Best Practices for Inbox Segmentation

POST-4/7👉 Email used to be a megaphone. In 2025, it’s a whisper in a very specific ear. Gone are the days when “blast to all” could pass as a strategy. In fact, that approach in 2025 is actively hurting your deliverability. Email Service Providers (ESPs) like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook are no longer just evaluating your IP health—they’re scoring your sender behavior at the recipient level. That means if 40% of your list is cold or disengaged, Gmail sees you as the problem—not just the user. ⚠️ Real Consequence: 1. We audited an ecommerce fashion brand with 220K contacts. Over 92K of them hadn’t clicked a single email in 90+ days. Gmail flagged them for bulk spam behavior, and inboxing fell from 78% to 46% overnight. 2. They were running promos weekly. Nothing was technically broken—but nothing was relevant. That’s what got them crushed. What Micro-Segmentation Solves in 2025: ✅ Reduces spam complaints ✅ Increases engagement velocity ✅ Signals positive intent to inbox providers ✅ Unlocks higher revenue per send with smaller cohorts Micro-Segmentation Tactics That Work Now: 1. Behavior-Based Journeys: Forget static tags. If someone viewed winter boots but didn’t buy, your next 3 emails better talk about warmth, snow, or style—not your general spring lookbook. ✅ Klaviyo + Shopify data lets you trigger flow branches based on: Last viewed product category Cart abandonment by SKU group Pages viewed in session (via UTMs or on-site behavior) Pro Tip: Use dynamic content blocks inside campaigns to adjust hero sections based on browse activity without cloning entire flows. 2. Lifecycle Automation by Spend Velocity This isn’t “new vs returning” logic anymore. In 2025, flows shift based on: Time since last order AOV trends SKU replenishment cycles Example: First-time customer who hasn’t returned in 30 days → “2nd purchase incentive” High-value buyer within 7 days → “VIP early access” Customer inactive 60+ days → Winback + dynamic offer block + channel sync suppression 3. AI-Supported Clustering Tools like RetentionX, Lexer, and even Klaviyo’s predictive analytics are now building multi-dimensional customer clusters using: Purchase frequency Channel source Time to second order Category loyalty It’s loyal mid-value buyers who shop monthly but only when free shipping is offered. ✅ What to do: Export these clusters to your ESP Build messaging that maps exactly to their past actions Suppress low responders from paid channels and warm email instead. Ready to Execute? Create 5 foundational micro-segments: 1. High spenders 2. First-time buyers 3. VIPs (CLV > 2.5x avg) 4. Dormant >90 days 5. Active clickers, no conversion Test 2 cadences per segment: VIPs: 4x/month + early access Dormant: 1x/month reactivation with content—not promos Use Recency, Frequency, and Monetary score buckets to tag customers and let your automations react to movement between them. #EmailMarketing #email

Email segmentation isn't just a tactic. It's a MINDSET. 💡 I've seen countless marketers blast their entire list with the same message and wonder why their open rates are in the gutter. But here's the thing: Great email marketing isn't about reaching EVERYONE. It's about reaching the RIGHT people with the RIGHT message at the RIGHT time. It's a form of respect, really. You respect your audience by only sending relevant content. You respect your reputation by not forcing messages where they're unwanted. You respect your results by being strategic, not desperate. So what's the solution? A three-layer segmentation approach that transforms your email program: Layer 1: Engagement-Based Segmentation ✅ • Active (opened/clicked in last 30 days) → Regular sending • Warm (31-90 days) → Reduced frequency, value-focused • Cold (90-180 days) → Re-engagement only • Dormant (180+ days) → Suppress or remove This alone tells ISPs your mail is wanted and valued. Layer 2: Risk Tiering 🚦 Ever notice how one bad apple spoils the bunch? Same with email lists. Isolate higher-risk audiences: • New leads or purchased lists → Separate domain • Low engagers → Cautious, infrequent sending • Promotional content → Isolated sending infrastructure Your main domain stays pristine. Your reputation stays intact. Layer 3: Behavior + Demographics 🎯 Now the fun part - personalization based on: • Purchase behavior (what they buy) • Content interests (what they click) • Lifecycle stage (where they are in journey) The real question? Are you still treating your email list as one massive audience? If so, you're leaving engagement on the table and risking your sender reputation. Remember: In email, precision beats volume every time. Segment with intention. Send with purpose. Watch your results transform.

