Overview
Learn how benchmarks allow you to analyze your account data in relation to Klaviyo best practices, industry trends, and companies similar to your own. By seeing how different aspects of your account perform, you can prioritize efforts in areas that need improvement in order to use Klaviyo to its maximum potential.
Benchmarks prerequisites
In order to see benchmarks, you must meet our eligibility requirement of having sent at least 25 emails in the last six months. Any account that provides its industry will be able to see industry-level benchmarks. Benchmarks are updated with new data on the 10th of every month. You will see a timestamp of when your benchmarks were last updated in the upper right. If you become eligible for benchmarks this month, your benchmarks will not be available until next month.
SMS
Similar to email, SMS campaign benchmarks, requires that you have sent at least 25 SMS messages. You will be unable to see peer group data or industry data in SMS campaign benchmarks If you do not meet this eligibility criteria.
This article explains the different benchmarking pages and how to read them. For information on how to customize the tables and graphs in each page, head to How to Customize Your Benchmark Pages. For strategic guidance on using your Analytics tab, head to our course on Customizing Your Analytics Experience.
Accessing benchmarks
To access benchmarks, head to the Analytics tab, located in the left-hand navigation.
Then, select Benchmarks. You will arrive at the benchmarks overview page, but can navigate to other pages and refine what type of messaging you want to review.
Within the benchmarks tab, there are four separate pages that allow you to analyze your data in relation to other companies similar to your own. These pages include:
- Overview
- Business Performance
- Email Campaign Performance
- SMS Campaign Performance
- Flow Performance
- Signup Forms Performance
With the release of iOS15, macOS Monterey, iPadOS 15, and WatchOS 8, Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) changed the way that we receive open rate data on your emails by prefetching our tracking pixel. With this change, it’s important to understand that open rates will be inflated.
To see if your opens are affected, we suggest creating a custom report that includes an MPP property. You can also identify these opens in your individual subscriber segments.
For complete information on MPP opens, visit our iOS 15: How to Prepare for Apple’s Changes guide.
Benchmarks overview page
When you select Benchmarks, you will arrive at the overview page by default. The Overview page displays a quick summary of what aspects of your marketing program are performing well and what aspects are performing poorly.
The Explore Benchmarks section provides links over to the Business Performance, Email Campaigns, SMS Campaigns, and Flows benchmark reports. You can also navigate to these same pages by clicking on any of the corresponding tabs at the top.
The Top Performing Metrics section displays your top-most metrics, ranked in order of decreasing percentiles. Meanwhile, your Bottom Performing Metrics shows your bottom five performing metrics, ranked in order of increasing percentiles. Both tables will also show the raw output values of each of your performance metrics.
Understanding how the Business, Campaign, and Flow Performance pages organize data
The business, campaign, and flow performance pages allow you to dig deeper into more specific data for a focused analysis. To navigate into any of these, click on the associated tab.
In any of these pages, you will see a graph and table of data trends across different performance indicators over time. They also include the same two display options for your data either in a bar chart or line chart.
Tables
The default table view summarizes account performance for the entire time period selected per metric. This view is helpful in that it provides a raw value for each metric, as well as a visual performance indicator.
Standard view
Upon landing on any table view, you will automatically see the following columns and values:
- Metric
The metrics we've chosen that represent the performance of your account. Examples include open rate, click rate, and repeat customer rate. - Performance
Connotes how well each performance indicator has functioned in relation to your peer group. These statuses are poor, fair, good, and excellent. For more information on what statuses entail and how to level up, head to How to Improve Your Benchmark Results. - Your Value
The raw amount equated to the given performance indicator; e.g., for average order value, you will see that exact monetary value for your business. - Peer Median
The value attributed to companies in the middle tier of performance. Half of the companies perform better than the median, and half perform worse.
Detailed table view
To view more values and performance indicators associated with your metric, toggle on the option for Detailed View on the upper right side above the table.
