How to Use Segmentation to Increase Sales Without Overcomplicating It

Hey it’s Max from The Inbox Newsletter.

Most brands are sending emails to their entire list and wondering why their open rates are low and sales are flat. The brands making real money are segmenting.

Segmentation makes sure the right people see the right emails at the right time. But most people either don’t do it at all or they make it way too complicated.

Here’s how to do it right.

What Segmentation Actually Is (And What It’s Not)

• A list is static. It’s just a collection of emails that never changes unless you manually add or remove people.

• A segment is dynamic. It updates automatically based on the rules you set.

This means you can create a segment of "people who opened an email in the last 30 days" and it will always stay updated as new people engage (or stop engaging).

My Segmentation Strategy

Yes, you could segment your list by what color underwear they are wearing this morning and send them custom content based on that.

But that’s a lot of work. You’d have to make a ton of different email variations for minimal lift in revenue.

My default segmentation strategy is to just blast every email to your engaged list.

It saves you time, stress, and keeps your deliverability high.

Then, in your flows you can get more advanced and you can use segments and trigger certain emails based on people who enter certain segments.

In Summary: Don’t go crazy. Just send campaigns to your 90 day engaged list. If you want to get advanced, trigger automated emails to certain segments you set.

The Only Types of Segments You Need

Level 1: Basic (Everyone Needs These and They Are All You Really Need)

• Engaged vs. Unengaged – Group people by those who have opened or clicked an email in the last 30, 60, or 90 days.

• First-Time Buyers vs. Repeat Customers – Treat new customers differently than your loyal buyers.

Level 2: Intermediate (Can Be Useful in Flows)

• Cart Abandoners – People who added to cart but didn’t buy.

• VIP Customers – Top 5-10% of customers based on purchase frequency or total spend.

• Product Interest – People who clicked on an email about a product but didn’t buy.

Level 3: Advanced (Precision for Hyper Targeted Flows)

• Time-Based Segments – Customers who bought multiple times but haven’t purchased in 6 months.

• Specific Product Category Buyers – People who only buy from a certain category (e.g., skincare vs. apparel).

• Email Flow Engagement – People who clicked an abandoned cart email but didn’t finish checkout.

That’s it. No need for 25+ different micro-segments.

Real Segment Examples From Our Clients

1. VIP Customers
Criteria:

• Placed 3+ orders in the last 12 months

• Spent over $300 lifetime

• Opened or clicked an email in the last 90 days

How to use it:

• Give them early access to product drops.

• Send personal thank-you emails from the founder.

• Offer exclusive discounts, but not too often (keep it special).

2. Cart Abandoners (High Intent Buyers)
Criteria:

• Added to cart in the last 30 days

• Did not complete checkout

• Opened an email in the last 90 days

How to use it:

• Send an extra email to them with urgency or a flash sale

What NOT to Do With Segmentation

• Don’t overcomplicate it. Trying to segment people by their favorite color or shoe size is a waste of time.

• Don’t create segments that are too small. A 500-person segment won’t make an impact. Focus on meaningful groups.

• Don’t rely on segmentation alone. Your emails still need to be good. No segment can save bad content.

The Bottom Line

Segmentation works. It increases open rates, improves deliverability, and makes your email marketing more profitable.

But most people either don’t do it or they go too far.

Start simple. Use the high-impact segments above. Focus on behavior that leads to purchases, not vanity metrics.

Just fire up a 90 day engaged list and you're set!

If you want more info on segmentation here’s a full guide.

Email Inspiration Of The Day

Brand:
Prima

Email Design:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iPpXANEuiXueisEfqRz8bNOG7qVF95uJ/view?usp=sharing

Notes:
This is a great email to send if you have multiple products or multiple variations of products.

This will help people differentiate between what you have in a simple way.

This whole email was put together really well!

Template of The Day

If you want access to a bank of 134 mix and match templates like this equating to over 5,000+ possible email designs, click here » 

Helpful Links Of The Day

• Hack into people’s lizard brains with this trick

• Everything to know about sms marketing

• Email segmentation guide

Reply to this email if you have any questions or further content you want covered.

Cheers,

Max

PS - If you run an ecommerce brand above $50k/mo and you want to have a free email strategy consultation with me, book a call here »

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