Email Marketing ROI Calculator
Calculate the return on investment from your email marketing campaigns.
Results
Visualization
How It Works
Email marketing consistently delivers the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel — an average of $36 to $42 for every $1 spent according to industry research. This calculator estimates revenue from a single email send based on your list size, engagement rates, and average order value, and compares it against platform costs.
The Formula
Variables
- Open Rate — Percentage of recipients who open the email
- Click Rate — Percentage of total recipients who click a link
- CVR — Percentage of email clickers who purchase
- AOV — Average order value per purchase
- ROI — Return on investment relative to platform cost
Worked Example
You have a list of 5,000 subscribers. Your open rate is 25%, click rate is 3%, and 5% of clickers buy at an AOV of $75. Clickers = 5,000 × 3% = 150. Buyers = 150 × 5% = 7.5. Revenue per send = 7.5 × $75 = $562.50. With a $100/month platform cost, ROI = ($562.50 - $100) / $100 = 462%. Revenue per subscriber = $0.11 per send.
Practical Tips
- Industry benchmark for e-commerce email: 20-25% open rate, 2-4% click rate. If you are below these, improve subject lines and segmentation first.
- Segmented emails generate 58% of all email revenue — send different content to new subscribers, active buyers, and lapsed customers.
- Abandoned cart flows typically convert at 5-15% and are the single highest-ROI automated sequence for e-commerce.
- A list of 1,000 engaged subscribers is worth more than a list of 10,000 unengaged contacts — regularly clean inactive subscribers.
- Revenue per subscriber (RPS) is the most actionable benchmark — most e-commerce email lists average $0.08 to $0.15 per subscriber per send.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average ROI for email marketing?
Email marketing ROI averages $36 to $42 per $1 spent across industries, according to Litmus and the Data & Marketing Association. E-commerce specifically tends to perform at the higher end of this range because purchase intent is high among subscribers who opted in.
What email platform should I use for my store?
Klaviyo is the most popular choice for Shopify stores due to deep integration and pre-built e-commerce flows. Omnisend and Mailchimp are strong alternatives. At under 500 subscribers, many platforms are free. Klaviyo pricing scales with list size.
How do I calculate click rate vs click-to-open rate?
Click rate (CTR) is clicks divided by total emails sent. Click-to-open rate (CTOR) is clicks divided by emails opened. CTOR measures how compelling your email content is once opened, while CTR reflects overall campaign performance including deliverability and subject lines.
How often should I email my list?
Most e-commerce brands send 2-4 emails per month to their full list, with automated flows (welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase) sending based on customer behavior. Sending too infrequently hurts deliverability; sending too frequently increases unsubscribes. Test your own audience.
What is a good revenue per subscriber figure?
For e-commerce, $0.08 to $0.15 per subscriber per send is considered average. High-performing brands with strong segmentation and automation achieve $0.25 to $0.50+. Multiply your revenue per subscriber by your monthly send volume to estimate total monthly email revenue.