In email marketing, sending every email to your entire list is like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. The reality is, customers are at different stages of their journey with your brand. Some are discovering you for the first time, others are ready to buy, and some haven’t engaged with you in months. To make every message count, you need to segment your audience.
In essence, segmentation is the process of dividing your email audience into smaller, targeted groups based on specific criteria such as behavior, gender, preferences, lifestyle, content interest, purchase history, or engagement level. This allows you to pinpoint certain members of your list so you can send relevant, targeted content that matches where they are in their customer journey — from brand-new leads to loyal customers. Done right, it boosts engagement, increases conversions, and strengthens deliverability.
Segmentation helps you move away from one-size-fits-all messaging and toward precision marketing that drives higher engagement and sales.
The Three Levels of Segmentation
Not all segmentation is created equal. Let’s break it down into basic, intermediate, and pro levels.
1. Basic Segmentation
Basic segmentation uses simple engagement metrics, such as:
- Email opens
- Email clicks
- Subscription date
Examples:
- “Opened an email in the last 30 days”
- “Clicked a link in the last 60 days”
This type of segmentation is great for improving deliverability and ensuring you’re sending to people who are actively engaging with your emails.
2. Intermediate Segmentation
Intermediate segmentation uses store activity to determine targeting.
Examples:
- Cart or checkout abandonment
- Viewed a product but didn’t buy
- Made a purchase in the last 90 days
- Hasn’t purchased in 6 months
This level of segmentation lets you target customers based on their buying behavior, making your messaging more timely and relevant.
3. Pro Segmentation
Pro segmentation takes it a step further, using specific engagement and interest data.
Examples:
- Opened or clicked a specific flow (e.g., a welcome email)
- Engaged with a particular product category
- Only clicks on sale or clearance items
- Prefers a certain color, style, or collection
Pro-level segmentation enables hyper-targeted campaigns that feel personal — because they are.
Four Core Use Cases for Segmentation
1. Engaged Lists for Improved Deliverability
The #1 segmentation strategy: only send regular campaigns to subscribers who have opened or clicked a link in your emails in the last 60 days.
Why? Many people sign up with fake addresses or lose interest over time. Sending to these inactive addresses kills your deliverability because inbox providers like Gmail and Outlook see that you’re sending to people who don’t open your emails — a spam trigger.
***Save your full-list sends for major events like Black Friday and keep regular sends targeted to engaged subscribers.
2. Interested Customers for More Sales
Create segments for subscribers who’ve visited your site, browsed products, or added items to their cart but haven’t purchased. Send them additional content, offers, or reminders to push them over the finish line.
3. Targeted Campaigns Based on Product Interest
If a subscriber has shown interest in a specific product or collection, send them exclusive content or offers related to that category — without sending it to people who’ve never shown interest. This creates high relevancy and higher conversion rates.
4. Remove Unengaged Profiles
Over time, subscribers naturally churn — losing interest or no longer needing your product. Suppress people who haven’t engaged in a set period (e.g., 90 or 120 days) to protect your deliverability and save on your ESP bill.
5. Ask for Preferences at Sign Up
Collecting preferences at signup is a powerful way to segment your audience and deliver more personalized, valuable experiences. By asking for a few simple details up front, you gain insight into what your subscribers actually care about—allowing you to send content that feels tailored to them.
For example, a fashion brand might ask customers to select their style preferences such as minimalist, casual, or formal. With this information, each subscriber can receive product recommendations, promotions, and style tips that match their interests, making the emails feel more relevant, engaging, and far less likely to be ignored.
Why Segmentation is So Powerful
When you segment, you’re doing more than sending better emails — you’re building a data-driven marketing system. Over time, this leads to:
- Higher open and click rates
- Increased conversions
- Better sender reputation
- Stronger relationships with customers
Segmentation allows you to treat your subscribers like individuals, not just entries on a list. And in today’s competitive inbox, that’s the difference between being ignored and being remembered.
The Benefits of Segmentation
- More Sales – Targeted emails convert better because they’re more relevant to the recipient.
- Improved Deliverability – Sending emails people actually engage with boosts open rates and inbox placement.
- Time Savings with Automation – Set up once, and your emails keep targeting the right people automatically.
- Personalized Customer Experience – Makes customers feel understood and valued, encouraging repeat purchases.
Segmentation vs. Reach: Finding the Balance
While segmentation is powerful, going too far can backfire. If you create overly narrow segments, you limit your reach and miss out on delivering core brand messages to your entire audience. Your goal should be to balance reach with relevance — send targeted messages when it matters most, but keep your general campaigns broad enough to maintain brand familiarity.
A good rule:
- Send your most important, brand-defining campaigns to the largest engaged segment possible (e.g., all subscribers active in the last 60-90 days).
- Use segmentation for highly targeted promotions, special offers, or content meant for a specific group.
Final Takeaway
Segmentation isn’t just a “nice to have” in email marketing — it’s the key to sending the right message to the right person at the right time.
By moving from basic to pro-level segmentation, you’ll not only increase sales but also create a better customer experience, improve deliverability, and build a brand your subscribers love engaging with.
