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Growth Levers are Hidden in Your Segmentations
Most teams chase new customers but forget that growth lives in the inboxes of people who already said yes. This week, we look at how proper segmentation, cross-team data sharing, and relationship-driven email strategies can multiply revenue from existing customers - without increasing acquisition costs.
Here’s the idea: Growing what you already have. Yup, it’s possible.
Retention isn’t magic. It is structured. According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report, 71% of high-growth companies prioritize lifecycle segmentation over new lead generation. Why? Because well-segmented post-purchase emails outperform batch-and-blast campaigns by 58%. The best marketers think like relationship managers: they map what customers need next, not just what they might buy next.
Teardown
What Works:
Sephora’s Beauty Insider program uses purchase history, frequency, and engagement data to personalize post-purchase emails. Product suggestions are based on routine maintenance cycles (for example, replacing mascara every three months). This segmentation strategy helped Sephora build a loyalty program where 80% of sales come from repeat customers.
What Fails:
A 2023 Salesforce survey found that 66% of consumers stopped buying from a brand because messages felt irrelevant or repetitive. Over-segmentation by demographic data - without behavioural insight - created “personalization fatigue.”
Why:
Segmentation only works when it’s alive. Behavioural and lifecycle cues outperform static labels.
Framework
Things to Consider:
Segment by behaviour, not just persona. Look for milestones like first purchase, upgrade, or inactivity.
Align marketing and sales data so emails reflect real customer context.
Use progressive profiling - gather small, voluntary data points over time to deepen relevance.
Decision Path:
Start with the lifecycle map: where are people drifting away or ready for more value?
Layer on behavioural signals: repeat purchases, email opens, feature usage.
Design email content that either rewards progress or re-engages drift.
Trade-Offs:
Over-automation can make segmentation impersonal. A manual layer - quarterly data reviews, human QA on messaging - keeps communication authentic.
Outcome Focus
Human: Customers want to feel remembered, not monitored.
Business: Well-maintained relationship segments reduce churn and increase LTV without raising CAC.
Measurement Prompts
Are you segmenting based on recency, frequency, and value (RFV) or just demographics?
How often do marketing and sales sync on customer data?
Which post-purchase emails correlate with repeat transactions?
Metrics:
Repeat purchase rate
Customer lifetime value (LTV)
Churn or inactivity rate
Segment-specific open and conversion rates
Ethics Check
Data can build relationships or break trust. Only collect what you use, and always offer clear preferences or opt-outs. A customer who feels respected is a customer who stays.
Reflect and Apply
When was your last audit of active segments?
Could your next email tell a customer something new about themselves?
Where can sales feedback improve marketing’s understanding of customer intent?
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Tip of the Week
If your CRM supports it, tag customers by “outcome achieved” rather than “product bought.” It helps you email based on progress, not SKU.
Practical Focus
Spotify’s Wrapped Campaign Proves High Engagement via Personalization
Spotify’s Wrapped campaign is segmentation in celebration form. Each year, Spotify uses behavioural data (listening hours, genres, and moods) to turn individual use into a story. The result: a 60% year-over-year spike in engagement around Wrapped emails and a massive organic social lift. The psychology? Recognition. People love when brands reflect their identity back to them.
What’s Happening in the World?
Segmented Campaigns Provide a 73% Higher CTR
According to Mailchimp’s 2025 Benchmark Report, segmented campaigns earned 73% higher click rates than non-segmented ones. The most effective segments combined purchase data with engagement timing - for example, sending restock reminders when customers historically engage most.
A Final Note
Don’t Chase - Build Relationships
Growth doesn’t come from chasing strangers. It comes from noticing friends. Segmentation is not a spreadsheet exercise - it’s how you show you’re paying attention.
Growth doesn’t come from chasing strangers. It comes from noticing friends. Segmentation is not a spreadsheet exercise - it’s how you show you’re paying attention.
And remember: your best growth hack might just be replying to someone who already replied.
Until next Tuesday,
Practical marketing psychology for email and lifecycle.
Ships every Tuesday.