Creating Customer Segments

Customer segments let you organize your customers into groups based on shared characteristics so you can target specific audiences with promotions, communications, and marketing efforts. Instead of applying a promotion to every customer or no customers at all, segments give you the precision to reach exactly the right people. This guide covers what segments are, the two types available, how to create and manage them, and how to keep them current.

What Are Customer Segments

A customer segment is a named group of customers that share one or more characteristics relevant to your business. Segments are used throughout AccuArk's marketing tools to target specific audiences:

• A segment called "VIP Customers" might include everyone who has spent over $1,000 in your store.
• A segment called "Inactive Customers" might include everyone who has not visited in the last 90 days.
• A segment called "Downtown Regulars" might include customers who primarily shop at your downtown location.

Segments serve as building blocks for targeted marketing. Once you have defined your segments, you can attach them to promotions, filter customer reports by segment, and identify trends within specific customer groups.

Two Types of Segments

AccuArk supports two distinct types of customer segments, each suited for different use cases:

Manual Segments

Manual segments are hand-curated lists where you individually select which customers belong to the group:

• You add customers to the segment one at a time by searching for them and selecting them.
• You remove customers from the segment individually as well.
• The membership list does not change unless you explicitly add or remove someone.
• Manual segments are ideal for small, curated groups where you know exactly who should be included — for example, a list of corporate accounts, employees' family members, or customers who participated in a specific event.
• Because membership is entirely controlled by you, manual segments never include or exclude customers unexpectedly.

Rule-Based Segments

Rule-based segments use filter rules to automatically determine which customers belong to the group:

• You define one or more filter conditions, and the system includes every customer who matches all of the conditions.
• Membership is dynamic — as customer data changes (new purchases, updated visit counts, etc.), the segment can be refreshed to reflect the latest data.
• Rule-based segments are ideal for larger, evolving groups where manual curation would be impractical — for example, all customers who have spent over a certain threshold, or all customers who shop at a particular location.
• Because membership is determined by rules, the segment stays relevant as your customer base grows and changes.

Creating a Manual Segment

To create a manual segment, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Marketing > Segments.
2. Click New to open the segment creation form.
3. Enter a name for the segment. Choose a clear, descriptive name that communicates the purpose of the group (e.g., "Corporate Partners", "Event Attendees March 2026").
4. Optionally enter a description explaining the purpose of the segment and any criteria for inclusion.
5. Select Manual as the segment type.
6. Click Save to create the segment.

After the segment is created, you need to add customers to it:

1. Open the segment you just created.
2. Click Add Customers.
3. Use the search field to find customers by name, phone number, email, or customer ID.
4. Select the customer from the search results and confirm the addition.
5. Repeat for each customer you want to include in the segment.

The customer list updates immediately. Each added customer appears in the segment's membership list with their name, contact information, and the date they were added.

Creating a Rule-Based Segment

To create a rule-based segment, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Marketing > Segments.
2. Click New to open the segment creation form.
3. Enter a name for the segment (e.g., "High Spenders", "Lapsed Customers", "Northside Shoppers").
4. Optionally enter a description.
5. Select Rule-Based as the segment type.
6. Configure one or more filter rules as described below.
7. Click Save to create the segment.

When the segment is saved, the system evaluates the rules and populates the membership list with all customers who match the defined criteria.

Available Filter Rules

Rule-based segments support the following filter criteria. You can combine multiple rules, and a customer must match all of the configured rules to be included in the segment (AND logic).

Total Spend

Filter customers based on their cumulative spending across all transactions:

• Greater than — Include customers who have spent more than a specified dollar amount. For example, "Total Spend greater than $500" includes all customers whose lifetime spending exceeds $500.
• Less than — Include customers who have spent less than a specified amount. This is useful for identifying low-engagement customers who might benefit from a promotional incentive.
• Total spend is calculated from all finalized invoices associated with the customer record.