Once this has been toggled on, you will see additional performance indicators populate in the table including:
- Your Percentile
Where you rank in relation to your peers within your designated peer group. For example, if you are in the 75th percentile, your company ranked higher than 75% of other similar companies. We report the 25th, 50th (median), and 75th percentiles. - 25th Percentile
The value attributed to companies in the lowest tier of performance. - 75th Percentile
The value attributed to companies in the highest tier of performance.
Graphs
The different graphs will show your own performance, the median performance of your industry, and the median performance of your peer group.
In each graph you will see different colors that represent different performance indicators including:
- Green
Represents your own performance for that given metric. - Dark Blue
Represents the median performance of your peer group. - Teal
Represents the median performance of your entire industry. - Dashed Blue Line
Where applicable, the dashed blue line represents Klaviyo guidance or best practices for values to hit.
The different chart styles include:
- Bar Graph
In the bar graph, compare your rates in comparison to those of your peers and industry in bars lined up next to each other. Each bar grouping will display according to the time range you choose.
- Line Graph
In the line graph, compare your trends over time in comparison to those of your peers and industry data. Each plot point represents the data for a given set of time (e.g., each month), and they connect to give a visualization of your results over time so that you can easily see where you rise or fall in performance. It’s important to note that you can only view the line chart if you are viewing more than one time period (e.g. multiple weeks in a quarter, months, or years).
How we calculate your rates
Rates in benchmarks’ data represent the averages over a specific time period (e.g., last month). These averaged benchmark rates include:
- open rates
- click rates
- click through rate
- placed order rate
- email revenue per recipient
- bounce rate
- spam rate
- unsubscribe rate
For example, say you are looking at your click rate metrics for the last quarter. If your first campaign has 50 deliveries and 25 recipients click, it would have a click rate of 50%. And say your second campaign has 100 deliveries, and only 20 recipients click, it would have a click rate of 20%.
Instead of averaging these together to get a click rate of 35%, we combine the data from both campaigns and then calculate the overall click rate. To do this, we take the clicks from the first campaign plus the clicks from the second campaign, divided by deliveries from the first campaign plus deliveries from the second campaign. In this case, this would look like click rate = (25+20)/(50+100) = 30%.
Using the business performance page
The Business Performance page provides a breakdown of key performance indicators pertaining to overall business health, so that you can monitor trends over time and focus on areas that need improvement. Here you will see a table, graph, and line chart outlining the areas of the business in which you excel and those that need to improve.
Displaying your data
By default, your Business Performance page will show a standard table view as in the example below.
You can also choose to expose the data for percentiles by toggling the option for Detailed View in the upper right side.
Additional data display options
In the top right of your Business Performance table, you will see three options for viewing your data: bar graph, line chart, or table. Toggle between the three options and view your data in a way that makes the most sense to you. You can choose to see your data displayed as a table, line chart, or bar graph.
If you choose to display your data as a bar graph or a line chart, you will be shown the same data from the standard table view. This data includes your own performance, the median performance of your peer group, and the median for your entire industry.
For the bar and line chart options, hover over the chart itself to see a breakdown of the data for your account, peer group, and industry. Additionally, you will see a status (Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor) that rates your performance in comparison to Klaviyo best practices and your peer group.
Performance Indicators and Values
In the Business Performance table view, you will see data around the following performance indicators:
- Average Cart Size
Average number of items in your customers' carts during the time period selected - Average Order Count
Average number of orders customers have made over all time up until the end of the period selected - Average Order Value
Average US dollar value of carts during the time period selected - % of Orders Returned
Percentage of orders where a return was made
On the line chart and bar graph options, you will need to choose the appropriate performance indicator from the dropdown menu above the visualization.
Using the Email Campaign Performance page
The Email Campaign Performance page provides a breakdown of key performance indicators that specifically relate to email marketing and deliverability. On this page, you can monitor your performance to ensure that you retain high deliverability and that your content resonates with your audience. The page contains a table, bar graph, and line chart outlining the areas where your email campaigns excel and where they need to improve.
