In recent years, some cross-border merchants have questioned the effectiveness of email marketing and reduced their investment in EDM campaigns. However, research conducted by Hugo challenges this perception and demonstrates that email marketing remains one of the most profitable and scalable digital marketing channels available today.

According to industry data, the average global return on investment (ROI) for email marketing reached 4,200% in 2026. In other words, every USD 1 invested in EDM generates approximately USD 42 in revenue—significantly outperforming social media advertising and other paid traffic channels.

Industry experts point out that disappointing email marketing performance is rarely caused by the channel itself. Instead, common issues include insufficient audience segmentation, repetitive content strategies, and a lack of compliance with international email marketing standards.

In North America and Europe, consumers have long been accustomed to receiving brand communications through email. With more than 4.6 billion email users worldwide, email continues to provide brands with direct access to core consumer audiences without being affected by social media algorithms or platform traffic restrictions.

Leading cross-border brands have demonstrated that refined EDM operations can deliver remarkable business results. Through personalized content, intelligent customer segmentation, and automated lifecycle marketing, many brands have achieved a 35% increase in repeat purchase rates and a 28% reactivation rate among previously inactive customers.

Email marketing is increasingly recognized as a critical channel for building owned audiences, strengthening customer relationships, and overcoming the rising costs of paid customer acquisition.

Additional research from Statista shows that approximately 330 billion emails are sent globally every day, with that number expected to reach 376 billion annually. Consumers spend an average of five hours per day interacting with email, highlighting its continued importance as a communication channel.

Furthermore, data from Validity and Demand Metric indicates that 39% of marketers consider email marketing to be one of their strongest sources of conversions. In fact, email marketing generates conversion rates that are nearly 40 times higher than those achieved through social media marketing.

The value of EDM extends far beyond its impressive ROI. Its ability to drive repeat purchases, build long-term customer relationships, and create sustainable private-domain traffic makes it an indispensable component of modern cross-border marketing strategies.

Source: Hugo