also critical. Sending emails when the target audience is most likely to check their inbox can significantly increase visibility.
Segmentation: sending one blanket email to your entire mailing list just won’t cut it. Brands should segment their email lists to deliver highly relevant content, whether it be exclusive offers, product launches or helpful beauty tips.
Tip: incorporating A/B testing to refine subject lines, preview text, and sending times can further optimise open rates while maintaining a consistent and appropriate brand voice.
Click rate
Average open rate: 1.05%
Top 10% open rate: 3.63%
How to improve click rate:
Template design: the beauty industry is highly visual, and looks do matter when it comes to email design. Make sure your content is visually appealing, interactive, and delivers a seamless user experience.
Clear CTAs: incorporate clear and compelling calls-to-action to encourage recipients to take the desired next step. Make sure CTA buttons are positioned prominently within the email and that all links are working properly.
Engaging content: use high-quality images, GIFs, or videos showcasing products, tutorials or customer testimonials to make emails more engaging. This type of content works perfectly for promoting health and beauty products, allowing you to showcase the benefits and capabilities of the items you’re selling.
Conversion rate
Average open rate: 0.12%
Top 10% open rate: 0.56%
How to improve email conversion rates:
Personalised recommendations: tailoring product recommendations to the recipient based on buying or browsing history can lead to significantly more sales.
Sense of urgency: integrating countdown timers into your emails and offering limited-time discounts creates a sense of urgency, meaning recipients are more likely to complete a purchase.
Simplified checkout process: your email campaigns and website need to work together to encourage conversions. Ensure your checkout process is as quick and as seamless as possible, with one-click checkout and mobile payment options available.
Unsubscribe rate
Average unsubscribe rate: 0.32%
Top 10% unsubscribe rate: 0.09%
How to lower unsubscribe rates:
Don’t spam: ensure your email frequency aligns with subscriber expectations. Allowing users to choose how often they receive emails can prevent overwhelm and stop them from hitting the unsubscribe button. Be careful not to spam subscribers with daily emails as this will only lead to soaring unsubscribe rates.
Re-engage: monitoring engagement metrics will help you to identify and re-engage inactive subscribers. You can then design re-engagement campaigns with special offers or tailored messaging to maintain interest and incentivise potential customers before they lose interest altogether.
Email automations for health & beauty brands
Average open rate: 50.03%
Top 10% open rate: 66%
Average click rate: 4.62%
Top 10% click rate: 11.52%
Average conversion rate: 1.62%
Top 10% conversion rate: 5.37%
Average unsubscribe rate: 0.67%
Top 10% unsubscribe rate: 0%
In Klaviyo, email automations are referred to as ‘flows’. This type of email (or email sequence) is triggered when a subscriber takes a certain action, for example, visiting a product page, making a purchase, or abandoning their basket. The idea is to recapture their interest and encourage them to complete a purchase. You can also create flows for certain events, such as birthdays. One of the most common types of flow, however, is a welcome flow. This is the automated email you receive when you first sign up to a brand’s mailing list, and will often contain a discount code.
Flows are highly effective for driving engagement and sales as they take a more personal approach, and according to Klaviyo, convert 4x more recipients than regular email campaigns.
Tips for optimising flows:
Design a welcome sequence: Klaviyo recommends sending 3-4 emails over the course of a week as part of your welcome series. Use these emails to thank subscribers, build trust, gather customers’ preferences, and give customers an incentive to make their first purchase.
Don’t neglect design: template design is just as important for flows as it is for any other type of email campaign. Before setting up your automation sequence, get your templates in place and make sure they are on-brand, and guide the user to take the desired action.
Get personal: segment your audience based on demographics, purchase history, and engagement levels. You can then send targeted emails that cater to their specific needs and interests, whether it be a certain product type, brand, or routine. For example, if you sell skincare products, you could set up an automation to remind past buyers to replenish their cleanser or moisturiser, and make recommendations for other related products as part of a skincare regimen.
Are your email marketing results falling behind competitors? We have extensive experience in driving email revenue for health and beauty brands – get in touch to see how we can do the same for you.