Displaying your data
By default, your Email Campaigns page will show a table view as shown in the example below.
You can also choose to expose the data for percentiles by toggling the option for Detailed View on the upper right side.
Performance indicators and values
One table outlines your marketing performance while the other shows deliverability performance.
For marketing performance, you will see data around the following performance indicators:
- Open Rate
Percentage of people who open your email out of those who receive it - Click Rate
Percentage of people who click a link in your email out of the people who receive your email - Click Through Rate
Percentage of people who click a link in your email out of the people who open your email - Conversion Rate
Percentage of people who place an order after interacting with your email out of the people who receive your email - Email Revenue Per Recipient
Your total revenue attributed to email for a given timeframe divided by the total number of people who received an email within that time frame to give you a sense of how much revenue you're earning on average for each recipient
For deliverability performance, you will see data around the following performance indicators:
- Bounce Rate
Percentage of times your email bounces - Spam Report Rate
Percentage of people who report your email as spam out of those who receive your email - Unsubscribe Rate
Percentage of people who unsubscribe out of the people who receive your email
On the line chart and bar graph options, choose the appropriate performance indicator from the dropdown menu above the visualization.
Additional data display options
In the top right of your Business Performance table, you will see three options for viewing your data: bar graph, line chart, or table. Toggle between the three options and view your data in a way that makes the most sense to you. You can choose to see your data displayed as a table, line chart, or bar graph.
If you choose to display your data as a bar graph or a line chart, you will be shown the same data from the standard table view. This data includes your own performance, the median performance of your peer group, and the median for your entire industry.
For the bar and line chart options, hover over the chart itself to see a breakdown of the data for your account, peer group, and industry. Additionally, you will see a status (Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor) that rates your performance in comparison to Klaviyo best practices and your peer group.
Using the SMS Campaigns page
The SMS Campaigns page provides a breakdown of your SMS key performance indicators specifically associated with your SMS marketing and deliverability performance. Here, you can monitor your trends over time and focus on areas that need improvement in your SMS marketing strategy. You will see a graph outlining trends over time and tables showcasing how your SMS metrics perform.
Displaying your data
By default, your SMS Campaigns page will show a table view as in the example below.
Additional display options
Under Marketing and Deliverability Performance, you will see three options for viewing your data: bar graph, line chart, or table.
Toggle between the three options and view your data in a way that makes the most sense to you. You can choose to see your data displayed as a table, line chart, or bar graph.
If you choose to display your data as a bar graph or a line chart, you will be shown the same data from the standard table view. This data includes your own performance in green and a dashed blue line on both of these charts that represents Klaviyo guidance or best practices for values to hit.
For the bar and line chart options, hover over the chart itself to see a breakdown of the data for your account, peer group, and industry. Additionally, you will see a status (Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor) that rates your performance in comparison to Klaviyo best practices and your peer group.
Performance indicators and values
If you click the table icon, you will see how you perform across the following metrics:
- Click Rate
Percentage of people who click a link in your SMS out of the total people who receive your SMS - Conversion Rate
Percentage of people who place an order after clicking a link in your SMS out of the people who receive your SMS - Revenue Per Recipient/Message
The total revenue attributed to SMS divided by the total number of people who received your SMS within that time frame - Unsubscribe Rate
Percentage of people who unsubscribe out of the people who receive your SMS
On the line chart and bar graph options, choose the appropriate performance indicator from the dropdown menu above the visualization.
Using the Flows page
The Flows page hones in on your flow data to showcase your performance over time and in relation to other companies similar to your own. On this page, you can focus on specific flows, such as a welcome series or abandoned cart flow, to track their success over time and view where areas of improvement lie.
Here, you will see a graph and four tables outlining the areas of your flows that you excel in and those that need improvement. You can view data around the following key flows:
- Welcome Series
- Abandoned Cart
- Browse Abandonment
- Customer Thank You or Post-Purchase
Displaying your data
Under each table, you will be able to toggle open the appropriate benchmarks and data. For example, the table below shows overall performance over the last three months across all flows.
