Email segmentation empowers marketers to acknowledge and address diversity among subscribers, creating a more personalized communication experience that improves engagement rates, conversions, and overall ROI. Here are four email segmentation strategies that every marketer should be using.
Demographic information collected during the sign-up process is a goldmine of data that can be used for segmentation. For example, an e-commerce store could send re-engagement emails based on their age range to encourage new purchases.
1. Segment based on purchase history
Using email marketing campaigns that cater to specific purchase patterns will help your brand increase the likelihood of conversions. For example, if your audience has purchased products from your store in the past, you can send them product recommendations or cross-sell emails to drive conversions. You can also segment based on the amount of money they spent, which can allow you to send them offers and discounts to retain their business.
For example, if you have customers who purchased more expensive items in the past, you can offer them free shipping or a discount on their next order to encourage repeat purchases — a strategy from Emails Nest. Similarly, you can send new buyers a welcome series to nurture their relationship with your brand and drive conversions.
Another great way to use purchase data is to segment based on what’s called “nearly there” customers, or those who have not yet made a transaction. You can then nudge these leads by sending them targeted content that gives them a reason to buy, such as an exclusive offer or a time-limited deal. Moosend’s platform allows you to set up custom goals and alerts for this type of segmentation, making it easy to monitor your campaign performance.
You can also use purchase history to segment based on the product categories your audience prefers. This will allow you to target a group of contacts with highly relevant content, such as product-related emails, re-stock reminders, and customer service notifications. For example, Adidas uses purchase history to send subscribers product recommendations based on their favorite item. They even figured out that people who like coffee usually don’t also buy tea, so they created separate segments for each product category.
You can also segment based on the source of your subscribers’ subscriptions. This will allow you to track the effectiveness of your paid advertising and promo campaigns, as well as help you stay in compliance with industry standards. For instance, if your subscribers signed up for your newsletter through an online form or social media account, you can create a segment for them and target them with content that best suits their interests.
2. Segment based on time since last purchase
The best ecommerce email marketing strategy is to segment your audience by the products they purchase and their interactions with your brand. This allows you to target them with relevant and valuable content, helping them convert from brand-new customers to loyal repeat buyers. Segmentation also helps you meet data protection regulations like GDPR by sending emails that are deemed necessary and wanted by your audience.
Segmenting based on the time since your audience’s last purchase is a great way to target them with new product recommendations. It’s easy to set this up in your email platform by creating a new segment with the rule “has purchased” and the date range you want to look back on. You can then add other filters such as the product category to further refine your segment.
Another useful ecommerce email segmentation strategy is to divide your audience by the stage they are in within the customer lifecycle. This is especially important for re-engaging inactive subscribers, who can be targeted with win-back campaigns or exclusive offers to help them come back to your brand.
You can use the same approach to segment by average order value. This way, you can send your high-value customers a special offer to help them reach their next purchase goal. For example, Fabletics Men uses this ecommerce email marketing strategy to encourage their VIP members to buy more with an offer that’s only available to them.
Using the website activity of your customers can be another great way to collect the data you need for effective ecommerce email segmentation. Depending on what your customers view and click, you can then create an email campaign that is triggered when they visit specific pages of your site. The email can include product recommendations, discounts, and other incentives to help them take the next step towards conversion.
In addition to the data you can collect from your website, you can also use third-party tools to capture customer feedback and insights. For example, Hotjar is an excellent tool for capturing real-time data and analyzing it to provide you with actionable information on your customers’ behavior and what they’re interested in.
3. Segment based on personas
Email segmentation based on personas offers the ability to personalize content based on specific subscriber characteristics, preferences, and behaviors. This enhances engagement and fosters a more powerful connection with your audience.
You can use persona-based data to create highly targeted campaigns that are more likely to resonate with subscribers and drive desired actions such as conversions or brand loyalty. By using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, you can craft a detailed story about a fictional customer within a particular segment that animates their personality, needs, and motivations.
A persona-based approach to email marketing requires a deep understanding of your target market’s motivations and interests to identify the unique challenges, goals, and obstacles that they face. It also requires the ability to gather and analyze demographic information such as age, gender, location, and job title.
The most effective email segmentation strategies for ecommerce are those that are driven by the unique qualities of your audience, such as their purchase history, cart abandonment, and frequency of interaction with your brand. Use these criteria to inform every element of your email campaign. The subject line, the images, the products you highlight, and even the CTAs you use should be carefully considered to deliver targeted messaging that is most relevant to each subscriber.
Segmenting based on purchase history can provide valuable insight into what types of products your customers are most interested in, how frequently they buy, and the average order value. This allows you to send more personalized and tailored product recommendations, helping them on their journey from new customer to repeat buyer.
Similarly, you can segment based on cart abandonment to identify the most frustrated customers and then send them an email that will nudge them to complete their purchase. For example, Sunglass Hut’s email reengages customers with a friendly reminder that they still have items in their cart and offers an incentive to buy, such as free shipping.
You can also segment based on the stage of the customer lifecycle to identify high-value customers and reward them with exclusive perks that will encourage their continued loyalty. For example, Moment provides a VIP customer experience that includes early access to sales and exclusive events for their most loyal customers.
4. Segment based on interests
The email content you send should reflect your subscribers’ interests, and you can use customer data to determine these. This helps you deliver content that is relevant and personalized to each subscriber, which results in higher engagement rates, more clicks, and better conversions.
A good place to start is by looking at your subscribers’ demographics, such as age, location, income level, and occupation. These characteristics can significantly influence buying behavior and product preferences. For example, sending an email with monsoon season offers to Asian customers wouldn’t make sense for a clothing store, and a recommendation email for a gaming product would likely not resonate with a 40-year-old male.
You can also segment your subscribers by their website activity. Monitoring their browsing and purchasing behaviors gives you a clear picture of the products they’re most interested in, and this allows you to create customized email campaigns that are highly relevant. For instance, if you have a list of people who frequently buy your top-selling products, consider offering them freebies and exclusive deals to entice them to complete their purchase.
Another great way to segment your subscribers is by their journey stage. For instance, new leads will benefit from welcome emails and introductory content, while active customers can receive product updates or loyalty rewards. Similarly, lapsed customers can be targeted with re-engagement campaigns.
Lastly, you can segment your subscribers based on the type of device they use. This allows you to tailor content and messaging to the specific device experience, which ensures your email campaign is highly relevant and engaging.
Whether you’re an established brand or a startup, email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience. With the right email segmentation strategy, you can nurture your subscribers from new leads to loyal customers and keep them engaged. So, what are you waiting for? Set up your email list segmentation in minutes with OptiMonk’s conversational popup templates and start growing your business today!
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