Email & SMS (owned) benchmarks

Owned channels — not 'paid media' in the strict sense, but central to lifecycle ROAS. Highest-ROAS channel for most DTC brands.

Share of digital ad spend: Owned channel — not counted in paid spend

Channel snapshot

Email avg open 22–32%, CTR 1.8–3.8%, revenue/recipient $0.08–0.45. SMS open 95%+, CTR 8–18%, revenue/recipient $0.45–2.40.

How to operate this channel

Operator playbook

Email is the highest-ROAS channel for most DTC — protect deliverability obsessively.
Segment by RFM (recency, frequency, monetary) — generic blasts kill engagement.
SMS is high-intent only — never use for prospecting.
Build flows before campaigns — welcome, abandonment, post-purchase, win-back.
Track contribution net of cannibalization — incremental revenue, not last-click revenue.

Platforms in this channel

Want to model your spend in this channel? Use the CPM calculator, ROAS calculator, and budget allocator to plan allocation.

How to read these benchmarks

Read Email & SMS (owned) against your own account, not as a target to copy. a result inside the range usually means the constraint is elsewhere - offer, landing experience, or measurement - while a result well outside it points straight at targeting, creative, or bid strategy. Compare like with like - same funnel stage, same objective, same season - because a top-of-funnel number judged against a bottom-of-funnel benchmark will always mislead.

How to use this page. Find the funnel stage you are buying, read the range, and calculate the gap to your live numbers. Model the revenue impact of closing that gap with the break-even ROAS and CAC payback calculators, then pressure-test the plan against the full 2026 benchmarks compendium.

Sourcing. Ranges are RGM's 2026 synthesis of platform-reported figures and aggregated account data, expressed as medians and typical spreads rather than single points. They move with season, auction pressure, and creative quality, so re-check them each quarter.