The takeaway: a rising open rate does not automatically signal a healthy campaign. Engagement quality, measured through clicks and conversions, is where Dutch marketers need to focus.

B2B vs. B2C: Send Time Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

One of the most striking findings from the 2026 benchmark is how much send time influences results. In B2B campaigns, click rates in the early morning (07:00) are considerably higher than in the evening, while B2C campaigns show the opposite pattern, with evening sends performing better.

This distinction is practically significant for any team running campaigns across multiple audience types. Sending a B2B newsletter at 8 PM or a B2C promotional email at 7 AM is not a neutral choice. It carries a measurable cost in engagement. Send timing still matters, though mobile behavior has blurred the edges of traditional "best times," and for global or diverse audiences, segmenting by time zone tends to lift both opens and clicks.

For Dutch businesses targeting mixed lists, the implication is clear: a single send time will underserve at least one audience segment. Even basic segmentation by customer type, B2B versus B2C, can produce immediate improvements without requiring sophisticated tooling.

Segmentation: The Gap Between Knowing and Doing

The benchmark reinforces what most experienced email marketers already suspect. Segmentation is not optional; it is the primary driver of performance at scale. Large, generic campaigns are increasingly less appreciated, while smaller, better-segmented campaigns generate more impact.

Globally, the evidence backs this up. Segmented email campaigns generate 30% more opens and 50% more click-throughs than non-segmented campaigns, according to Mailchimp Email Marketing Benchmarks. Marketers using advanced segmentation see a 760% increase in revenue, according to Campaign Monitor. Yet adoption remains low. Only 39% of email marketers actually apply advanced segmentation, despite the proven impact on results, according to the Litmus State of Email 2026.

For growth teams in the Netherlands, this gap represents a real competitive opportunity. Brands that invest in list segmentation now, even at a basic demographic or behavioral level, are likely to pull ahead as average market performance faces continued pressure from inbox fatigue and tightening privacy standards.

Bulk Sends Are Losing Ground

Large bulk campaigns show a lower unsubscribe rate worldwide (0.06% versus the 0.12% average), but this reflects indifference rather than loyalty. Recipients are simply ignoring these emails, as seen in weak engagement across other metrics.

This is a critical signal for any business still relying primarily on high-volume batch-and-blast sending. Volume without targeting erodes sender reputation over time and desensitizes subscribers. The gap between average performers and top performers keeps widening, and the difference almost always comes down to automation, segmentation, and timing.

What This Means for Your Email Strategy in 2025

The Dutch benchmark data, combined with international trends, points to three concrete priorities:

1. Segment by audience type before setting send times. B2B and B2C audiences behave differently at different hours. A split send schedule is a low-effort, high-impact change.
2. Measure beyond open rate. With 64% of Apple Mail users on Mail Privacy Protection, which pre-loads images and inflates open metrics, smart marketers now prioritize click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue per email as primary KPIs.
3. Treat list size as a liability if it is not segmented. Performance scales with relevance. Even organizations with multi-million contact databases achieve high engagement rates when sending to smaller, well-targeted segments.

The 2026 Dutch benchmark is a timely reminder that email performance is not a content problem. It is an audience precision problem. The fundamentals, sending the right message to the right person at the right time, have not changed. What has changed is how clearly the data now shows the cost of ignoring them.

The takeaway: a rising open rate does not automatically signal a healthy campaign. Engagement quality, measured through clicks and conversions, is where Dutch marketers need to focus.

B2B vs. B2C: Send Time Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

One of the most striking findings from the 2026 benchmark is how much send time influences results. In B2B campaigns, click rates in the early morning (07:00) are considerably higher than in the evening, while B2C campaigns show the opposite pattern, with evening sends performing better.

This distinction is practically significant for any team running campaigns across multiple audience types. Sending a B2B newsletter at 8 PM or a B2C promotional email at 7 AM is not a neutral choice. It carries a measurable cost in engagement. Send timing still matters, though mobile behavior has blurred the edges of traditional "best times," and for global or diverse audiences, segmenting by time zone tends to lift both opens and clicks.

For Dutch businesses targeting mixed lists, the implication is clear: a single send time will underserve at least one audience segment. Even basic segmentation by customer type, B2B versus B2C, can produce immediate improvements without requiring sophisticated tooling.

Segmentation: The Gap Between Knowing and Doing

The benchmark reinforces what most experienced email marketers already suspect. Segmentation is not optional; it is the primary driver of performance at scale. Large, generic campaigns are increasingly less appreciated, while smaller, better-segmented campaigns generate more impact.

Globally, the evidence backs this up. Segmented email campaigns generate 30% more opens and 50% more click-throughs than non-segmented campaigns, according to Mailchimp Email Marketing Benchmarks. Marketers using advanced segmentation see a 760% increase in revenue, according to Campaign Monitor. Yet adoption remains low. Only 39% of email marketers actually apply advanced segmentation, despite the proven impact on results, according to the Litmus State of Email 2026.

For growth teams in the Netherlands, this gap represents a real competitive opportunity. Brands that invest in list segmentation now, even at a basic demographic or behavioral level, are likely to pull ahead as average market performance faces continued pressure from inbox fatigue and tightening privacy standards.

Bulk Sends Are Losing Ground

Large bulk campaigns show a lower unsubscribe rate worldwide (0.06% versus the 0.12% average), but this reflects indifference rather than loyalty. Recipients are simply ignoring these emails, as seen in weak engagement across other metrics.

This is a critical signal for any business still relying primarily on high-volume batch-and-blast sending. Volume without targeting erodes sender reputation over time and desensitizes subscribers. The gap between average performers and top performers keeps widening, and the difference almost always comes down to automation, segmentation, and timing.

What This Means for Your Email Strategy in 2025

The Dutch benchmark data, combined with international trends, points to three concrete priorities:

1. Segment by audience type before setting send times. B2B and B2C audiences behave differently at different hours. A split send schedule is a low-effort, high-impact change.
2. Measure beyond open rate. With 64% of Apple Mail users on Mail Privacy Protection, which pre-loads images and inflates open metrics, smart marketers now prioritize click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue per email as primary KPIs.
3. Treat list size as a liability if it is not segmented. Performance scales with relevance. Even organizations with multi-million contact databases achieve high engagement rates when sending to smaller, well-targeted segments.

The 2026 Dutch benchmark is a timely reminder that email performance is not a content problem. It is an audience precision problem. The fundamentals, sending the right message to the right person at the right time, have not changed. What has changed is how clearly the data now shows the cost of ignoring them.