Saturday Email Sends Win: 37.6% Open Rate Data for Small Business

Forbes Advisor's June 2026 data shows Saturday outperforms other weekdays for email engagement. Here's what that means for your send schedule and revenue.

The 5-second version

  • Saturday email opens hit 37.6%, the highest day of the week according to Forbes Advisor (June 2026)
  • Small business owners are leaving money on the table if they're not testing weekend send times
  • Steady engagement across the full week means your audience is checking email consistently, but Saturday has a measurable edge

37.6% Saturday email open rate (Forbes Advisor, June 2026)

Email is not dead. It's just sleeping on weekdays. According to Forbes Advisor's June 2026 email marketing statistics, Saturday delivers the highest open rate at 37.6%, offering small business owners a concrete reason to rethink their send schedule. If you've been firing off campaigns Monday through Friday and leaving weekends blank, you're walking away from your best single day.

Why Saturday Wins

People check email differently on Saturday. They're not rushing through inboxes at 7 a.m. before a meeting. They're browsing while sipping coffee, scrolling on the couch, or shopping online. They're engaged but not stressed. That mindset converts.

The Forbes data shows that engagement is steady across the full week, which means your audience is reading email consistently. But Saturday's 37.6% rate tells you that steady baseline spikes when people have breathing room. That's the gap you can exploit.

How to Act on This

  • Pick one campaign (newsletter, promotion, or weekly digest) and schedule a Saturday send for the next four weeks
  • Compare open rates, click rates, and conversion rates to your current weekday average
  • If Saturday outperforms, move your highest-revenue campaigns to a weekend schedule
  • Test different Saturday times (8 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m.) to find when your audience is most active

The Bigger Picture

Email remains one of the highest-ROI channels for small business. It's cheaper than paid ads, you own the list, and your audience expects to hear from you. The Forbes data proves the channel is still moving the needle. The only question is whether you're sending at the right time.

Saturday's 37.6% open rate is an invitation. Your competitors are probably still sending Monday to Friday. That's an asymmetry you can own.

Questions owners ask

Should I send all my emails on Saturday now?

Not necessarily. The 37.6% Saturday open rate is a strong signal to test Saturday sends, especially for time-sensitive offers or newsletters, but your audience may have different preferences. Run A/B tests on send days to see what works for your list.

What about Sunday and other days?

Forbes Advisor's data shows engagement remains steady across the week, meaning your audience is checking email most days. Sunday and weekdays are still viable, but Saturday has a measurable lift that's worth capitalizing on.

Does this apply to all industries?

The Forbes data reflects aggregate behavior across businesses. B2C, retail, and service businesses often see strong weekend opens because customers browse and shop on their own time. B2B may perform differently, so test your own send schedule against this benchmark.

How do I implement this without manual work?

Most email platforms let you schedule sends by day and time. Set up a test campaign to send Saturday morning, compare open rates to your current schedule, then automate weekend sends for repeating campaigns once you confirm the lift.

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