E-mail File Sizes, Volume Up; Opens, Clicks Steady: Silverpop

Online marketers’ e-mail lists are significantly larger and their mail volume is higher this Christmas-shopping season over last while open and click rates have held relatively steady, according to a just released study by e-mail service provider Silverpop.

In a study of 70 business-to-consumer marketers, Silverpop reported that the companies’ list sizes grew by an average of more than 124% and that they sent 25% more messages this November compared to Noevmber 2008.

Also, during the week beginning the Sunday before Thanksgiving and ending the Monday after, these marketers sent 22% more e-mails than they did during the same week last year.

The increase in volume, however, apparently didn’t significantly affect open rates either positively or negatively.

According to Silverpop, average unique open rates—an “open” is recorded when the receiving machine calls for graphics from the sender—were 15% in November 2008 and 14% this November.

Average click rates, however, dipped slightly from 29% in November 2008 to 25% this year, according to Silverpop.