Benchmark

Analytics

Also: Industry Benchmark · Marketing Benchmark · Performance Benchmark

CaveatIndustry benchmarks are averages. You want to beat them.

Better thanYour own performance last period

CautionGlobal benchmarks rarely match Australian conditions

Best useDirectional context, not performance targets

Quick definition

A benchmark is a reference point used to evaluate performance. In marketing, benchmarks are typically industry averages for metrics like email open rates, conversion rates, CPCs or engagement rates. They provide context for whether your results are strong, weak or average relative to peers. The most useful benchmark is your own historical performance trend, not an external average.

How it varies across Australia

NR has scored 700+ Australian businesses across 70 industry verticals, creating the most comprehensive Australian marketing benchmark dataset available. Our benchmarks show which industries lead and lag across six marketing dimensions, giving Australian businesses genuine local context rather than US-skewed global averages.

Explore Australian marketing benchmarks →

Industry average

The mean performance across businesses in a defined category. Useful for directional context but not a meaningful target. Average means half the market is below it.

First-quartile performance

The performance level that the top 25% of businesses achieve. This is the aspirational benchmark that separates good from average performance.

Internal benchmark

Your own historical performance data. Year-on-year or period-over-period comparison to your own baseline is often more actionable than external benchmarks because it controls for your specific context.

What it actually means

A benchmark is a reference number. It answers the question: how does our performance compare to something external? That external reference might be the industry average, the top quartile, a competitor or our own prior period.

Benchmarks are directional tools. They tell you whether you're in the right ballpark, not whether your specific numbers are the right target for your specific business. A 2% conversion rate might be excellent for a complex B2B professional services firm and terrible for a simple consumer product.

The most common misuse of benchmarks is treating the industry average as a performance target. The industry average includes all the businesses that haven't invested in their marketing, have outdated websites, run generic campaigns and don't measure anything. Targeting the average means aiming for mediocrity.

Useful benchmarks answer specific questions: Are our email open rates in the normal range or significantly below it? Is our CPC competitive for this category? Are we above or below our direct competitors on organic share of voice? These are diagnostic questions. The answers prompt investigation, not celebration.

Beating the industry average is the floor, not the ceiling. Average is what mediocre businesses accept.

How it shows up

Benchmarks appear in platform reporting, industry research and competitive intelligence tools. Google Ads shows industry average CTRs and conversion rates. Meta provides industry benchmark overlays. GA4 offers some benchmark data in the Insights section. For email, Klaviyo and Mailchimp publish annual benchmark reports segmented by industry.

The Australian context

Australian marketing benchmarks frequently differ from global averages. Australian CPCs are generally lower than US equivalents in most categories. Email open rates vary by platform and industry but are typically in the 20-35% range for Australian businesses using permission-based lists. Australian ecommerce conversion rates average 1-3% but vary significantly by vertical and device type.

Where people get this wrong

Using global benchmarks to evaluate Australian campaign performance.Market conditions, audience sizes, cultural factors and platform costs differ meaningfully between Australia and global averages. A US benchmark for CPC or conversion rate may be irrelevant to an Australian business operating in a different competitive context.

Targeting industry average instead of top-quartile performance.The industry average is dragged down by underperforming businesses. If you're trying to build a competitive advantage, the relevant benchmark is first-quartile performance, not average performance.

Benchmarking the wrong metric.High CTR with low conversion rate is not good performance despite the headline metric looking strong. Always benchmark the metrics that connect to commercial outcomes, not vanity metrics that look good in reports.

Common questions

Where can I find Australian marketing benchmarks?

NR publishes benchmarks across 70 Australian industry verticals covering six marketing dimensions at new-rebellion.com/lens/benchmarks. Platform-specific benchmarks are available in Google Ads, Meta Business Suite and Klaviyo. For email, Klaviyo's annual benchmark report is a useful reference for Australian businesses.

What is a good email open rate benchmark for Australia?

Australian email open rates typically range from 20-40% depending on industry and list quality. Financial services and professional services tend to have higher rates (25-35%). Retail is lower (18-25%). These figures vary by platform and measurement methodology. More important than the benchmark is your own trend.

Should I benchmark against competitors or industry averages?

Both. Industry averages tell you whether you're broadly competitive. Competitor benchmarking tells you whether you're winning in your specific market. Use industry averages for context and competitor analysis for strategy. Your own historical trend is the most reliable indicator of whether you're improving.

Keep exploring

About New Rebellion

New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.

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