Mailchimp’s analytics and reporting tools provide critical insights into email campaign performance, helping businesses optimize engagement, delivery, and revenue. The most important metrics fall into three core categories: email engagement, delivery performance, and e-commerce outcomes. Open rates and click-through rates (CTR) are universally highlighted as foundational metrics, while advanced users leverage custom reports to track audience growth, revenue per campaign, and automation performance. Mailchimp’s integration with tools like Google Analytics and third-party dashboards (e.g., DashThis, AgencyAnalytics) further enhances data visibility, allowing marketers to compare trends over time and refine strategies.

Key findings from the sources include:

• Open rate and click-through rate (CTR) are the two most essential metrics, available to all users and directly tied to campaign success ^[3][9].
• E-commerce metrics like revenue, orders, and average order value are critical for businesses with online stores, enabling ROI tracking ^[1][5].
• Delivery metrics (bounce rate, spam complaints) impact sender reputation and long-term deliverability, with Mailchimp emphasizing its high deliverability rate ^[4][6].
• Audience growth metrics (subscriber changes, unsubscribe rates) help assess list health and content relevance ^[3][10].

Mailchimp Analytics Metrics That Matter Most

Core Engagement Metrics: Open and Click Performance

Open rates and click-through rates (CTR) are the bedrock of Mailchimp’s analytics, offering immediate feedback on campaign effectiveness. Open rates measure the percentage of recipients who opened an email, while CTR tracks the percentage who clicked on links within the email. These metrics are accessible to all Mailchimp users and are often the first indicators of subject line appeal and content relevance.

• Open rate benchmarks vary by industry, with Mailchimp’s data showing averages like 21.33% for Business + Finance and 25.17% for Non-Profits ^[7]. Tracking this metric helps identify trends, such as optimal send times or subject line performance.
• Click-through rate (CTR) is equally critical, with Mailchimp’s platform allowing users to drill down into total clicks and unique clicks to distinguish between repeated engagements and new interactions ^[5]. A low CTR may signal misaligned content or weak calls-to-action.
• 24-hour performance tracking is highlighted as a key metric in Dataflo’s analysis, showing how quickly recipients engage with campaigns ^[3]. This helps marketers optimize send times for maximum impact.
• Multiple opens can indicate high interest but may also reflect recipients revisiting content without converting ^[3]. Mailchimp’s reports break this down by individual campaigns for granular analysis.

Mailchimp’s AI-powered recommendations leverage historical data from over 481 million campaigns to suggest improvements for these metrics, such as A/B testing subject lines or segmenting audiences ^[2][4]. For example, the platform may recommend personalization tactics if open rates lag behind industry benchmarks.

Delivery and List Health: Bounces, Complaints, and Growth

Delivery metrics and audience health indicators determine whether emails reach inboxes and how lists evolve over time. High bounce rates or spam complaints can damage sender reputation, while subscriber growth reflects the effectiveness of lead-generation efforts.

• Bounce rate measures the percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered, with Mailchimp categorizing bounces as hard (permanent issues like invalid addresses) or soft (temporary problems like full inboxes) ^[1][6]. A bounce rate above 2% may trigger deliverability warnings.
• Spam complaints (abuse reports) are tracked separately and can lead to account suspension if exceeding thresholds (typically 0.1% of sends) ^[6]. Mailchimp’s interface flags campaigns with high complaint rates for review.
• Unsubscribe rate is a direct indicator of content relevance or frequency issues. Mailchimp’s benchmarks show average unsubscribes range from 0.1% to 0.5% across industries ^[7], with spikes suggesting the need for audience segmentation or preference updates.
• Audience growth rate tracks net new subscribers over time, accounting for both additions and unsubscribes ^[3][10]. Mailchimp’s audience reports visualize this trend, helping marketers correlate growth with specific campaigns or lead magnets.

Mailchimp’s automation reports further tie delivery health to workflow performance, showing how triggered emails (e.g., welcome series) impact engagement and list quality ^[5]. For instance, a high bounce rate in an automation sequence may reveal issues with signup forms collecting invalid emails.