Segments group your users by characteristics and behavior so you can target the right audience with prompts and guides. Build a segment from built-in or custom traits, then use it to include or exclude users.

Available on all Recurly Engage subscription plans

1Definition 2Key benefits 3Key details

Prerequisites

You must have Company or App Administrator permissions in Recurly Engage.

Limitations

There's no limit on the number of segments you can create, and users can belong to multiple segments.

Definition

A segment uses trait filters to include or exclude users based on their characteristics or behaviors. Filters can use built-in usage, device, and location traits, or imported custom traits.

Key benefits

Precision targeting Reach the right users with contextually relevant messages.

Dynamic audiences Automatically update segments based on real-time trait changes.

Cross-functional data Use external data through custom trait imports for advanced targeting.

Key details

Trait sources

Built-in traits: Usage metrics (visits, minutes), device type, location, and prompt interactions, tracked automatically. See Usage tracking for the full list of automatically tracked attributes and how to add custom trackers.
Custom traits: Import through AWS S3 (CSV, ingested within a few hours), direct CSV upload in Pulse, or real-time events through the API or SDK.
Complex collections: Collections such as a user having multiple active or expired subscriptions. Learn more about complex collections.

Common segment examples

Monthly plan members with declining visits
Trial users
Users with failed payments

Advanced filtering logic

Multi-value support: You can add multiple rows for the same custom trait within a single segment. For example, you can set a filter to include "Renewal Start Date" greater than 30 days AND exclude "Renewal Start Date" greater than 60 days.
Within a single "Subscription" collection: Currently, filters within the subscription object function independently. A user qualifies if they have any subscription matching criterion A and any subscription matching criterion B. They don't necessarily have to be the same subscription.

Usage-based segments

Combine segments with Usage tracking to target users based on app behavior:

Users who have never visited a specific page or content
Users who clicked a particular button or section

Create a segment: example

The following example creates a segment of Engaged, US-based iOS Premium plan users who have not redeemed the iOS prompt.

Start a new segment

Navigate to Segments > New Segment.

Name the segment

Enter a Name (for example, "Engaged iOS Premium – No Redemption") and an optional Description.

Add trait filters

Add the following trait filters in sequence.

Engaged: Choose Usage → Visits → Greater than or equal to → 2 over the last 7 days.
US-based: Select Location → Countries → Include → United States of America.
iOS: Select Device → OS → iOS.
Premium plan: Under Custom → Plan → Include → Premium.
Not redeemed iOS prompt: Select Interactions → User has not → accepted (primary) → [iOS popup]. Choose your created prompt from the dropdown.
Add complex subscription traits:
- Select Subscriptions from the trait dropdown.
- Sub-attribute: Choose a dimension.
- Match Type: Set your criteria.
- Note: You can add multiple sub-attributes to further refine the collection.

NoteCustom covers any traits you've imported. Learn more about importing custom traits.

Save the segment

Select Save to create the segment.

Enable the segment

Toggle Enable to activate the segment and begin real-time monitoring.

Recurly Engage starts processing incoming data and populates your segment within a few hours. To monitor the segment's metrics, open its detail view and adjust the date range as needed.