2025 Email Marketing Benchmarks for DTC Wellness Brands Under $10M (Hemp, CBD, & Wellness)

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands rely heavily on email marketing as a revenue driver. But how much of your sales should email be contributing, and how do key email automation flows perform across different verticals? Below we break down benchmarks for U.S. DTC brands up to $10M annual revenue – focusing on general DTC averages, the wellness sector, and hemp/CBD brands – along with detailed metrics for essential email flows like welcome series, cart recovery, post-purchase, win-back, and more. All data below uses U.S. benchmarks and excludes larger enterprises (over $10M).

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What percentage of revenue should email marketing generate for a DTC brand?

Email is typically expected to drive roughly 20–30% of total revenue for a well-run DTC ecommerce brand. At Cannascale, many of our clients see between 40-55% of total revenue coming from email marketing. This is a common industry rule of thumb echoed by many agencies and experts. Of course, the exact percentage varies by business model and product type:

• One-time purchase or infrequent purchase products: Often see 15–25% of revenue from email . With higher-ticket or one-off items, there are fewer repeat purchases, so email’s role (mostly in acquisition/nurture) is a bit smaller.
• Consumable, replenishable, or cross-sell-friendly products: These can drive 25–40% of total revenue via email . Brands in health, wellness, and beauty fall in this bucket – they encourage repeat orders, subscriptions, and upsells, which email campaigns and automations excel at.
• Top-performers / email-centric brands: Some DTC brands treat email as a core growth engine and achieve 50% or even 60% of revenue from email marketing . These are outliers with extremely engaged subscriber bases (often achieved by intensive community-building or limited paid marketing channels).

For small and growing brands, hitting the lower end of these ranges is a solid goal. As your customer list and repeat purchase rate grow (typically in the ~$1–$5M revenue stage), pushing toward the 30%+ range becomes feasible. By the upper end of the sub-$10M range, many DTC brands find email is among their top revenue channels. In fact, 76.8% of businesses rank email in their top 3 ROI-generating channels  . Given rising costs in paid media, email’s cost-efficiency (often $36–$45 returned per $1 spent on average ) makes it indispensable for profitability.

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_{Table: Typical Email Revenue Share by DTC Brand Type (Up to $10M)}

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In general, 20–30% is a healthy benchmark for email’s revenue contribution in a small DTC brand. Higher dependence (35%+ of revenue) is often seen with consumable product brands, which naturally leverage email for re-orders, whereas lower percentages (under 20%) are common for very early-stage brands or those with infrequent purchase cycles.

It’s also important to balance campaign vs. automation revenue. Ideally, about half of email revenue comes from automated flows and half from manual campaigns . If 90% of your email sales are from campaigns and only 10% from flows (or vice versa), that imbalance signals an opportunity – either to build out more triggered sequences or to increase campaign sends to engage your list . The most efficient programs find a roughly 50/50 split, indicating you’re nurturing customers continuously with flows and driving seasonal/promotional sales with campaigns.

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What are email marketing benchmarks for CBD and wellness brands?

While the overall averages above apply across industries, specific verticals see some variation in email performance:

