A recent article by Ignite provides an interesting overview, gleaned from a new report from eMarketer, of the email marketing operations and metrics of online retailers in the U.S.

Have you ever wondered how you compare to other online retailers when it comes to the size of your lists, your click-through rates or even your conversions? Wonder no more.

- Most companies sent to a list of around 10,000 emails, despite some respondents having lists of anywhere between 10,000 and half a million.

- The average number of email campaigns being sent in a month is 1-3, with 20% sending out more than 5. Unbelievably, some companies sent over 20 email campaigns each month (although it's unclear whether these were all to the same lists).

- 2.6 - 5.0% is the average click-through rate being experienced, although 20% reported rates over 10%. Some (15%) claimed they did not know their email click-through rates.

- 60% saw email conversion rates of up to 4%, while a quarter had no idea what their rate was.

"I believe that email targeting, especially on a global scale, will be the differentiator between which online retailers survive and fail during the current economic crisis," writes Chris Herrick of Ignite in the article "Better than average?".

"With more and more companies looking to cut marketing costs by reverting to email over other marketing channels, retailers will be forced to compete for the inbox."

Tags: conversion rates, conversions, differentiator, economic crisis, email campaigns, email marketing, emarketer, global scale, half a million, herrick, inbox, marketing channels, metrics, online retailers, pay per click, recent article, respondents