Nearly 18% of marketing emails never reach inboxes

2026-04-20 · Source: Dataconomy · Field: Business & Management — Marketing, Branding & Advertising, E-commerce & Digital Commerce · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

Sinch Mailgun's Email Impact Report 2026 reveals that nearly 18% of marketing emails fail to reach recipient inboxes, contributing to significant revenue losses for businesses. The study, based on an analysis of over 400 billion emails sent in 2025 and a survey of 1,200+ senders, found that fewer than 50% of organizations accurately track their email program's return on investment (ROI). Among those that do measure ROI, 60% report returns exceeding $10 for every $1 spent, with over 10% claiming returns as high as 40 times their investment. While 41% of teams use AI for content generation, only 23% see substantial improvement, with greater impact noted from AI used for optimization and segmentation. Despite 78% of respondents considering email critical to business success, 79% plan to maintain or increase investment, even with acknowledged gaps in tracking and deliverability.

Key takeaway

For AI Product Managers overseeing marketing technology, your focus should shift from basic AI content generation to advanced AI applications for email optimization and segmentation. Prioritize integrating robust deliverability tools and comprehensive ROI tracking into your product roadmap. This will enable businesses to close the gap between potential and realized returns, ensuring that increased email marketing investments translate into measurable financial gains rather than unquantified spending.

Key insights

Poor email deliverability and inadequate ROI tracking significantly diminish marketing email effectiveness and realized returns.

Principles

• Active monitoring correlates with strong ROI.
• AI for optimization yields better results than content generation.

In practice

• Utilize AI for email optimization and segmentation.
• Invest in sophisticated email hosting infrastructure.

Topics

• Email Deliverability
• Marketing ROI
• AI in Email Marketing
• Email Campaign Measurement
• Sinch Mailgun Report

Best for: AI Product Manager, Product Manager, Entrepreneur, Marketing Professional, Consultant, Executive

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Dataconomy.