H1 2025 Benchmarks Reveal Sales Messages Sent to Aftersales Customers Have Highest Engagement Rate
Published: July 2025
Emails sent to aftersales customers about current offers on new and used cars have the highest average engagement rate of any form of proactive digital communication, according to our new benchmark analysis of the automated marketing activity conducted by over 500 UK motor retailers.
We evaluated more than 3.6 million messages sent during the first half of 2025 and found that sales-focused emails sent to aftersales customers shortly before or after a workshop booking, alerting them to new or used stock aligned with their potential preferences, achieved an average open rate of 52% and a prodigious click-through rate of 49%.
This is an even higher level of response than that seen for emails sent to active new or used car buyers about relevant stock, which have an average click-through rate of 36%. The benchmark analysis underlines the importance of the aftersales database as a source of potential sales leads, as well as a means of securing quality used stock via part-exchanges.
“Our goal is to provide retailers with useful benchmarks and insight by which they can evaluate the performance of their own digital marketing campaigns. The findings underscore the value of relevant and personalised interactions throughout the ownership journey for maximising loyalty and transaction values, as well as for feeding quality, high-intent leads into the sales pipeline.”
Our AI-driven Stock Alerts messages automate the process of notifying sales prospects or existing aftersales customers about specific cars that might be of interest to them. VoiceBox can integrate with the retailer’s DMS to send hyper-targeted email communications at relevant points in the purchase and ownership cycles. Retailers implementing these automated communications can reduce administrative strain for the sales and aftersales departments while increasing the scale and effectiveness of customer outreach.
Although sales messages sent to aftersales customers might have the highest engagement rate, the benchmark analysis suggests other messages have an even higher average open rate. Notably, messages about aftersales support sent following the collection of a newly purchased vehicle receive an unrivalled 77% open rate. The next most-opened emails are those confirming an appointment, which boasts a 73% open rate, followed by combined service and MOT reminders, issued when the due dates fall within 30 days of each other, with a 55% open rate.
The importance of issuing these reminders is supported by a recent consumer survey we commissioned, which found that over two-thirds (68%) of car owners would welcome proactive contact from retailers about upcoming service and MOT due dates.
These metrics offer a clear example for retailers of the customer engagement that can be achieved by issuing bespoke customer communications. We provide these benchmarks with industry insights as important context for retailers to refine and improve their current strategies and maximise return on their investments.
Enhanced CRM email open rates and click-through rates for UK car, van, and motorcycle retailers
| Message | Objective | Ave Open Rate | Ave Click Rate | Hard Bounce | Unsubscribe Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enquiry Follow Up | Nurture active leads | 62% | 16% | 1% | 1% |
| Stock Alerts | Engage open enquiries with new or reduced stock | 49% | 36% | 0% | 0% |
| Appointment Confirmation & Reminders | Improve kept appointments | 73% | 8% | 1% | 0% |
| Lost Sale Follow Up | Capture business insight and re-engage unconverted leads | 57% | 17% | 1% | 1% |
| Post Delivery | Capture reviews and introduce aftersales | 77% | 19% | 1% | 0% |
| Motability Messages | Bespoke customer journey for Motability customers | 51% | 21% | 1% | 1% |
| Service and MOT reminders | Re-engage customers and keep workshop front of mind | 55% | 13% | 1% | 1% |
| End-of-term finance renewals | Warm up existing customers to aid sales retention | 51% | 12% | 0% | 1% |
Marketing Delivery builds customer marketing solutions exclusively for the automotive sector, with AI-driven, dynamic, and personalised email, SMS, and social media communications. Our nationwide team of automotive experts boasts 300+ years of combined industry experience, providing solutions to 500+ retailer clients.
If you’re looking to enhance your CRM, contact us today.
Disclaimers
The accuracy of email open rates may be impacted by Apple’s privacy changes and their Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) feature, and this should be considered as you interpret open rate data. The data provided on this page is an average of all emails sent between 1 January 2025 and 30 June 2025 and may vary from email marketing benchmarks data provided within the VoiceBox application.
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