You can also choose to expose the data for percentiles by toggling the upper right side the option for Detailed View.
Additional display options
Under Marketing and Deliverability Performance, you will see three options for viewing your data: bar graph, line chart, or table.
Toggle between the three options and view your data in a way that makes the most sense to you. You can choose to see your data displayed as a table, line chart, or bar graph.
If you choose to display your data as a bar graph or a line chart, you will be shown the same data from the standard table view. This data includes your own performance in green and a dashed blue line on both of these charts that represents Klaviyo guidance or best practices for values to hit.
For the bar and line chart options, hover over the chart itself to see a breakdown of the data for your account, peer group, and industry. Additionally, you will see a status (Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor) that rates your performance in comparison to Klaviyo best practices and your peer group.
Performance indicators and values
The performance indicators available to view in your flow performance table and graphs include:
- Open Rate
Percentage of people who open your email out of those who receive it - Click Rate
Percentage of people who click a link in your email out of the people who receive your email - Click Through Rate
Percentage of people who click a link in your email out of the people who open your email - Conversion Rate
Percentage of people who place an order after interacting with your email out of the people who receive your email - Email Revenue Per Recipient
Your total revenue attributed to email for a given timeframe divided by the total number of people who received an email within that time frame to give you a sense of how much revenue you're earning on average for each recipient - Spam Report Rate
Percentage of people who report your email as spam out of those who receive your email - Unsubscribe Rate
Percentage of people who unsubscribe out of the people who receive your email - Bounce Rate
Percentage of times your email bounces
Using the Signup Forms page
The Signup Forms page provides a view of your popups’ success through the submit rates and comparing your results to peer benchmarks. These peer benchmarks can help you recognize where you may be falling short with each of your forms.
Displaying your data
Default view
By default, your Signup Forms page will show a table view, as in the example below. Since form performance is only tied to submit rate, that will be the only conversion metric used. Your submit rate is the total number of form submissions divided by the total number of form views, in a particular time period.
You will see a raw percentage of submit rates and your performance against the peer group median.
Additionally, we will then ascribe one of the following performance statuses to your rate:
- Poor
The submit rate is less than the 25th percentile for the peer group - Fair
The submit rate is between the 25th and 50th percentiles for the peer group - Good
The submit rate is between the 50th and 75th percentiles for the peer group - Excellent
The submit rate is greater than the 75th percentile for the peer group
You can find the submit rates for a particular form by choosing it from the dropdown menu.
You can also adjust the date range to pull in data for a given time period.
Detailed view
To expose additional data for benchmarks percentiles, toggle the option for Detailed View in the upper right side.
The Detailed View table will show your overall submit rate percentile, and where you land in the 25th, median, and 75th percentiles. The 25th percentile is the value attributed to companies in the lowest tier, the median is the value attributed to companies in the middle tier, and the 75th percentile is the value attributed to companies in the highest tier of performance. In other words, if your percentile is in the 70th, this means that you performed better than 70% of similar peers.
Additional display options
At the top right, you will see 3 icons for viewing your data. Toggle between the 3 options and view your data in a way that makes the most sense to you. You can choose to display your data as a table, line chart, or bar graph.
If you choose a bar graph or a line chart, you will be shown the same data from the standard table view. This data includes your own performance in green, your peer group in dark blue, and your industry in teal.
For the bar and line chart options, hover over the chart itself to see a breakdown of the data for your account, peer group, and industry. Additionally, you will see a status (Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor) that rates your performance against your peer group.
Learning from benchmarks results
It is important to learn from your benchmarking data and make necessary adjustments to grow your business. For performance indicators that rank as poor or fair, dig deeper into why that is the case. Then, build a strategy that you can implement to amend those shortcomings and expand upon areas that are best serving your brand.
For information on how to improve benchmarks that are not to your liking, head to How to Improve Your Benchmark Performance.