What Percentage of Revenue Should Email Drive?

If you’ve ever stared at your email revenue report and thought, “Is this… good?” You're not alone.

The internet is full of people throwing around percentages like they’re gospel. “Email should drive 30% of your revenue.” “No, it should be 40%.” “Wait, mine is 12%… am I failing?”

It’s enough to make anyone spiral.

But here’s the thing: those numbers don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re not universal truths. They’re benchmarks, and benchmarks are only useful if you understand what’s happening behind the scenes to make them possible.

So today, we’re cutting through the noise. I’m going to break down what a healthy email revenue percentage actually looks like, what needs to be true for your email program to hit that coveted 30–40% range, and why this number isn’t just about email “winning.” It’s about your entire marketing system working together.

The Range Reality: What Does “Good” Look Like?

Let’s start with a benchmark that’s simple and actually helpful.

Shopify has a “green light benchmark” that I really like: about 20% of your total store revenue coming from email.

Now, this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. It’s not “hit 20% or you’re failing.” It’s more like, if you’re around this level, email is doing enough work that it’s worth investing in and optimizing further.

Here’s how I think about it:

• If you’re below 20%, it doesn’t mean you’re bad at email. It usually means there’s untapped upside. Maybe your list growth isn’t pulling in the right people. Maybe your core flows aren’t doing their job. Maybe your campaigns are inconsistent, or your deliverability is shaky. Whatever the case, there’s room to grow.
• If you’re around 20%, that’s your green light. You’ve proven email can drive meaningful revenue. Now it’s time to get serious about optimization.
• If you’re in the 30–40% range, that’s what I’d call “everything is humming.” Your audience is engaged, your flows are strong, your campaigns are consistent, and your marketing ecosystem is working together like a well-oiled machine.

For context, Klaviyo once found that email drove about 27% of overall store revenue in Q4 on average, with the largest stores in their sample hitting closer to a third. That’s helpful as a directional reality check, but keep in mind: this data is from Q4 2016. It’s a useful guide, not a universal law.

Why Email “Gets Credit” So Often

Here’s the thing every cross-channel marketing team eventually has to accept:

Email is supposed to get a lot of the credit.

Not because paid ads, organic content, or creators “don’t matter.” They absolutely do. But email often shows up at the moment someone is finally ready to decide.

Most channels create interest.

Email catches intent.

And when you stop fighting that, your marketing gets better. Instead of treating channels like separate little kingdoms, you start building an actual funnel.

This is the shift:

• Stop asking, “Who gets credit?”
• Start asking, “What’s our path to the list?”

Because your email list is the only audience you truly own.

Every other channel should be working to do one of two things:

1. Bring qualified people into your list.
2. Hand them off to email so you can build the relationship and convert them consistently.

Paid ads aren’t just for purchases; they’re for list growth.

Organic content isn’t just for likes; it’s for trust and repeat exposure that make people want to subscribe.

Creators aren’t just for hype; they’re for borrowed credibility that lowers resistance when email shows up later.

So yes, email will often be the channel that “closes.” But it should never be closing alone.

And if your email percentage is low, the answer isn’t always “work harder inside email.” Sometimes, the answer is your other channels aren’t feeding it consistently with the right people.

That’s the collaboration play: every channel supports the list, and the list supports the sale.

What Has to Be True for 30–40% to Feel Real

When you see brands consistently hitting that 30–40% range, it’s not magic. It’s because the basics are humming. Here’s what that looks like:

1. The list is growing with the right people.

   Not just volume, also fit.

2. The audience is engaged.

   If half your list is asleep, your percentage will struggle no matter how “good” your copy is.

3. Flows are doing the heavy lifting.

   Welcome, abandonments, post-purchase, and winback. The always-on system that works while you sleep.

4. Campaigns are consistent.

   Not “We only email during launches and panic.”

5. The site converts.

   Because email can drive clicks, but it can’t save a confusing offer, weak product pages, or a broken checkout.

6. The whole marketing ecosystem is aligned.

   Paid, organic, creators, PR, and content should all be feeding the same story so email can close the loop.

That last one is huge. Email gets strong when the rest of your marketing makes people want to say yes.

The “Not a Competition” Speech

If you remember one thing from this post, let it be this:

Email doesn’t win because it’s better. Email wins because it’s the most controllable place to convert existing demand.

Paid ads are great at creating demand.

Organic content builds trust and meaning.

Creators and partnerships accelerate desire.

Email is where you can:

• Speak directly.
• Time it perfectly.
• Make the next step stupidly easy.

That’s not a rivalry. That’s a system.

How to Use Your % Without Spiraling

Here’s the calm way to interpret your email revenue percentage:

• If you’re under ~10–15%

  You probably don’t need “better emails.” You need stronger foundations:

  • Better list growth.
  • More comprehensive flows.
  • Improved deliverability and engagement.
  • More consistent sends.

• If you’re ~20–30%

  That’s a healthy signal that email is doing its job. Now it’s time to optimize:

  • Test your flows.
  • Segment your audience.
  • Improve your campaign cadence.
  • Strengthen your creative strategy.

• If you’re ~30–40%

  You’re likely running a strong retention machine. At this level, the goal becomes:

  • Protecting list health.
  • Keeping the story fresh.
  • Making sure you’re not over-relying on email to compensate for weaker top-of-funnel efforts.

And if your percentage is very high, don’t panic. But do a sanity check whether your attribution settings or heavy promo behavior are inflating the numbers. Multi-touch attribution exists for a reason: buying journeys are rarely one-channel.

A Quick “Move the Number” Checklist

If you’re thinking, “Okay… how do I actually get closer to that strong-performer range?” here’s the simplest path:

1. Make sure your core flows are doing their jobs.

   Welcome, abandonments, and post-purchase at minimum.

2. Increase the quality of list growth.

   More qualified signups beat more signups.

3. Get consistent with campaigns.

   Even one solid campaign per week beats random bursts.

4. Segment so your best customers get the best experience.

   Relevancy keeps engagement high.

5. Make sure onsite conversion isn’t leaking.

   Email can drive clicks; but the site has to do the rest.

So… How Much Revenue “Should” Email Drive?

A helpful benchmark is that many brands land around the 20–30% range, and it’s possible to see 30–40% when the list is engaged and the whole system is optimized, not just email in isolation.

But the goal isn’t to chase a percentage.

The goal is to build a marketing ecosystem where every channel supports the sale, and email reliably captures it when the customer is ready.