# Email delivers $36 per dollar spent, tripling paid social ROI in 2025 benchmark *Litmus study confirms owned-channel supremacy as physical-product brands double down on list monetization.* By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC. Published 2026-06-03. Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/litmus-2026-06-03t06-1 Subject: Litmus Tags: email marketing, roi benchmarks, owned channels, customer retention, list monetization, direct marketing --- A 2025 study by Litmus documented that businesses now earn between **$10** and **$36** for every dollar invested in email marketing, according to MSN reporting on the benchmark. The upper bound represents a threefold advantage over typical paid social returns and marks email as the highest-performing owned channel for physical-product brands that control their customer data. The mechanism is structural. Email sits below the fold of attention economics. A subscriber opted in, opened the app, and tapped the message. That sequence filters for commercial intent in ways no cold impression can match. Physical-product brands with repeatable SKUs—consumables, gear, gifts—compound this advantage because email drives second and third purchases at near-zero marginal cost. The Litmus range reflects variance in list hygiene, segmentation depth, and offer cadence, not the channel's ceiling. Why it works comes down to three levers. First, email reaches buyers already inside the purchase corridor. A skincare brand that emails a restock reminder to someone who ordered six weeks ago is not interrupting; it is servicing intent. Second, email permits surgical merchandising. A single campaign can carry three SKUs, personalized by past behavior, and still read as coherent. Third, the cost structure favors volume. After list acquisition, each additional send costs fractions of a cent, so breakeven comes fast and profit scales linearly with engagement. The steal for a small physical-product brand starts with list capture at point of sale. Offer a **10%** discount on the next order in exchange for an email at checkout. That builds your house file. Then run a weekly broadcast: one primary product, one supporting SKU, and one piece of content that reinforces category authority. A coffee roaster might lead with a new single-origin, upsell a grinder, and include a two-paragraph brew guide. Send Thursday morning, when open rates peak for food and beverage. Segment after **90 days**. Tag buyers who have purchased twice as high-LTV and send them exclusive previews or bundle offers. Tag once-buyers who have not returned and deploy a win-back sequence: three emails over two weeks, each with a different angle—social proof, scarcity, or a time-limited incentive. A soap maker could send testimonials in email one, highlight low stock in email two, and offer free shipping in email three. Cost per sequence: under **$5** in platform fees, assuming a list of 2,000. Automation drives the **$36** result. Set up a post-purchase drip that educates, cross-sells, and asks for a review. A candle brand might send care instructions on day two, suggest a complementary scent on day ten, and request a testimonial on day twenty. Each email is triggered by behavior, requires no ongoing labor, and converts at double the rate of broadcast campaigns because timing aligns with the customer's product experience. The broader pattern is channel concentration. Brands that earn **$36** per dollar are not splitting budget across eight platforms. They are stacking compounding advantages—owned data, zero distribution tax, behavioral triggers—inside a single system. Email does not scale reach like paid media, but it scales margin, and margin funds the next acquisition cycle. ## The takeaway Email converts at **$36** per dollar because it reaches buyers inside the purchase corridor at near-zero marginal cost. --- ## Publisher **Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339. Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**. - Author: https://www.huanggoodman.com/about - LLM context: https://www.pops4.com/stash/llms.txt - MCP endpoint, for AI agents: https://mcp.pops4.com/mcp - Client dashboard: https://dashboard.pops4.com/ - Catalogue: 70,000+ products, 200+ brands