Check email segment AND/OR conditions and refresh status before sending
Key Takeaway
When selecting email recipients by conditions, write down who should be included and excluded first. Compare that wording with AND/OR settings and check data refresh status before finalizing recipients.
How do groups differ from segments?
Stibee’s October 13 article distinguishes manually maintained groups from segments that automatically include or exclude subscribers by conditions. Categories of interest and purchase status can define segments; purchase conditions require purchase data. Do not assume other tools provide the same features.
When choosing recipients, try writing inclusion and exclusion conditions beside the campaign copy. If a send should exclude existing customers, state that separately and agree with the owner on how to handle missing purchase data.
Where should you check AND and OR?
The official help describes Address book > Segments > Create new: combine subscriber information or activity with a comparison value and a matching rule. AND requires all conditions; OR requires any. Distinguish contains from equals. List counts refresh every 10 minutes.
Put each condition into a sentence. Compare the campaign’s purpose with whether recipients should match some conditions or all of them. Decide whether part of a value is sufficient or the whole value must match before choosing the matching rule.
Which data do activity conditions use?
The same help page says subscriber activity conditions require Pro or above. Recent n emails/days cover completed regular email sends, excluding automated emails.
If you built a condition with a recent send in mind, record which email you intended to use. Check the plan in the actual account, and ask the owner whether the connected purchase data has arrived. When counts differ from expectations, check both the conditions and data status.
Whose inclusion should you compare before sending?
Choose a small set for an internal check and compare expected with actual inclusion. Include existing customers who should be excluded. Record when you changed the conditions and when you checked the refresh, then revisit the conditions for anyone included or excluded unexpectedly.
Sources checked: 2026-10-17
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I write before building a segment?
Write the inclusion and exclusion conditions beside the campaign copy. If existing customers should be excluded, state that explicitly.
Who should I check before sending?
Compare expected and actual inclusion for a small internal check. Include existing customers who should be excluded.
What should I record after changing conditions?
Record when you changed the conditions and when you checked the refresh. Revisit the conditions for anyone included or excluded unexpectedly.
Sources & Verification Date
- Stibee — Email segmentation strategy for online stores · Verified
- Stibee Help — Using segments · Verified
All materials have been verified from official announcements and may have changed since verification.