Cold email marketing remains a cornerstone of B2B lead generation, but success varies dramatically across industries. Understanding these benchmarks is essential for sales teams looking to optimise outreach and secure quality leads.
Our 2025 analysis reveals notable shifts in engagement patterns. Some sectors are seeing strong improvements, while others face growing challenges. Here’s how cold email performance looks this year.
Overall Cold Email Performance
The average cold email open rate across all industries is 21.3%, down slightly from 22.8% in 2024. This figure, however, hides large variations. Some industries now achieve open rates above 35%, while others struggle to break 17%.
According to Campaign Monitor, B2B emails consistently outperform B2C, with business audiences more likely to engage with relevant, personalised content. The lesson? Know your industry benchmarks and tailor campaigns to meet them.
Top Performing Industries
Technology and Software – With an average open rate of 34.7%, tech remains the leader. SaaS firms and software providers benefit from digital-first audiences actively seeking innovation.
Professional Services – Accountancy, law, and consultancy achieve 31.2%. Their relationship-driven models mean tailored outreach resonates strongly with decision-makers.
Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals – At 29.8%, healthcare shows consistently high engagement, particularly when emails address compliance, efficiency, or patient care.
Industries Facing Challenges
Retail and E-commerce – Open rates average just 16.4%. Market saturation means inboxes are crowded with lookalike pitches, making differentiation hard.
Financial Services – Banks and insurers average 18.1%, with compliance restrictions and high volumes of unsolicited messaging creating extra barriers.
Manufacturing – Heavy industry shows 19.3%. Longer decision cycles and multi-stakeholder buying processes often limit immediate email engagement.
What Shapes Open Rates
Subject lines remain decisive. 47% of recipients open (or ignore) emails purely based on the subject line (Convince & Convert). Industry-specific terms and pain points make the biggest difference.
Sender reputation also matters. HubSpot data shows recognised company domains see 23% higher open rates than generic email addresses. Domain authority and consistency build trust.
Timing varies. Professional services see best engagement between 10–11am on Tuesdays, while tech audiences favour Wednesday mornings.
How to Lift Your Numbers
Success goes far beyond “using the prospect’s first name.” Effective campaigns reference sector challenges, recent company developments, or mutual connections. Generic templates continue to underperform across every industry.
Mobile optimisation is also critical. With 68% of professionals checking emails on mobile (Litmus), formatting must work seamlessly across devices.
Finally, A/B testing is non-negotiable. Testing subject lines, send times, and formats uncovers what resonates with your audience — and small gains quickly compound.
Beyond Email: Multi-Channel Outreach
Cold email works best as part of an integrated system. The highest-performing teams now combine email with LinkedIn automation, cold calling, and website visitor identification. Salesforce research shows multi-channel campaigns can boost response rates by up to 142%.
Consistent messaging across touchpoints not only raises open rates but also shortens sales cycles by keeping prospects engaged throughout their journey.
2025 Predictions
- Personalisation pressure will grow – Audiences expect researched, relevant outreach; generic blasts will keep losing traction.
- AI targeting will expand – Predictive analytics will help pinpoint the most promising contacts in each sector.
- Compliance will tighten – Stricter data regulations will reduce volume but improve engagement quality.
Final Thoughts
Industry averages provide useful benchmarks, but your real success comes from execution. Campaigns that deliver genuine value, target industry-specific challenges, and follow up consistently will always outperform benchmarks.
The best-performing teams in 2025 blend data-driven insights with creative personalisation, ensuring cold email remains a powerful driver of B2B growth.