Visit Count

Filter customers based on the number of times they have made a purchase:

• More than — Include customers with more than N visits (finalized invoices). For example, "Visit Count more than 10" includes repeat customers with at least 11 visits.
• Fewer than — Include customers with fewer than N visits. This is useful for targeting new or infrequent customers.
• Each finalized invoice counts as one visit, regardless of the transaction amount.

Last Visit Date

Filter customers based on the date of their most recent purchase:

• Within — Include customers who have visited within a specified time frame. For example, "Last Visit Date within 30 days" includes customers who made a purchase in the last 30 days. This identifies your active customer base.
• Before — Include customers whose last visit was before a specified date. For example, "Last Visit Date before 2025-11-01" includes customers who have not visited since November 2025. This is ideal for identifying lapsed customers who may need a re-engagement offer.

Location

Filter customers based on the location(s) where they shop:

• Select one or more locations from the list.
• Customers are included if they have at least one finalized invoice at any of the selected locations.
• This is useful for location-specific promotions or for understanding the customer base at individual branches.
• A customer who shops at multiple locations will appear in segments for any location where they have transacted.

Combining Multiple Rules

You can add multiple filter rules to a single segment. When multiple rules are defined, a customer must satisfy all of them to be included (AND logic):

• Example: "Total Spend greater than $200" AND "Last Visit Date within 60 days" includes only customers who have spent over $200 and have visited in the last 60 days. Customers who meet one condition but not the other are excluded.
• This AND logic allows you to create precise, narrowly targeted segments. Start broad and add rules to narrow down the audience to exactly the group you want.

Managing Segment Membership

Once a segment is created, you can view and manage its membership from the segment detail screen:

• View the customer list — The segment detail screen shows all customers currently in the segment, including their name, contact information, and key metrics (total spend, visit count, last visit date).
• Add customers manually (manual segments only) — Click Add Customers to search for and add individual customers to a manual segment.
• Remove customers manually (manual segments only) — Select a customer from the list and click Remove to take them out of a manual segment.
• Rule-based segments do not support manual add/remove because membership is determined entirely by the filter rules. To change who is included, modify the rules or refresh the segment.

Refreshing Rule-Based Segments

Rule-based segment membership is not updated in real time. Instead, you can manually trigger a refresh to re-evaluate which customers match the current rules:

1. Open the rule-based segment.
2. Click Refresh on the segment detail screen.
3. The system re-runs the filter rules against the latest customer data and updates the membership list.

Refreshing is important because customer data changes over time — new purchases increase spend totals and visit counts, and the "last visit date" moves further into the past with each passing day. A segment that was accurate a month ago may no longer reflect current conditions without a refresh.

• Refresh your rule-based segments before launching a promotion that targets them, to ensure the audience is current.
• The refresh process may take a few moments for very large customer databases, but it runs in the background and does not block other operations.
• After the refresh completes, the updated customer count and membership list are displayed immediately.

Best Practices

• Name segments clearly — Use descriptive names that anyone on your team can understand at a glance. "VIP - Spent Over $1000" is more useful than "Segment A".
• Use rule-based segments for dynamic audiences — If the group membership should change as customer behavior evolves, rule-based is the right choice. Customers who were inactive three months ago may have returned since then.
• Use manual segments for hand-curated lists — If you have a specific, fixed list of customers (e.g., contest winners, partner accounts), manual segments give you full control.
• Refresh before targeting — Always refresh a rule-based segment before using it in a promotion or report to ensure the data is current.
• Keep segments focused — A segment that tries to capture too broad an audience loses its targeting value. Create multiple focused segments rather than one overly broad one.
• Review periodically — As your business changes, some segments may become irrelevant. Archive or delete segments you no longer use to keep the segment list clean and manageable.

What to Read Next

• Using Segments to Target Promotions — Learn how to attach segments to promotions so that discounts are applied only to customers in specific groups.