Marketing 5 min read

When Should I Send a Marketing Email?

Dean Withey 5 min Published 30 Jun 2026 Last reviewed 30 Jun 2026

Timing is crucial for successful email marketing, what is likely to close and where your time is best spent? Discover the optimal send times and days to maximise engagement with your UK audience.

The 5-minute answer

The best time to send marketing emails in the UK is between 9 AM and 12 PM on Tuesdays. This maximises engagement by aligning with peak mobile usage and morning activity. Sending emails at the right time ensures your message isn’t lost in a busy inbox and reaches recipients when they’re most receptive. Consider these factors when planning your email campaigns to boost open rates and conversions.

Key takeaways

Send marketing emails between 9 AM and 12 PM for maximum engagement.
Tuesday is the best day of the week to send marketing emails in the UK.
Morning hours, especially between 9 AM and 10 AM, are ideal for email open rates.

Facing a decision?

Is it between 9 AM and 12 PM on Tuesday?

Yes

Send the email now for maximum engagement.

Wait until a more optimal time.

Let’s say ‘Bright Blooms’, a UK flower delivery service, wants to schedule a promotional email for their Valentine’s Day range. They have a list of 10,000 subscribers.

Target Day: Based on the research, they choose Tuesday, February 6th.
Target Time: They select 9:30 AM, falling within the 9 AM-12 PM window.
Email Content: The email features a striking image of Valentine’s bouquets and a clear call to action: ‘Shop Now & Surprise Your Loved One!’
Expected Open Rate: Assuming an average open rate of 20%, approximately 2,000 subscribers will open the email (10,000 x 0.20).
Click-Through Rate: With a click-through rate of 3%, roughly 60 subscribers will click the link (2,000 x 0.03).
Conversion Rate: If 5% of those clicking the link make a purchase, approximately 3 customers will complete a transaction (60 x 0.05).
Average Order Value: If the average order value is £40, the email campaign will generate £120 in revenue (3 x £40). Bright Blooms can then use these results to refine their timing and content for future campaigns.

What time of day is best for sending marketing emails in the UK?

The most effective time to send marketing emails in the UK is between 9 AM and 12 PM. This window aligns with the start of the typical working day when people are settling in and checking their emails. Research indicates that recipients are more likely to engage with content first thing in the morning, before they become overloaded with tasks and requests. Sending emails during this period allows you to capture their attention while they are still relatively fresh and focused.

It’s important to consider that many people now check their emails on mobile devices during their commute or while having their morning coffee. Therefore, ensuring your emails are mobile-friendly is crucial. Avoid sending emails too early, as people may not have fully woken up and are less likely to engage. Similarly, avoid sending them too late in the day when people are likely to be focused on completing tasks or winding down for the evening.

Which day of the week should you target for maximum engagement?

Tuesday is consistently identified as the most effective day of the week to send marketing emails in the UK. This is because, by Tuesday, most people have settled into their work week and are more receptive to promotional content. Monday often sees a backlog of emails from the weekend, meaning your message may get lost in the noise. Wednesday and Thursday can also perform well, but Tuesday consistently delivers the highest engagement rates.

This pattern is linked to established work routines. By Tuesday, individuals have had a chance to prioritise tasks and clear their inbox, making them more likely to pay attention to new content. While other days can be effective, prioritising Tuesday will give your emails the best chance of being opened and read. Remember to test and adapt your strategy based on your specific audience and industry.

How does mobile usage affect the timing of your marketing emails?

Mobile usage significantly influences the optimal timing of your marketing emails. A substantial 55% of marketing emails in the UK are opened on mobile devices. This highlights the importance of ensuring your emails are mobile-responsive and easy to read on smaller screens. Mobile usage typically peaks in the morning and evening, as people check their emails during commutes, breaks, or leisure time.

Therefore, scheduling your emails to coincide with these peak mobile usage times can significantly increase engagement. This means sending emails before or after traditional working hours, such as early morning or late evening. However, it’s crucial to balance mobile usage with the best time of day for engagement, as mentioned earlier. Targeting the 9 AM to 12 PM window on a Tuesday, while also considering mobile responsiveness, is a winning combination.

