Understanding segments

Youtube Video: As a longtime Pushwoosh user, you may remember how we first introduced Segments under the name of Filters. The feature has evolved greatly since then, and here is its up-to-date overview

What are segments?

Segments are groups of app subscribers who meet the conditions you specify. These are users who have specific tag values assigned to their devices and/or user IDs.

Use segments to target audiences via push notifications, in-app messages, emails, customer journeys, etc.

Why use segments?

Segments enable you to:

• Target the right users: Send messages only to users who match your specific criteria
• Personalize campaigns: Create relevant content for different audience groups
• Improve engagement: Reach users at the right time with the right message
• Optimize costs: Avoid sending messages to uninterested users

How segments work

Segments are built using filters to define who should be included:

• Tags: User attributes like location, age, or subscription status
• Events: User actions like purchases or app opens
• Existing segments: Previously created segments (reuse and refine)
• Compound filters: Combinations of tags, events, and logic operators

When combining multiple conditions, use logical operators:

• AND: Users who meet all conditions
• OR: Users who meet any condition
• AND NOT: Users who meet first condition but exclude those who also meet second condition

This flexibility lets you create simple or complex audience targeting based on your needs.

Segment types at a glance

Choose the segment type that best fits your use case:

Segment Type	What it does	Best for
By tags	Target users based on their attributes and profile data	Segmenting by location, age, subscription status
By events	Target users based on their actions and app behavior	Targeting purchasers, users who opened the app, content viewers
By existing segments	Combine or refine previously created segments	Reusing complex segment logic, combining multiple segments
With compound filters	Combine multiple filter types using AND/OR/AND NOT logic	Advanced targeting like “purchased AND opened app in last 7 days”
Anniversary segments	Target users on specific dates each year	Birthday campaigns, app anniversary offers, seasonal promotions
From CSV import	Upload a file with user IDs or device IDs	Bulk importing user lists
With AI	Instantly creates segments from your plain-language descriptions using advanced natural language processing	Quick segment creation, intuitive design for new users, time-saving automation
RFM segmentation	Classifies users based on Recency, Frequency, and Monetary value of their purchase behavior	Purchase behavior analysis, identifying top spenders, churn risk detection

Create your segment

To build a segment:

1. Go to the Segments section of the Pushwoosh Control Panel (Audience → Segments).
2. Press the Create Segment button.
3. Choose Build Segment from the dropdown menu.

Explore all segment creation methods

Manage your segments

Keep your segments up-to-date and optimized with the following management options.

Segments list

On the Segments page you can search segments, sort by last modified, and create new ones with the Create Segment dropdown.

The table shows:

• Name: Segment name with the segment logic (Seglang) under it
• Estimated size: The calculated size or “Segment not calculated” and the last modified date
• Actions: Open the three-dot menu to edit conditions, refresh size, export to CSV, view segment usage, copy Seglang, clone, or delete the segment
• Send message: Click it to open the Create campaign dialog, where you choose a campaign type (one-time push or email, or an advanced campaign: push-based, email, in-app, SMS, or WhatsApp).

Actions with segments

These actions are available from the three-dot menu next to each segment in the Segments list. Some actions are also available on the segment detail page.

Edit conditions

To change the rules that define a segment, choose Edit conditions.

Alternatively, open the segment and click Edit conditions in the header.

Refresh segment size

Select Refresh Segment Size to recalculate audience counts.

Export segment users

Export segment data to CSV to analyze user lists, integrate with external systems, or back up segment information.

You can export a segment in two ways:

• Select Export segment users… in the action menu next to the segment.

• Select Generate CSV for export from the three-dot menu on the segment detail page.

Before export, choose which fields to include in the CSV directly in the Control Panel:

1. Select identifiers in Data fields.
2. Select the required items in Tags.
3. Click Export.

The CSV fields depend on your selection in the export dialog.

Example CSV

Hwid	Push Token	Type	Type (humanized)	Age	Application Version	City	Country	Device Model	Email Segment Name	First Install	Gender	In-app Product	In-app Purchase	Jailbroken	Language	Last Application Open	Last In-app Purchase date	Name	OS Version	PW Channels	Push Alerts Enabled	SDK Version	Subscription Segments	Unsubscribed Emails	WishList
146…Hl23f	146…Hl23f	10	Safari	27		us, new york	us	Safari 12.0.1		2020-02-19					en	2020-07-15					1	3.15.1.0		true
01D…3C8	eeeb2fd…fc3547	1	iOS	18	1.11.1.0	in, bengaluru	in	iPhone SE		2018-11-26		outwear_01	24	0	en	2018-11-26	2018-11-26					5.8.0.0	2D732-BB981, 7EC43-1531A
C90…79ae5	eQFKk…DwJSv	11	Chrome	36		us, chicago	us	Chrome 81		2020-08-24					en	2020-08-24					1	3.15.1.0

Copy Seglang

Segmentation Language is a syntax to define and apply specific conditions or filters when segmenting your audience.

The Copy Seglang option allows you to copy the underlying logic of a segment you’ve created.

The copied Segmentation Language can then be used in API calls, such as the createmessage API method or API-based customer journey entries, to replicate the same segmentation logic.

Learn how to manage segments with the API

Clone segment

Quickly create new segments based on existing ones. Cloning saves time when you need similar audience definitions with slight modifications.

View segment usage

Before changing or deleting a segment, you can see which customer journeys use it. Choose View segment usage.

The Segment usage modal shows a table with the journeys and campaigns that use the segment.

Delete segment

To remove a segment, choose Delete.

Deleting a segment does not remove or change user data. Campaigns (customer journeys) that use this segment will be paused, and any messages scheduled to that segment will be cancelled. Before confirming, you can see which journeys use the segment and how they will be affected.

Check Confirm that deleting will affect related campaigns to acknowledge the impact, then click Delete to proceed or Cancel to close.

Advanced features

High-Speed Delivery segments

High-Speed Delivery segments keep updated every 10 minutes, ensuring minimal delay when launching messages. Use these segments when you need the fastest possible message delivery.

RFM analysis

Use recency, frequency, and monetary analysis to identify your most valuable customers and create targeted campaigns for different customer value tiers.

Learn more about RFM segmentation

API-based segmentation

Developer assistance needed

API-based segmentation requires working with API methods and segmentation language syntax. Coordinate with your developer team to implement programmatic segment creation or advanced integrations.

Create and manage segments programmatically using API methods. This approach is ideal for automated segment management and integration with external systems.

Learn more about API-based segmentation