Average Camping & Outdoor Gear Email Benchmarks
Camping and outdoor gear retailers sell tents, sleeping systems, cooking equipment, apparel and accessories to an audience with strong seasonal habits and lifestyle affinity. Email marketing serves both ecommerce purchases and brand-building content that positions the retailer as part of the outdoors community.
The average open rate is 25% to 29%, with click-through rates between 4% and 6%. Engagement peaks in spring and early summer as camping season begins, with a second lift around holiday gifting. Practical content — gear guides, packing lists, trip inspiration — performs as well as product offers in this niche.
Key Findings
- Camping and outdoor gear email achieves open rates of 25-29%, above general retail.
- CTR of 4-6% peaks ahead of camping season and during holiday gifting.
- Spring and early summer campaigns outperform other periods by 30-50%.
- Gear guides and packing lists generate click rates on par with product offers.
- Trip inspiration and destination content deepen engagement between purchase peaks.
Open Rate Benchmarks
Open rates range from 25% to 29%, rising to 32%+ in the eight weeks before camping season. Subject lines combining season and purpose — "Spring camping gear checklist" or "Backpacking essentials for beginners" — outperform generic product lines by 15-20 percentage points. This audience engages across mornings and evenings, with weekend interest skewing toward trip-planning and inspiration content.
Click-Through Rate Benchmarks
Annual CTR averages 4% to 6%, climbing to 7-9% in pre-season windows. Gear guides and buying guides convert at 6-9% CTR, matching product offers. Camping destination and trip inspiration content achieves 4-6%, sustaining engagement between purchase peaks. Seasonal clearance and holiday gifting campaigns lift clicks sharply at year end.
Best Practices
- Time the calendar around camping season — spring launches and pre-summer gear drops.
- Publish practical gear guides and packing lists alongside product offers.
- Use trip inspiration and destination content to keep the list engaged year-round.
- Segment by activity (camping, backpacking, car camping, hiking) to lift relevance.
- Build clear seasonal pre-order and restock campaigns for high-demand gear.
- Extend the season with shoulder-season and winter camping content.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A good open rate is 25-29%, rising above 32% in pre-season windows. The outdoors audience opens email at rates above general retail because of strong brand and lifestyle affinity.
Spring and early summer — the weeks before camping season begins — deliver the strongest engagement, with a second peak around holiday gifting. Gear is purchased before the trip, not during it.
Gear guides, packing lists and seasonal buying guides perform on par with product offers, converting at 6-9% CTR in pre-season windows. Trip inspiration sustains engagement between purchase peaks.