WhatsApp open rate
The WhatsApp open rate is the percentage of messages read by recipients out of the total messages delivered. It is the metric that most sets the channel apart: industry studies report values typically above 90 percent, against averages around 20 percent for email marketing, thanks to the app's personal nature and push notifications.
Measurement is based on read receipts: the API exposes the sent, delivered and read statuses for each message, which platforms aggregate in campaign reports. The figure comes with one caveat: users who turn off read receipts only show as delivered, so the real rate is slightly underestimated. Most reading happens shortly after receipt, a pace unthinkable for email and SMS.
A high open rate is not automatically conversion: the metric should sit alongside reply rate, button clicks and sales generated. A read rate that declines over time signals list fatigue, from excessive frequency or low-relevance content. The best practices for keeping it high coincide with those for deliverability: lists with genuine opt-in, segmentation, opening lines that state the value right away.
SendApp tracks message statuses (sent, delivered, read) in campaigns, making it instant to compare different templates and segments.
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