Are there specific times when people are more likely to open and engage with marketing emails?

Specific time slots consistently demonstrate higher email open and engagement rates. Between 9 AM and 10 AM is a particularly effective window, as people have started their workday but haven’t yet become overwhelmed. This allows them to dedicate a few moments to browsing their inbox and engaging with relevant content. The period between 10 AM and 11 AM also performs well, providing a second opportunity to capture attention before the lunch rush.

These times align with periods of relative calm during the workday. However, it’s important to remember that these are general guidelines and the optimal times may vary depending on your target audience and industry. A/B testing different send times is essential to identify what works best for your specific business. Regularly analysing your email metrics will help you refine your strategy and maximise your results.

What we'd actually do

When Should I Send a Marketing Email?

Based on UK-specific data, we recommend scheduling your marketing emails between 9 AM and 12 PM on Tuesdays to maximise engagement. This timing aligns with peak mobile usage and morning activity. While these are strong guidelines, consistently testing different send times and analysing results is vital to optimise your email strategy.

Watch on YouTube When Should I Send a Marketing Email?

Prefer to watch? The same answer, under five minutes, on YouTube.

Read the transcript

Everyone gets a confident answer about the best time to send a marketing email. The problem is, that answer probably isn't yours.

Across multiple sources, Tuesday to Thursday and morning windows between 8 and 11 AM come up consistently as stronger starting points. The logic is straightforward: mid-week, mid-morning is when most professionals have settled into their day but aren't yet buried in it. There's also a useful signal on urgency: nearly a quarter of email opens happen within the first hour of sending. That means timing matters more than most people assume. A significant chunk of your audience will either catch it immediately or miss it entirely. Weekdays broadly outperform weekends. Monday mornings and Friday afternoons are the two windows most consistently flagged as weaker. So mid-week mornings are a reasonable default.

But here's where most timing advice falls apart: those benchmarks are built from aggregate data across thousands of different businesses and audiences. They describe the average, not you. Three variables in particular are most likely to shift your results away from that average.

First: B2B or B2C. B2B audiences tend to engage during office hours, Tuesday to Thursday, 9 to 11 AM. B2C audiences are more flexible. Evenings and weekends can work well for retail or lifestyle content where people browse in their own time. If you're sending to a mixed list, that's already a reason to segment. Second: email type. A promotional offer, a weekly newsletter, and a triggered email all have different optimal windows. Promotional emails often benefit from mid-week afternoons. Newsletters tend to perform better in morning slots. Triggered emails, like an abandoned cart reminder, should go as close to the triggering action as possible. Third: industry. Timing that works for a SaaS company targeting operations managers is unlikely to match a retail brand targeting consumers at lunch. The honest caveat: broad benchmarks reflect aggregate behaviour across many industries, not yours. They point you in a direction. They don't give you the answer.

Here's the practical framework. Start with Tuesday at 10 AM as your working hypothesis. It's the most consistently cited default and gives you a clean baseline. Run it for two or three campaigns and note your open rate. Then pick the one variable most relevant to your situation: B2B or B2C, email type, or industry. Use that to form a single challenger. If you're B2C, test an evening slot, say Tuesday at 7 PM, against your morning baseline. Split your list, same email, different send time, compare open rates and click-throughs after three sends. The common mistake is testing too many variables at once so you can't read the result. One variable. Two windows. Three campaigns. Your own send data will tell you more than any industry report. The goal isn't to find the universal best time. It's to find your best time. Benchmarks are just the fastest way to start.

If that was of value, subscribe to the channel for one real business question answered every video. For the same clarity in writing, the website and newsletter is at www.fiveminutebusiness.com.

Five things worth knowing. Every week.

Five curated business answers in your inbox — five minutes, no filler.

Sources

We reviewed 45 sources across 10 research queries, including 4 primary-authority publishers, and selected 9 for citation below (2 primary).