SocialWhy Segmentation Matters in Email Marketing
Segmenting your email marketing list can significantly improve open and click rates. By tailoring your message to specific audience segments, your emails feel more relevant—leading to better engagement and overall campaign performance.
To evaluate this, Mailchimp analyzed approximately 2,000 users who sent 11,000 segmented campaigns to nearly 9 million recipients. The performance of those segmented campaigns was then compared to non-segmented campaigns sent by the same users.
Overall Impact of Segmented Campaigns
Segmented campaigns consistently outperformed non-segmented ones across key metrics:
- Opens: 14.31% higher
- Unique Opens: 10.64% higher
- Clicks: 100.95% higher
- Bounces: 4.65% lower
- Abuse Reports: 3.90% lower
- Unsubscribes: 9.37% lower
Segmenting by Merge Field
Segmenting by merge field (such as ZIP code, customer type, or job title) was the most commonly used method and showed strong results:
- Opens: 14.06% higher
- Unique Opens: 9.15% higher
- Clicks: 54.79% higher
- Bounces: 0.79% higher
- Abuse Reports: 3.33% lower
- Unsubscribes: 7.19% lower
Segmenting by Signup Date
Targeting based on signup date—whether for new or long-time subscribers—resulted in high engagement but also higher risk of outdated data:
- Opens: 29.56% higher
- Unique Opens: 26.86% higher
- Clicks: 51.64% higher
- Bounces: 55.18% higher
- Abuse Reports: 29.55% higher
- Unsubscribes: 33.76% higher
Segmenting by Interest Groups
Using signup forms that let users select their interests allows for highly personalized campaigns:
- Opens: 9.92% higher
- Unique Opens: 5.54% higher
- Clicks: 74.53% higher
- Bounces: 17.61% lower
- Abuse Reports: 17.78% lower
- Unsubscribes: 25.65% lower
Segmenting by Subscriber Activity
Mailchimp’s reporting tools allow marketers to target subscribers based on past engagement:
- Opens: 10.44% higher
- Unique Opens: 12.23% higher
- Clicks: 15.69% higher
- Bounces: 9.23% lower
- Abuse Reports: 10.34% higher
- Unsubscribes: 5.49% higher
Key Takeaways
While segmentation approaches yield varying results depending on execution, one conclusion is clear: list segmentation has a positive impact on engagement. Targeting based on interest, location, or behavior typically leads to more opens and clicks, while also lowering unsubscribes and spam complaints.
Learn more about email marketing performance by exploring email marketing statistics by industry. For automation tips, visit Mailchimp’s marketing automation resources.
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