Sending the same email to every subscriber on your list is the single biggest mistake in email marketing. It does not matter how good your subject lines are or how beautiful your email templates look — if you are sending the same content to a VIP customer who spends £500 a year and a subscriber who signed up for a discount and never bought, you are wasting money and damaging your deliverability.
Segmentation is the fix. By dividing your list into groups based on engagement, purchase behaviour, and customer value, you can send targeted content that resonates with each group. The result: higher open rates, higher click rates, lower unsubscribes, and significantly more revenue per email sent.
This guide walks through the specific segments we create for every Klaviyo account we manage, with step-by-step instructions for building each one.
Why segmentation matters for revenue
The data is unambiguous. Segmented email campaigns generate:
- 14% higher open rates than non-segmented campaigns
- 100% higher click rates compared to batch-and-blast sends
- 760% increase in revenue from email according to industry benchmarks
These numbers reflect a simple reality: people engage with content that is relevant to them. A subscriber who bought a moisturiser last month does not need to see the same welcome offer as someone who just signed up. A VIP who has placed 20 orders deserves different treatment from a one-time buyer who purchased during a flash sale.
Beyond revenue, segmentation directly impacts deliverability. When you send to engaged segments, your open and click rates are naturally higher. Inbox providers like Gmail see this positive engagement and reward you with better inbox placement — which benefits every email you send.
Lists vs segments in Klaviyo
Before building segments, understand the distinction between lists and segments in Klaviyo:
| Feature | List | Segment |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Static | Dynamic |
| How people join | Through a specific action (form signup, import) | Automatically, based on conditions |
| Updates | Manual (people must be added/removed) | Automatic (refreshes based on data changes) |
| Best for | Signup sources, consent tracking | Targeting, campaign sends, analysis |
For campaign targeting, always use segments. They update automatically as customer behaviour changes, ensuring you are always sending to the right people.
The 8 core segments every store needs
These are the foundational segments we create for every Klaviyo account. They cover the essential customer lifecycle stages and engagement levels.
1. Engaged subscribers (30 days)
Subscribers who have opened or clicked an email in the last 30 days. This is your primary campaign send list.
Conditions: Has opened email at least once in the last 30 days OR has clicked email at least once in the last 30 days
2. Engaged subscribers (90 days)
A wider engagement window for less frequent campaigns or larger promotions like Black Friday.
Conditions: Has opened email at least once in the last 90 days OR has clicked email at least once in the last 90 days
3. VIP customers
Your top customers by total spend or order count. Typically the top 10-20% of your customer base.
Conditions: Has placed order at least 3 times over all time AND total spend is greater than £200 (adjust for your AOV)
4. Repeat buyers
Customers who have purchased more than once. These are your most valuable segment for retention marketing.
Conditions: Has placed order at least 2 times over all time
5. One-time buyers
Customers who have purchased exactly once. The goal is to convert them into repeat buyers.
Conditions: Has placed order exactly 1 time over all time
6. At-risk customers
Previous customers who have not purchased in 60-120 days (adjust based on your typical purchase cycle).
Conditions: Has placed order at least once over all time AND has not placed order in the last 90 days
7. New subscribers (last 14 days)
People who recently joined your list. Useful for excluding from certain campaigns or targeting with welcome content.
Conditions: Was added to list in the last 14 days
8. Unengaged subscribers
Subscribers who have not opened or clicked in 90+ days. Candidates for your sunset flow.
Conditions: Has not opened email in the last 90 days AND has not clicked email in the last 90 days AND has received at least 5 emails in the last 90 days
Engagement-based segments
Engagement segments are the foundation of a healthy email programme. They determine who receives your campaigns and ensure you are not emailing people who do not want to hear from you.
Building engagement segments in Klaviyo
- Go to Lists & Segments > Create Segment
- Name it clearly (e.g., "Engaged 30 Days")
- Add condition: What someone has done > Opened Email > at least once > in the last 30 days
- Add OR condition: What someone has done > Clicked Email > at least once > in the last 30 days
- Save the segment
We typically send regular campaigns to the Engaged 30 Days segment and expand to Engaged 90 Days for major promotions. This keeps deliverability high whilst maximising reach for important sends.