• General DTC (All Industries Avg): ~25% of revenue via email is common. Average open and click rates for e-commerce emails hover around 25% open and 1%–1.5% click for campaigns, but much higher for automated flows . Conversion (purchase) rates from email campaigns average ~0.07–0.1% of total recipients  , whereas targeted flows convert closer to 1–3% of recipients (see flow benchmarks below). Across all Klaviyo users, the average revenue per recipient (RPR) for a one-off email campaign is about $0.10, but an automated email averages $1.94 – nearly 20× more revenue per send  . In short, the typical e-commerce brand’s email program generates roughly a quarter of sales, with automation driving outsized efficiency.
• DTC Wellness (Health & Beauty): Brands selling supplements, vitamins, personal care, etc., often lean heavily on email for both acquisition (welcome offers, education) and retention (replenishment reminders, membership or loyalty perks). It’s not uncommon for 30%+ of revenue to come from email for wellness brands – indeed, for products with lots of re-order potential, experts recommend aiming for the 25–40% range for email contribution . Engagement metrics in this vertical tend to be strong: for example, Health & Beauty retailers see about a 37.8% average open rate on campaigns (with top performers hitting ~55%), which is above the e-commerce average. Automated flows in this space also perform well – e.g. 50% open rates and ~1.6% conversion rates on average for beauty/wellness flow emails. However, revenue per email is a bit lower than some higher-ticket industries. A Klaviyo benchmark shows Health/Beauty brands average about $2.65 in revenue per recipient on cart abandonment flows, versus a $3.65 average across all industries. Lower price points mean each email yields slightly less dollars, but higher purchase frequency makes up for it. The bottom line for wellness DTC: a robust flow strategy (welcome series, abandonments, post-purchase follow-ups for refills) is critical to hit the upper-end email revenue benchmarks. Many successful wellness brands are toward 30–35% of sales from email, thanks to strong repeat purchase programs.
• DTC Hemp/CBD: Email marketing is especially vital for hemp-derived CBD brands, which face advertising restrictions on channels like Google and Facebook. Email is a lifeline for CBD marketing because it’s permission-based and compliant – “Email is undoubtedly useful because it does not restrict you…reminders and replenishment emails can be all the customer retention marketing you do with great results,” notes one CBD ecommerce report . As a result, CBD DTC brands often see email contribute well above 30% of revenue, sometimes approaching 40–50% in cases where retention is king. These brands benefit from extremely loyal customers and frequent re-orders. In one analysis of DTC CBD merchants, the average customer placed 3.7 orders (versus 2.1 for DTC at large) and 78.4% of revenue came from repeat buyers   – a testament to strong customer lifetime value. Email flows are the engine of that repeat revenue. High-performing CBD brands implement timely replenishment and win-back sequences; for instance, one company achieved a staggering 99% retention rate by carefully timing refill reminder emails to land just as customers were running out of product . Given such behavior, it’s no surprise that “Tobacco & Cannabis” was the #1 industry for email click-to-purchase conversion rate in 2023, with rates 3.7× higher than average . That means when a CBD subscriber clicks an email, they are very likely to buy (often due to strong product affinity and fewer competing offers). Key takeaway for hemp/CBD: this vertical should leverage email to the fullest – welcome offers, abandoned cart emails, back-in-stock alerts, loyalty/reward emails, and especially post-purchase nurture (education, dosage tips) and reorder reminders. Many omni-channel CBD brands (those selling online and in stores) use email to drive online sales and foot traffic (e.g. promoting in-store events or new product drops). Just note that if a large portion of sales happen in physical retail, the attributed email revenue percentage might appear lower – but the influence of email on overall customer spend (online + offline) is still significant.

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How much do email automation flows contribute to ecommerce revenue?

Let’s dive into benchmark metrics for the essential email automation flows. Automated flows are the sequences sent based on customer actions (signing up, abandoning a cart, making a purchase, lapsing in activity, etc.). Overall, these flows “generate up to 30× more revenue per recipient than campaigns” because they reach the right person with the right message at the right time . Below are benchmarks for the most common flows, along with any notable differences for wellness and CBD verticals:

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Benchmark average vs. top 10% revenue per recipient for different e-commerce email flows (across all industries). Automated flows greatly outperform one-off campaign emails in revenue per email sent. Note how abandoned cart and welcome series emails drive the highest dollars per recipient on average, while browse abandonment and post-purchase (cross-sell or review) emails generate smaller amounts . Top 10% brands achieve dramatically higher RPR by optimizing each flow.

