An automation that runs quietly in the background can also fail quietly. Statistics are how you notice. This page explains which figures matter for automated emails sent to Canadian contacts, and what to do when they move.
A note on benchmarks: we don’t publish “average Canadian open rates” here, because reliable country-level figures for automated email are hard to verify. Your own history is the most useful benchmark. Track it from the first week and compare each flow against itself.
The core metrics
| Metric | What it tells you | What to check if it drops |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery rate | How many emails were accepted by recipient servers | Bounced addresses, domain authentication (SPF, DKIM), list hygiene |
| Open rate | Interest in the subject line and sender name | Subject line, sender name, send time by time zone |
| Click rate | Whether the content and call to action work | Relevance, button placement, mobile layout |
| Unsubscribe rate | Whether the automation feels wanted | Frequency, relevance, language mismatch |
| Spam complaints | Whether recipients remember agreeing to hear from you | Consent source, clarity of sign-up form, CASL compliance |
Opens have become less precise since some mail apps load images automatically for privacy reasons, so give more weight to clicks and conversions when judging an automation.
Break results down the Canadian way
By language
Compare the English and French versions of each flow. If the French version underperforms, check the translation quality and whether the subject line reads naturally in Canadian French.
By region
Use geographic tracking to see where opens and clicks come from. A flow that performs well in Ontario but poorly in British Columbia may simply be arriving too early on the West Coast.
By step
In a multi-step welcome series, look at where engagement falls off. If step three loses most readers, shorten the series or make that email more useful.
Watch the compliance signals
Under CASL, a rising complaint or unsubscribe rate can point to consent problems, not just content problems. Check that only contacts with express or valid implied consent enter promotional flows, and that implied-consent contacts drop out once their two-year or six-month window has passed. Complaints are also bad for deliverability, which affects every campaign you send.
Turning numbers into action
- Test two subject lines on the first email of a flow and keep the winner.
- Move the call to action higher and use a clear button.
- Refine entry conditions with segmentation so each flow reaches only relevant contacts.
- Personalize with dynamic fields such as the contact’s city or last purchase.
A monthly review routine
- List every active automation and its entry count for the month.
- Compare click and unsubscribe rates with the previous three months.
- Check the English and French versions of each flow side by side.
- Review how many contacts left promotional flows because their implied consent expired, and how many renewed with express consent.
- Pick one flow to improve and one test to run next month.
Seasonality in Canadian results
Automation results move with the calendar. Engagement often shifts around long weekends such as Victoria Day, Canada Day and the Civic Holiday in August, when many people are at the cottage or travelling, and again in the busy weeks between Black Friday and Boxing Day. Compare each month with the same month last year rather than the month before, so you don’t mistake a seasonal dip for a broken automation.
Where to find the numbers
Each automation in Mailpro has its own report, updated in real time, and you can compare flows side by side. In Mailpro’s own customer survey, email deliverability is rated 9.6/10. To set up a new flow, read how to send automated emails in Canada, or return to the automation overview.