An ecommerce company recently approached my team to do an email audit as they were facing challenges with low open and click-through rates. After analyzing their email account, here are our main recommendations to revive their email marketing channel: 1. Strategic Email Segmentation: Currently, your emails lack personal relevance due to a one-size-fits-all approach. This is a crucial area to address. Action Plan: Implement segmentation based on purchase history, engagement levels, browsing behavior, and demographic information. 2. Personalized Content Creation: Generic content won't cut it. Your audience needs to feel that each email is crafted for them. Action Plan: Develop emails specifically tailored to the different segments. This includes curated product recommendations, personalized offers, and content that aligns with their interests. 3. Subject Line A/B Testing: Your current subject lines aren't doing their job. You need to be implementing ongoing A/B subject line tests, as this is low-hanging fruit to improve your open rates. Action Plan: Regularly test different subject line styles and formats to identify what resonates best with each segment. Keep track of the metrics to inform future campaigns. 4. Mobile Optimization: A significant portion of your audience reads emails on mobile devices. Neglecting this is causing a decrease in your email engagement rates. Action Plan: Ensure all emails are responsive and visually appealing on various screen sizes. Test your emails on multiple devices before sending them out. Additional Campaign Strategies We Recommend: - Launch a Monthly Newsletter: This should include new arrivals, style guides, and user-generated content. It’s an excellent way to keep your brand in the minds of your customers. - Seasonal Campaign Integration: Tailor your campaigns to align with holidays and seasons. This approach can significantly boost engagement and sales during key periods. - Re-Engagement Campaigns: Specifically target subscribers who haven't interacted with your brand recently. Offer them unique incentives to rekindle their interest. Next steps: 1. If you found this helpful, please leave a comment and let me know. 2. If you own/run/work at an Ecommerce company doing at least $1 million in annual revenue, message me so my team can audit your email channel to see if there's a good fit for working together.

𝐒𝐮𝐛 𝟏𝟎% 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟎.𝟓% 𝐂𝐓𝐑. 𝐀 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥. Something had to change! Here’s what we did 🌟  ↴ Community Insights: ↳I reached out to operators in ClubPF ⚓︎, Pavilion, and other communities, and LinkedIn to learn from their email campaign strategies. Focused Segmentation: ↳ We noticed that the top marketers and ops professionals were creating highly engaged audience segments. We reduced our audience size by 90%, focusing on: → Last email opened from sales/marketing → Recent website visits → Event registration/attendance → Asset downloads or form submissions Building Engagement: ↳ We enriched contact details and evaluated titles, companies, goals, challenges, and content engagement across emails and our website. Gathering Feedback: ↳ We contacted 20+ engaged contacts to understand their email preferences, knowledge gaps, and content consumption habits. Strategic Expansion: ↳ We expanded our list by 5-10% weekly, monitoring performance closely. Within 3 weeks, we saw: 20%+ open rates 1.5%+ CTRs By the end of the quarter, our segmented email campaigns achieved a 30%+ open rate! Key Takeaways 💡: 👉 People-First Approach: Engage internally with the best team and externally with your audience. 👉 Data-Driven Decisions: Use engagement signals to create focused segments. 👉 Continuous Improvement: Regularly gather feedback and adjust strategies. ✨ This journey was about putting people first, aligning our team, and delivering value to our audience. The results speak for themselves! S/o to Ritakshi J. Sagar Mishra and Soumyajit Chakladar - we worked week after week to make this happen! Picture Context - Winter in Boston in 2010. Sometimes this is what being a GTM Operator feels like 🤣 #EmailMarketing #GTM #datadriven