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Welcome Series (New Subscriber/First Purchase Welcome): This flow introduces your brand to new email sign-ups or first-time buyers, often with a discount offer or onboarding content. It is typically one of the highest-engagement sequences. Across ecommerce, welcome series emails average about a 54% open rate and 5.8% click rate . Conversion rates (purchase from the welcome series) average 2–3% of recipients  , which is slightly lower than cart abandonment emails but still one of the top-performing automations. In revenue terms, the average welcome flow email generates ~$2.65 per recipient across industries . Top-decile programs see much higher RPR (over $20) by nurturing leads effectively . Tip: In wellness and CBD, use your welcome series to not only offer a discount but also educate (e.g. dosage guides, lifestyle content) – this can improve engagement and eventual conversion. Keep in mind welcome emails do see some unsubscribes (avg ~0.9% ) as a subset of people grab the first-time promo and leave; a strong content-driven approach can mitigate this drop-off.

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Cart Abandonment (Abandoned Cart Series): Abandoned cart emails are widely regarded as the most profitable automation for DTC brands – and the data backs it. If you set up one flow, start with this one. On average, abandoned cart flows boast 50–51% open rates and ~6% click rates, as customers recognize these reminders for items they left in their cart  . More importantly, they convert to purchase at about 3.3% on average (and up to ~7.7% for top performers) . This is the highest conversion rate of any common flow. Klaviyo’s 2024 benchmarks show cart abandon emails generate roughly $3.65 per recipient on average, 38% higher RPR than the next-best flow (welcome) . Top 10% brands see nearly $29 per recipient from cart flows . In practice, that means for every 100 cart abandonment emails sent, about 3 customers purchase (bringing in revenue proportional to your AOV). Adding incentives can boost this further – many brands include a coupon in the second or third reminder email, which “[entices] customers back to complete their purchase” . It’s worth noting almost half of those who click an abandoned cart email end up buying , a testament to how effective this flow is at closing sales. All verticals benefit from cart reminders, but it’s especially critical for high consideration goods (wellness supplements, CBD, etc. where customers might procrastinate). Some industries see even bigger returns: e.g. Home & Garden and Electronics retailers average $6+ RPR on cart emails, and in Automotive it’s ~$10 . Whether you’re selling protein powder or CBD oil, make sure to recover those carts!

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Browse Abandonment: These are emails sent when a customer browses or clicks a product page but leaves without adding to cart. They are a bit “softer” nudge than cart emails (since no cart was created). Browse abandonment flows have a slightly lower impact but still worthwhile: open rates around 40–50% are typical, and conversion rates average roughly 1% of recipients (since intent is lower than cart abandoners). The average RPR for browse abandonment emails is about $1.07  – about one-third of a cart email’s yield, but not trivial. Top programs get ~$7 per recipient  by targeting browsed items effectively (often using dynamic product feeds). For brands with a broad catalog or many logged-in browsers, this flow can meaningfully lift revenue. Wellness brands can use it to highlight product benefits or reviews for the item the person viewed. CBD brands often pair these with educational content (“Still considering CBD drops? Here’s what to know…”) to convert curious browsers into buyers. While not as lucrative as cart reminders, browse emails still typically account for a healthy portion of automated email revenue – in Klaviyo’s data, welcome, cart, and browse flows together made up 88% of all automated email orders  .

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Post-Purchase (Thank You & Replenishment): Post-purchase emails include order follow-ups, product education, “thank you” messages, requests for reviews, and upsell/cross-sell recommendations to recent buyers. These emails usually target existing customers, so open rates are often very high (customers are expecting shipping confirmations, etc.). In fact, transactional emails (order/shipping confirmations) can see open rates 2× higher than pre-purchase emails, making them a great opportunity to slip in product recommendations or related offers . As a flow category, pure post-purchase marketing emails (excluding the basic receipt) have more modest direct revenue. The average placed-order rate from post-purchase promo flows is around 0.4–0.5% of recipients , and RPR averages only ~$0.41  – the lowest of the major flows. This is expected: these emails go to people who just bought, some of whom won’t purchase again immediately. That said, the top 10% brands squeeze over $5 per recipient from post-purchase sequences  by smartly introducing additional products or loyalty programs. For wellness and CBD brands, post-purchase flows are crucial: this is where you might include a replenishment reminder (e.g. 30 days after purchase, “Time to refill your supplement?”) or an education series to increase product usage (and thus re-orders). Klaviyo notes that post-purchase lifecycle emails see 90% higher revenue per recipient than non-customer emails because they target known buyers with relevant content  . In short, don’t neglect your existing customers – a well-crafted nurture can turn a one-time buyer into a repeat customer and boost that all-important lifetime value.

