Email Marketing

10 Ways to Segment your Ecommerce Email List for Email Marketing Success

e-commerce website on mobile

Email list segmentation is a crucial element of effective ecommerce email marketing. By dividing your email list into smaller, more targeted groups, you can create personalised, relevant, and engaging messages that drive conversions and build customer loyalty.

Here are 10 ways to segment your email list to improve the performance of your ecommerce email marketing:

Demographics

Use demographics like age, gender, and location to create segmented email lists that target specific audience groups. For example, you could create a list for young, urban women who are interested in fashion, or a list for middle-aged, suburban men who are interested in home improvement.

Customer purchase history

Use customer purchase history to create segmented email lists based on the frequency and value of purchases. For example, you could create a list for frequent buyers who have spent more than a certain amount in the past year, or a list for first-time buyers who are likely to be interested in introductory offers and discounts.

Loyalty program members

Use data on loyalty program membership to create segmented email lists for customers who are enrolled in your loyalty program. These customers are likely to be interested in exclusive offers, rewards, and updates on their status, loyalty points and how they can best spend their points!

Customer Interests

Use data on customer interests, derived from product browsing behaviour or engagement with previous emails, to create segmented email lists for customers who are interested in specific products or categories. For example, you could create a list for customers who have shown interest in electronics, or a list for customers who have engaged with your emails on gardening and outdoor products.

Email Subscription type

Use data on email subscription type to create segmented email lists for customers who have subscribed to your newsletter or promotional emails. These customers are likely to be interested in different types of content, so you can create tailored email messages for each type of subscription.

Previous email engagement

Use data on previous email engagement, such as opens, clicks, add-to-carts and conversions, to create segmented email lists for customers who have engaged with your emails in the past. These customers are likely to be interested in further engagement and can be targeted with personalised offers and incentives.

Seasonal or Holiday promotions

Use data on the time of year or upcoming holidays to create segmented email lists for customers who are likely to be interested in seasonal or holiday promotions. For example, you could create a list for customers who are interested in Valentine's Day gifts, or a list for customers who are interested in summer vacation deals.

Referral program participants

Use data on referral program participation to create segmented email lists for customers who have referred friends or family members to your ecommerce store. These customers are likely to be interested in rewards and updates on their referral points and status.

Shopping Cart Abandonment

Use data on shopping cart abandonment to create segmented email lists for customers who have added items to their cart but not completed the purchase. These customers are likely to be interested in reminders, incentives, or special offers to encourage them to complete the purchase.

Tip: You can create Automated flows that are triggered based on certain customer behaviours. One of the greatest, and most beneficial, examples of this is 'Abandoned Cart' automations, which usually contain 2-4 emails in the flows sequence.

We cover this in greater detail in our Free 'Klaviyo Automated Flows - Kickstarter Guide'

VIP or High-Value Customers

Use data on customer value, derived from purchase history and engagement, to create segmented email lists for VIP or high-value customers. These customers are likely to be interested in exclusive offers, personalised services, and updates on new products and promotions.

In Summary

Email list segmentation is a valuable ecommerce email marketing strategy, as it enables you to create personalised, relevant, and engaging messages that drive conversions and build customer loyalty.

By dividing your email list into smaller, more targeted groups based on;

  1. Demographics (age, gender, location)
  2. Customer purchase history (frequent buyers, first-time buyers)
  3. Loyalty program members
  4. Interests (based on product browsing behaviour or engagement with previous emails)
  5. Subscription type (newsletter subscribers vs. promotional email recipients)
  6. Previous email engagement (opens, clicks, conversions)
  7. Seasonal or holiday promotions
  8. Referral program participants
  9. Shopping cart abandonment (customers who added items to their cart but did not complete the purchase)
  10. VIP or high-value customers.

You'll be able to create email campaigns that are specifically tailored to the interests, preferences, and behaviours of their customers, leading to higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.