What the data says
- One source reports: the commercial market around email-marketing (i.e., revenue from email-marketing services, software, campaigns) is projected at US $13.69 billion in 2025. (Sci-Tech Today)
- The same source projects growth further: reaching US $17.9 billion by 2027. (eTargetMedia)
- Other reports show varying numbers: one projection shows email-marketing market size at around US $10.84 billion in 2025 (from a base of ~US $9.34 billion in 2024) with a fairly high CAGR. (The Business Research Company)
- Yet another shows an estimate of ~US $14.8 billion in 2025 (with a long-term vision toward US $36.3 billion by 2033) for the email-marketing industry. (Lite14)
So while US $13.7 billion is one widely quoted figure, it’s worth noting that there is variance across analysts.
Why email-marketing revenue is growing strongly
Several factors are driving this expansion:
- Large and growing user base: More than 4.5 billion email users globally by 2025 is projected. (Sci-Tech Today)
- High ROI: With studies showing email marketing often delivers tens of dollars in revenue for each dollar spent, brands invest more. (Sci-Tech Today)
- Digital transformation: Businesses shifting budgets from traditional media to digital channels, and email remains a foundational channel.
- Improved technology & automation: Email-marketing platforms becoming more sophisticated (segmentation, personalization, automation) which enhances effectiveness and drives spend.
- Mobile optimisation: With many opens on mobile devices, brands are better able to reach users directly, boosting the value of email campaigns. (MailCon)
Broader context & caveats
- The email-marketing market size is just one part of the larger “digital marketing” ecosystem. While email is important, other channels (search, social, video) also compete for budget.
- As noted, forecasts differ: while $13.7 billion is quoted, others predict higher or lower numbers. You’ll see variation depending on methodology (software vs services vs campaign spend) and region.
- Growth projections like “to US $17.9 billion by 2027” indicate strong momentum but also that much of the growth will happen after 2025.
- The revenue figure doesn’t necessarily imply profitability or ease of success for all email marketers; delivering high ROI still requires good strategy, list health, creative, timing.
Implications for marketers
Given this growth forecast and email’s dominance, here are key take-aways for marketing teams:
- Prioritise email in your channel mix: If email spending is still modest, the data suggests opportunity cost.
- Invest in list health & engagement: With more investment flowing into email, competition and noise increase. Maximising deliverability, relevance and open/click rates becomes critical.
- Enhance capabilities: Use automation, personalization, mobile-first design, dynamic content — as these improve effectiveness and justify higher spend.
- Measure revenue & ROI: With the market size growing, brands that can show tangible returns from email will secure more budget.
- Segment and optimise: Email isn’t one size fits all — tailoring to customer lifecycle, behaviour, preferences will differentiate your program in a crowded inbox.
- Monitor shifts and opportunities: With strong growth forecast, there may be innovative adjacencies (e.g., email + SMS, email + app notifications) that capture future spend.
- Here are case studies and expert comments that support and explain the forecast that the global email-marketing revenue will reach around US $13.7 billion by 2025, reaffirming email’s dominance in digital marketing.
Key Forecasts
- One widely cited figure: “Global email marketing market … projected to reach US $13.69 billion by end of 2025.” (eTargetMedia)
- Other reports show slightly different numbers, e.g., one predicts about US $10.84 billion in 2025 with growth toward US $19.4 billion by 2029. (The Business Research Company)
- These projections illustrate strong growth and validate that email remains a major channel for spending, not fading away.
Case Studies Showing Email Marketing Impact
Case Study 1: E-commerce ROI and Revenue
From a 2025 summary of e-commerce email marketing:
- “Retail and e-commerce ROI at 45:1” for email—meaning for each dollar spent, the return can be ~US $45 in some cases. (Amra and Elma LLC)
- “Automated email campaigns produce 320% more revenue than non-automated ones.” (Amra and Elma LLC)
Implication: High ROI supports the larger market size forecast — if each dollar invested returns many dollars, the overall spend on email as a channel will justify multibillion-dollar market size.
Case Study 2: Adoption & User Base Growth
- Email user base globally projected at ~4.6 billion by 2025. (Global Tech Stack)
- With billions of users and many of them reachable by email, brands continue to invest in email marketing — underpinning large market size.
Implication: Large audience + effective channel = increasing budget allocation, reinforcing the revenue forecast.
Case Study 3: Impact of Personalisation & Automation
- A 2025 report indicated that personalised emails achieve substantially higher transaction rates than generic emails. (Mordor Intelligence)
- Automation and advanced segmentation drive stronger performance, making email more attractive to marketers.
Implication: As sophistication rises, value per campaign increases, supporting the growth of the email-marketing market.
Expert Commentary & Insights
- From a statistics article:
“Email marketing has an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent.” (Email vendor selection)
This level of ROI helps explain why overall market size is so large and growing. - From a market-analysis report:
“The drivers … are increased demand for targeted and personalized communication … growth in number of internet users … rising adoption of new digital marketing solutions.” (The Business Research Company)
This shows the structural reasons for the market’s growth. - On the forecast itself:
“Email Marketing Revenue Worldwide from 2020 to 2027 … projected $13.69 B by 2025.” (eTargetMedia)
This reinforces that the ~$13.7B number is not random but comes from industry research and trend modelling.
Why It Matters
- The forecasted $13.7 billion (or similar) figure signals that email marketing remains central in digital strategies, not declining.
- It sends a signal to marketers and CMOs: email is not expendable—brands should allocate meaningful budget here.
- For smaller businesses and enterprises alike, the ROI and scale mean there is still opportunity if executed well.
- Conversely, agencies and vendors specialising in email platforms, automation, deliverability see strong market potential.
Caveats & Considerations
- Forecasts vary: Some reports estimate lower figures, showing methodological differences.
- Market size covers many components: software platforms, services, campaign spend—not just advertising spend.
- High ROI numbers require effective implementation (personalization, segmentation, automation). Poor execution may yield much lower returns.
- Market growth doesn’t guarantee ease of success—competition is increasing, inboxes are crowded, deliverability issues matter.