- Most organizations cannot reliably track returns from email campaigns.
- Strong ROI exists only for companies that actively measure performance
- Many teams rely on content generation without deeper optimization strategies.
Email marketing continues to generate strong returns, however, many organizations are still unclear if those returns are actually being achieved.
Sinch Mailgun’s recent 2026 Email Impact Report analyzed data from more than 400 billion emails sent in 2025 and surveyed more than 1,200 email senders, and found that less than half of organizations can reliably track the ROI of their email programs.
This gap between email’s demonstrated potential and its actual execution is what many businesses are missing.
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The surprising numbers behind email ROI
“Email offers exceptional benefits, but many organizations are not prepared to capture its full value,” said Kate Nowrouzi, vice president of deliverability at Sinch.
Among companies that measure email ROI, 60% report returns greater than $10 for every $1 spent. More than one in ten achieve returns of up to 40×1, figures that suggest email remains one of the most effective marketing channels available.
However, despite these impressive numbers, a large portion of companies continue to send promotional emails without knowing if those messages are actually paying off.
Basically, these organizations are flying blind when it comes to their own email performance, but they don’t have to stay blind.
The adoption of AI in email marketing is widespread, but its impact remains uneven across different applications.
Many teams focus only on basic use cases, such as content generation, while higher-impact applications, such as optimization, segmentation, and deliverability, remain underutilized.
Just under half (41%) of teams use AI to generate email content, but only 23% say AI has greatly improved their email programs.
“Using AI to generate content is a good starting point, but it’s not where the biggest impact is made,” Nowrouzi said.
Organizations that apply AI to optimization and segmentation are seeing much stronger results.
This measurement gap becomes even more concerning when combined with low deliverability, as nearly 18% of all marketing emails don’t reach the inbox, meaning organizations can’t track the return on investment (ROI) of messages that never arrive.
Even if a company tracks its email performance perfectly, up to a fifth of the potential return is still at risk simply because the messages are never seen.
Despite 78% of respondents saying email is critical to business success, poor delivery practices persist along with weak ROI measurement.
79% of organizations plan to maintain or increase their email investment despite these gaps in both tracking and execution.
For a channel that delivers exceptional returns when done right, leaving money on the table due to poor tracking and deliverability is an option, not a necessity.
There are tools to address this gap, from proper email hosting infrastructure to sophisticated email service platforms.
It remains uncertain whether companies that go blind on ROI will ever invest in proper monitoring, but the data suggests that those who do measure their returns are seeing clear results.
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