How To Create A Segment

Modified on Mon, 13 Oct at 4:22 PM

Segmentation helps you target the right users with the right message, improving engagement, conversions, and retention. In NotifyVisitors, you can build dynamic segments based on past behavior (actions, inactions, and user properties) or upload a custom list from a CSV. This article walks you through the Segments area, filtering and managing segments, creating Past Behavior segments with detailed rules, grouping logic, auto-updating via Precomputed, and creating Custom List segments from CSV uploads.

Navigation

Open the NotifyVisitors console and go to Segments, then select the Segment tab. You’ll see a list of existing segments with filters such as:

  • Segment type: Filter by segment categories (e.g., Past behavior, Journey Segment, Custom List, Test Segment, Query based segment).
  • Segment status: Filter by Draft, processing, updating, error, or Published.
  • Segment label: Narrow down by your custom labels (e.g., “Birthday,” “Abandoned products”).
  • Search by ID or Name: Quickly find a specific segment.

Now to create a new segment, click the Create segment button. With this you’ll be presented with segment categories:

  • Past behavior: Build dynamic, rules-based segments using actions, inactions, and user properties.
  • Custom list: Create a segment by uploading a CSV of users you already curated elsewhere.
  • Prebuilt templates: Use ready-made segment templates for quick setup without starting from scratch.

A. Past behavior segments


Use Past behavior to define audiences that auto-adjust as users act (or don’t). This contains 3 types:

  • Actions: Users who performed specific events in a past timeframe.
  • Inactions: Users who performed and not perform specific events in a past timeframe.
  • Actions with user properties: Users who performed and not perform specific events in the past along with profile attributes/demographics like city, state, device, plan, signup source, last seen, etc.

For the purpose of explanation lets select Actions with user properties, as this option includes all capabilities—user properties, actions, and inactions—within a single creation flow.

1. Add user properties

Scope your audience using profile attributes/demographics before adding behavioral logic. Examples:

  • City includes “Los Angeles”
  • State includes “California”
  • Plan includes “Premium”
  • Signup source includes “Facebook Ads”

2. Define Actions (people who did an event)

For each action rule:

  • Event: Pick the event (e.g., Viewed Product, Added to Cart, Purchased).
  • Duration: Specify the lookback window (e.g., last 7 days, last 30 days).
  • Attribute filter: Refine by event-level attributes (e.g., category includes “Shoes,” price > 100, device includes “iOS”).

  • Where: This allow you to gain deeper insights into numerical data and include two options:

1. Count: Choose how to quantify the event occurrence with conditions such as less than, greater than, equal to, inbetween, etc. and define the number.

2. Aggregate properties: Instead of count you can also include aggregate properties across events such as:

  • Sum: Total value across events (e.g., total purchase amount).
  • Average: Mean value (e.g., average order value).
  • Minimum / Maximum: Lowest or highest recorded value.
  • Median: Middle value in the distribution.
  • Percentiles: Target users above/below a percentile (e.g., top 10% spenders).
  • Distinct Count: Unique values count (e.g., unique products viewed).

Include/Exclude users from another segment

Instead of events, you can also add a rule to include/exclude users who exist in another segment. To do this, simply select the “Is in segment” option from the “People Who” dropdown, select include/exclude condition, and select your desired segment/s from the next dropdown.

3. Define Inactions (people who did not do an event)

For each inaction rule:

  • Event: Choose what they did not do (e.g., People who did not ‘Order Place’).
  • Duration: Define the timeframe (e.g., did not purchase in the last 30 days).

  • Attribute filter: Optionally add attribute-level constraints for precise inactivity criteria.
  • Add multiple inactions using Add rule.

4. Set the group property (how rules combine)

After defining Actions and Inactions, choose how rules work together:

  • Any rule can satisfy: User qualifies if they meet at least one rule. Good for broader reach.
  • All rules must satisfy: User must meet every rule. Good for precise targeting.
  • All rules must satisfy in sequence: User must meet rules in a defined order. Useful for funnel or progressive stage logic.

5. Keep segments fresh with Precomputed

Enable the Precomputed option to auto-update segment:

  • If used in popups and signup forms: Updates every 24 hours.
  • If used in email/SMS/push broadcast campaigns: Updates just before the send.

6. Save and publish

  • Click Create, give your segment a clear name and label, then Save.

  • The segment is saved as Draft. Review rules and logic.
  • Click Publish to activate.

B. Custom list segments

Create a segment from an existing list you maintain externally.


Steps to create a Custom List (List-based)

1. Navigation:

In Create segment, choose Custom list, then select List based.

Give your segment a name and label and click submit. On the next screen that appears, click the “User upload” button as shown in the image below. 

2. Upload a CSV:

  • Drag and drop your CSV or select from your computer (max file size 80MB).

  • If needed, download the sample file and read the on-screen instructions.

3. File formatting guidelines:

  • The first row must contain column headers (e.g., userID, email, mobile).
  • At least one column should contain userID to create new users or update attributes for existing user IDs.

4. Consent guidelines:

  • Upload only users who have explicitly opted in to receive marketing communications.
  • Avoid third-party, scraped, or purchased lists.

5. Map attributes:

  • Next you’ll see a mapping table with “CSV Column,” “Type,” “Data Type,” “User Attributes,” “Row 2 Value,” and “Status” to confirm correct mapping (e.g., userID → userID, email → email, state → state).
  • If a field is not mapped, kindly map it manually.

  • If an attribute isn’t available in the ‘User attributes’ dropdown, type a new name and choose Create option to add a custom attribute.

6. Upload and create:

  • Choose Upload Timing – Either upload now or schedule for later. In schedule later you can select date range upto next 7 days.

  • "Do not create / modify users" Option

    Checked → New users in the CSV won’t be created, and existing user profiles won’t be modified. Only matching existing users get added to the segment.

    Unchecked → System can create new users or update existing ones, which may take longer.

  • Lastly click the ‘Upload’ button.

Segment List

Once a segment is created, it appears in the Segments list view displaying its name, last updated date, creation date, applied labels (such as Custom list, Past behavior, or Birthday), publication status, and the total number of users it contains.

Each segment also has an actions menu (three dots) that provides quick access to key functions — you can view analytics to assess performance, check campaigns where the segment is used, review user logs, duplicate the segment for reuse, update it manually, and delete it if no longer needed.

Analyze segment performance

Analyzing segment performance is crucial to understand user behavior, measure engagement, and identify opportunities for targeted actions that improve conversions.

Click the Analytics option in the segment’s action menu to view:

  1. Segment Definition – criteria used to create the segment.
  2. Segment Size & Reachability – Users (total, known, and anonymous users), channel availability, and potential communication reach.
  3. Segment Trends – insights into:
  • Today’s Trends (new entries and exits) – Shows how many users entered or exited the segment on the current day.
  • Daily Segment Size – A graph showing the total number of users in the segment for each day over a selected time range.
  • Daily Entry/Exit Patterns – A graph showing how many users joined and how many left the segment each day, making it easier to spot spikes, drops, or seasonal patterns in engagement.

Summary

NotifyVisitors segmentation lets you transform user data into actionable, precise audiences. Build dynamic Past behavior segments with user properties, actions, inactions, counts, and aggregates—or import ready-made audiences with Custom list uploads. Control how rules combine, keep segments up-to-date with Precomputed, and monitor performance via Analytics. The result is less noise, more relevance, and measurable impact across your lifecycle campaigns.

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