For more on engagement and deliverability, see our email list segmentation guide.
Purchase behaviour segments
Purchase behaviour segments let you tailor content based on what customers have bought and how they shop.
Category-specific segments
Create segments for customers who have purchased from specific product categories. This lets you send targeted product launches and cross-sell recommendations:
- "Has purchased from Skincare" — target with new skincare launches
- "Has purchased from Menswear" — exclude from womenswear campaigns
- "Has purchased subscription products" — target with renewal reminders
Purchase frequency segments
- High-frequency buyers — purchased 5+ times in the last 6 months
- Medium-frequency buyers — purchased 2-4 times in the last 6 months
- Low-frequency buyers — purchased once in the last 6 months
Average order value segments
- High AOV — average order value above £100
- Medium AOV — average order value £40-£100
- Low AOV — average order value below £40
Use these to tailor product recommendations. High-AOV customers might respond to premium products, whilst low-AOV customers might convert better with bundle offers or entry-level products.
Customer value segments
Klaviyo's predictive analytics can calculate customer lifetime value (CLV) and predict future spending. Use these predictions to create value-based segments:
- High predicted CLV — invest in retention, VIP perks, and personalised experiences
- Medium predicted CLV — focus on increasing purchase frequency and AOV
- Low predicted CLV — cost-effective re-engagement or graceful sunset
For more on using Klaviyo's predictive features, see our essential Klaviyo flows guide.
How to use segments in campaigns
Campaign targeting
When creating a campaign in Klaviyo, select your target segment instead of a list. For most regular campaigns:
- Send to: Engaged 30 Days
- Exclude: Unengaged subscribers, Sunset suppressed
Content personalisation
Use conditional content blocks within your email templates to show different content based on segment membership:
{% if person|is_member_of:"VIP Customers" %}
<!-- Show VIP-exclusive early access -->
{% else %}
<!-- Show standard content -->
{% endif %}Send time optimisation
Different segments may engage at different times. Use Klaviyo's Smart Send Time feature to optimise delivery timing per recipient, or test different send times for different segments.
Advanced segmentation strategies
RFM analysis
RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) analysis scores customers on three dimensions. Klaviyo does not have a built-in RFM tool, but you can approximate it with segments:
| Segment | Recency | Frequency | Monetary | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Recent | High | High | VIP treatment, referrals, reviews |
| Loyal | Recent | High | Medium | Upselling, cross-selling |
| Promising | Recent | Low | Low | Nurture, second purchase incentive |
| At risk | Not recent | High | High | Win-back campaign, survey |
| Hibernating | Not recent | Low | Low | Sunset or aggressive reactivation |
Lifecycle stage segments
Map your segments to the customer lifecycle: prospect, first-time buyer, developing customer, core customer, VIP, lapsing, lost. Each stage gets different messaging, offers, and frequency.
Behavioural segments
Create segments based on specific actions like website browsing patterns, product views, or engagement with specific campaign types. For example, "viewed products 3+ times without purchasing" is a high-intent segment worth targeting with a specific campaign. See our flow optimisation guide for more.
Common mistakes
1. Too many segments
Creating 50+ segments without a clear use case for each one leads to confusion and inconsistency. Start with the 8 core segments and add more only when you have specific campaigns or flows that need them.
2. Not using engagement segments for sends
Sending to your entire list instead of engagement-based segments is the fastest way to damage your deliverability. Always send campaigns to engaged segments.
3. Ignoring segment overlap
A customer can belong to multiple segments. Ensure your segments do not cause the same person to receive duplicate emails by using exclusion rules.
4. Set-and-forget
Segments need reviewing. Check segment sizes monthly and adjust criteria quarterly. If your "Engaged 30 Days" segment is shrinking, it might be a content quality or deliverability issue.
5. Only segmenting by engagement
Engagement is important, but it is just one dimension. Layer purchase behaviour, customer value, and lifecycle stage for truly effective targeting.
Segmentation is not complicated, but it does require discipline. The brands that see the best results from email marketing are the ones that invest time in building and maintaining their segments, and then consistently use them to send relevant, targeted content.
If you need help building a segmentation strategy for your Klaviyo account, see our Klaviyo services or get in touch for a free account audit.