How to segment your email list into groups? (step-by-step) One strategy is to segment your email list into these 3 groups. - most engaged (active), - least engaged (inactive), - highest-value (VIP). This is the simplest way you can approach this topic. We build over 30 segments for our brands but this is the 101 for you to start.  1 - Analyze Subscriber Engagement Metrics Study your subscriber’s engagement data over the past 3-6 months. Look at: - Open rate (although somewhat unreliable) - Click-through rate - Conversion rate - Purchase frequency - Average order value This will help you identify each group. 2 - Define Engagement Thresholds Based on your analysis, set clear thresholds for each group of subscriber: For example: - Active: Opened 50%+ of emails, clicked 25%+ of emails - Inactive: No activity in past 3 months - VIP: 5+ purchases, $100+ average order value 3 - Segment Your List Accordingly Use ESP segmentation tools. Divide your list into the active, inactive, and VIP subscribers based on the thresholds. It creates dynamic segments that automatically update as subscriber behavior changes. 4 - Develop Targeted Campaigns Create personalized campaigns for each group: - Active: Send frequent emails with exclusive content and offers. - Inactive: Send a re-engagement campaign with a strong incentive. - VIP: Provide special perks, early access, and recognition for their loyalty. 5 - Monitor and Refine Testing is your new favorite hobby — observe your segmented campaigns, improve your thresholds as needed. Engagement and purchase behavior changes over time. So it's important to audit your segments every 6 months. This level of personalization improves your email performance and ROI.

💡 Want better email engagement? Let your subscribers segment themselves. One of my favorite plays inside a Klaviyo flow (welcome in particular) is using a simple “click-to-segment” email early in the welcome flow. Here’s how it works: ➡️ You ask a question: “What are you most interested in?” Then you offer 2–4 click options: 🛋️ Living Room 🛏️ Bedroom 🍽️ Dining & Kitchen 🖼️ Wall Art & Decor That user's click action can be tied to a filter in that flow or used for segmenting a future campaign. You can even take the step of building a flow to update a property on a user's profile according to the link they clicked. That will let you serve dynamic content inside of future messages. Taking these steps unlocks so much: ✅ Product recommendations ✅ Style inspiration ✅ Promotions or bundles It works because: - It’s low friction—one click, no form - It boosts deliverability (early clicks = inbox trust) - It sets the tone for a more relevant experience This tiny tactic can improve click rates, retention, and even LTV. All from one email.

Want to do more with less effort? Harness the power of email automation to streamline your marketing efforts and drive results. From welcoming new subscribers to nurturing leads, email automation allows you to: ✅ Save time by setting up workflows that run on autopilot. ✅ Boost engagement with personalized, timely content. ✅ Convert more leads with consistent, relevant messaging. My 3-step process for making your life easier with automation. 1️⃣ Identify the Right Workflows for Your Business Think about the repetitive tasks you perform manually and how automation can take them off your plate. Start with the essentials: • Welcome Emails: Greet new subscribers with a warm, branded message that sets the tone. • Lead Nurturing: Send tailored content that moves leads closer to conversion. • Abandoned Cart Reminders: Recover potential revenue with timely follow-ups. • Re-engagement Campaigns: Revive dormant contacts with enticing offers or updates. • Choosing the right workflows ensures your automation strategy aligns with your goals and audience needs. 2️⃣ Segment Your Audience for Laser-Focused Targeting Not all subscribers are the same, so why treat them that way? By segmenting your audience, you can deliver content that feels personalized and relevant. • Segment by behavior (e.g., website visits, email clicks). • Segment by demographics (e.g., location, job role). • Segment by stage in the buyer’s journey (e.g., new leads vs. loyal customers). When you speak directly to each group’s interests and pain points, you’ll see better engagement and conversions. 3️⃣ Track and Optimize Your Automation Efforts for Maximum ROI Automation isn’t “set it and forget it” - it’s an evolving process that requires constant fine-tuning. • Monitor key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. • Run A/B tests on subject lines, content, and timing to find what resonates most. • Use data to identify gaps and opportunities, then refine your workflows to deliver even better results. • Tracking and optimizing ensures you’re not just automating but automating effectively to drive measurable impact. Don’t let manual tasks slow you down. Automation is your key to scaling smarter, not harder. How are you using email automation to grow your business?