Not everyone on your email list is the same. Some are new, some are loyal buyers, and some just window-shop your emails without taking any action. So why send them all the same message?
Email list segmentation means breaking your big email list into smaller groups based on what people like, where they live, what they’ve bought, or how often they open your emails.
When you send the right message to the right group, your emails feel more personal, and people are more likely to open, read, and buy.
What is Email List Segmentation
Think of your email list like a big basket of people. Now, not everyone in that basket is the same.
Some are new to your brand.
Some have already bought from you.
Some only read your emails but never buy.
Let’s say you sell shoes.
Instead of sending the same message to everyone…
You can send offers on kids’ shoes to parents…
Send running shoes to gym lovers…
And show discounts to people who haven’t bought in a while.
It feels personal.
And when emails feel personal, people are more likely to open, click, and buy.
How to Break Your Email List Segmentation into Smaller, Smarter Groups
Not everyone on your email list is the same. So why treat them like they are?
You will have to convey the right message to people should you want them to buy what you are selling through your emails and to read them. And in doing so, you would need to list your emails smartly.
It can be done easily in a few ways:
1. Where They Live
People in different cities or countries have different needs. Someone in India may use INR, while someone in the USA pays in dollars. If you know where they are, you can send offers and messages that make more sense to them.
2. What Pages They Visit on Your Website
If someone checks out your “pricing” or “product details” page, they’re probably interested in buying. If someone just reads your blog, they might just be curious. You can send different emails based on what they look at.
3. How Active They Are
You can group your list by people who open your emails and click your links vs. those who never even look. For the active ones, keep giving value. For the quiet ones, maybe try a “we miss you” or special discount email.
4. What They’ve Bought Before
If someone bought shoes last month, maybe they’ll want socks or a bag this month. Look at what people bought in the past and send them useful follow-up emails.
5. Who Left Stuff in Their Cart
Even in the case when someone placed a product in the cart, but without purchasing it, this is your opportunity. Remind them of making the purchase, maybe even with a small discount, so that they would get back and finish the order.
The Email List Segmentation Best Practices for Marketers
1. Use the Right Email Tool to Segment Your Contacts
The first and most important thing: use a good tool for email segmentation. You don’t need to do this manually.
There are many email marketing tools out there that automatically create groups for you based on people’s behavior. These tools can track:
- Who opened your email
- Who clicked a link
- Who bought something from your site?
- What type of emails does someone usually respond to
Let’s say someone visits your website and clicks on a product; you can automatically add them to a segment called “Interested Buyers.” If someone opens every email but never clicks, you can put them in a “Passive Readers” group.
2. Start with a Few Simple Segments
You don’t need 10 groups from day one. Select 2 or 3 relevant segments that will help you in crafting a better email.
For example, you can start with:
- New subscribers
- Existing customers
- People who haven’t opened your last 3 emails
Look at your audience and think: what are some obvious differences between them? Are they from different countries? Do they buy different products? Use these differences to form your first few groups.
3. Respect What People Prefer
Once you’ve made your segments, don’t forget why you made them, to send more relevant emails.
This is where people make a mistake. They collect useful data, like gender, location, email frequency, interests, and then ignore it. But if someone told you they want emails once a week, sending them daily emails is a quick way to lose them.
Use the preferences your contacts gave you to customize what and how often you send.
For example:
- If someone prefers weekly emails, stick to once a week.
- If someone clicked on a “Skin Care Tips” email, show them more skin-related content, not random diet tips.
Doing this builds trust, and people are more likely to read and respond to your emails.
4. Keep Your Data Clean and Updated
Let’s say you created great segments two years ago… but never updated them. Chances are, most of the information in those groups is now useless.
Why? Because people change:
- They change email addresses
- Their interests shift
- They do not even validate the email they registered with
This is why you need to clean and test your data periodically. Otherwise, you will be sending emails to the individuals who have already lost interest, and this will contribute to dropping your opens, as well as money and sender reputation.
In this case, you can do the following:
- Set a reminder every 3 months to check your list
- Remove inactive subscribers
- Update segments if you notice changes in behavior
Fresh data = better targeting = better results.
5. Combine Segmentation with Email Automation
This is where things really get powerful.
Segmentation helps you group people. Automation helps you send the right email at the right time automatically.
Let’s say someone signs up on your website. You can:
- Add them to a “New Subscribers” group
- Automatically send them a welcome email
- Wait 2 days and send another email with a product they viewed
You don’t have to do this manually. Once your segmentation and automation are set up, your email system works on its own, like a machine that never stops.
What kind of emails can you automate?
- Welcome emails
- Product recommendations
- Reminders for abandoned carts
- Re-engagement campaigns for inactive users
Using automation and segmentation, you will also save hours and create a more personal impression of the emails.
6. Don’t Make Segments Too Big or Too Small
It’s tempting to create very specific groups. For example:
Men aged 27–29 who opened a fitness email and clicked the second link.
That’s too specific and will result in a segment with only 5 people. On the other hand, if you just create one big group like “All Customers,” that’s too broad.
Both extremes are bad.
Here’s what to aim for:
- Segments should be large enough to be useful, but small enough to allow for personalization.
- If two groups behave in a similar way, combine them.
- Then test different email content with these groups to see what works best.
7. Track How Each Segment Performs
Segmentation of an email is not a one-time thing. To know what is working, you will have to monitor the performance of each segment.
Set aside some time (every month or quarter) to check:
- Which segments open your emails the most?
- Which ones click on links?
- Are there any segments where lots of people unsubscribe?
Let’s say Segment A has a 40% open rate and Segment B has only 5%. That tells you something’s wrong with Segment B; maybe your emails don’t match their interests, or maybe that group is no longer relevant to your business.
In that case, you can:
- Pause that segment
- Update the segment rules
- Or stop emailing them altogether
Conclusion
Just as it is not advisable to offer a single-sized shirt to all the customers, it is not effective to send the same email to everyone.
Segmentation of email lists enables you to address persons according to their actions, needs, and interests. It is not a matter of perfection. It’s about being relevant.
It is a minor action, but it can also help to make your emails seem more useful and more personal, and more human.
