Segments ​

Segments allow you to create targeted groups of contacts based on specific conditions and criteria. Instead of sending emails to your entire list, segments help you deliver more relevant and personalized content by filtering contacts based on their properties, behaviors, or characteristics. This precision targeting leads to better engagement rates and more effective email campaigns.

With bluefox.email's segment feature, you can build complex filtering logic using AND/OR conditions, apply segments to any subscription list or all contacts, and seamlessly integrate them into your campaigns and automations for highly targeted messaging.

You can find your project's segments under the Segments drop-down menu in Contacts section:

Screenshot of the segments tab

Creating a Segment ​

To create a new segment, click the Create button and then Create Segment in the drop-down menu.

Screenshot of the segments page - create button highlighted

When creating a segment, you'll need to:

  • Name: Give your segment a descriptive name (e.g., "Premium Users", "Recent Signups", "Inactive Subscribers")
  • Conditions: Define the filtering criteria that contacts must meet to be included in the segment. You can add multiple conditions and group them using AND/OR logic.

Screenshot of the segment creation form

Segment Filtering Logic ​

Segments use a powerful condition-based filtering system that supports both AND and OR logic operations. This allows you to create simple or complex targeting rules to precisely identify the contacts you want to reach.

AND Logic ​

When conditions are joined with AND logic, contacts must meet all specified conditions to be included in the segment.

Example: Premium users who signed up in the last 30 days

  • Condition 1: hasAPIKey is true
  • AND
  • Condition 2: awsSetup is true

OR Logic ​

When conditions are joined with OR logic, contacts need to meet at least one of the specified conditions to be included in the segment.

Example: Contacts who are either premium users or have made a recent purchase

  • Condition 1: name equals BlueFox Email
  • OR
  • Condition 2: SentACampaign is true

Available Filter Conditions and Operators ​

Contact Properties ​

All contact properties and tags will be listed in this drop-down menu, allowing you to choose the property that defines the condition for your segment.

Screenshot of contact properties

Operators ​

Segments can filter contacts based on various operators applied to contact properties. Here are the available operator types:

  • Equals
  • Does Not Equal
  • Contains
  • Does Not Contain
  • Is Empty
  • Is Not Empty
  • Greater Than
  • Less Than
  • Greater Than or Equal
  • Less Than or Equal

Screenshot of segment condition operators

To see your contacts that match the segment conditions, click the Segments tab and then choose your segment by its name.

Screenshot of segment selection view

This will show you how many contacts currently fit the criteria you've set.

Screenshot of segment contacts view

Engagment based Segments ​

You can also create segments based on contact engagement with your campaigns. This allows you to target contacts who have interacted with your emails in specific ways, such as:

  • received
  • not received
  • opened
  • not opened
  • clicked
  • not clicked

To create an engagement-based segment, click on the engagement tab in the segment creation section.

Screenshot of engagement-based segment tab

Then, choose the engagement condition you want to apply to your segment.

Screenshot of engagement-based segment conditions

After that you will need to specify the number of days for the engagement condition. For example, if you choose "opened" and set it to 30 days, the segment will include contacts who have opened any of your emails in the last 30 days.

Screenshot of engagement-based segment days condition

Related setting:

The same condition builder is used by the unengaged segment in your project settings. That definition is project-wide and powers the Exclude unengaged option on campaigns, triggered emails, and automation Notify nodes, so you don't have to build an exclusion segment yourself.

Segment Application Scope ​

Segments can be applied to different contact scopes depending on your needs:

All Contacts ​

Apply the segment filter to your entire contact database, regardless of list subscriptions. This is useful for:

  • Broad behavioral targeting
  • Cross-list segmentation
  • General contact characteristics

Specific Subscriber List ​

Apply the segment only to contacts within a particular subscriber list. This is ideal for:

  • List-specific targeting
  • Topic-based segmentation
  • Maintaining list context while adding precision

Managing Segments ​

Editing Segments ​

You can modify segment conditions at any time by clicking on the segment name and then editing properties. Changes will automatically update which contacts are included in the segment.

Screenshot of segment edit view

Deleting Segments ​

To delete a segment, click the trash icon next to the segment name. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Screenshot of segment delete option

Note: Deleting a segment does not delete the contacts within it; it only removes the segment definition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a segment in BlueFox Email?

A segment is a dynamic group of contacts filtered by conditions you define. Segments update automatically as contact data changes. You can apply them to campaigns to target a subset of a subscriber list, and use them in automations as trigger conditions or audience filters.

Can I combine multiple conditions in a segment?

Yes. Segments support both AND logic (contact must meet all conditions) and OR logic (contact must meet at least one condition). You can mix property-based conditions using operators like Equals, Contains, Greater Than, and Is Empty with engagement-based conditions like opened or clicked within a specified number of days.

What is an engagement-based segment?

An engagement-based segment filters contacts based on how they have interacted with your emails. Conditions include received, not received, opened, not opened, clicked, and not clicked within a specified number of days. This lets you run re-engagement campaigns at inactive subscribers or reward your most engaged contacts.

Does deleting a segment delete the contacts in it?

No. Deleting a segment only removes the segment definition and its filtering rules. The contacts themselves and their subscriptions remain completely unaffected.

Can I apply a segment to all contacts or only within a specific list?

Both. When creating a segment you choose whether it applies to all contacts in the project or only to contacts within a specific subscriber list. All-contacts scope is useful for broad behavioral targeting across lists. List scope is useful for more precise, list-specific targeting.