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Win-Back (Re-Engagement) Flows: Win-back emails attempt to re-engage lapsed customers after a long period of no purchases (e.g. 3–6+ months). These typically offer a comeback incentive or showcase new products to entice past customers. Engagement on win-back campaigns is understandably lower than other flows – many recipients have gone cold. Industry benchmarks put win-back email open rates in the 20–30% range and conversion rates around 0.5%–1% (i.e. <1 in 100 win-back emails sent actually yields a purchase). In terms of revenue, one source found an average $0.84 RPR for win-back emails (for brands with $100–$200 AOV)  – so less than a dollar per recipient on average. While that’s low, it’s largely incremental revenue you’d otherwise lose without trying to re-engage. Top performers can see a few dollars per recipient by using aggressive offers or multi-channel follow-ups. Wellness and CBD brands should absolutely implement win-back flows, given the competition and many alternatives customers have. Often a reminder of “we miss you – here’s 20% off your next order of your favorite CBD gummies” can reactivate dormant buyers. Even if win-back contributes a smaller slice of revenue, it “is the rest that should bring us to 100% of your email-attributed revenue” when combined with acquisition and abandonment flows, as one expert put it  . In other words, once you’ve optimized welcome and abandonment sequences, a win-back completes the customer lifecycle coverage.

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Putting It All Together

For DTC brands under $10M, email marketing is a cornerstone channel – often driving a quarter or more of total sales. General benchmarks suggest aiming for ~20–30% of revenue from email, but brands in wellness or CBD sectors often push toward the higher end (30%+), leveraging email to capitalize on strong repeat purchase behavior. To maximize email’s impact, small brands should develop a full suite of automated flows alongside regular campaigns. The benchmarks above illustrate how each core flow contributes:

• Welcome series and abandoned cart emails are the heavy hitters – together often accounting for the majority of automation-driven revenue (with cart flows typically #1)  . Make sure these are in place and well-optimized (e.g. test incentives, send multiple follow-ups, etc.).
• Browse abandonment and post-purchase flows play important supporting roles. They won’t individually drive as much revenue as a cart recovery, but they target different stages of the journey to capture additional sales (browsers who didn’t cart, and new customers who could buy again).
• Win-back or re-engagement campaigns round out your lifecycle, ensuring you attempt to revive churned customers and thereby squeeze more lifetime value over the long run.

Finally, remember that top-performing brands dramatically outperform averages on these metrics. For example, the top 10% of brands get 7× the campaign revenue and 8× higher flow revenue per email than average  . They achieve this through segmentation, testing, and highly relevant content. As a growing DTC brand, use the benchmarks as a baseline but continue to iterate – even incremental improvements in open or conversion rates will boost your email-attributed sales. With the right strategy, hitting that 30-40% of revenue from email (or more) is an attainable goal in the general, wellness, and hemp/CBD DTC spaces.

Sources: The above benchmarks were compiled from email marketing platform reports (e.g. Klaviyo’s 2024–2025 benchmark data, Omnisend’s industry stats), marketing agency insights, and industry analyses for wellness and CBD verticals. Use these figures as guidelines to gauge your own performance and identify areas to optimize in your email program. With diligent testing and customer-focused content, email can become a 20-40% (or more) revenue engine for your DTC brand.