Last updated: March 2026 Category: Campaigns

Overview

Segment targeting lets you control exactly who receives a push notification campaign. By combining include and exclude rules, you can reach the right users with the right message while avoiding audiences that should not be contacted.

How Segment Targeting Works

When you create a campaign, the targeting section has two areas: Include Segments and Exclude Segments. The final audience is determined by applying these rules in order.

Include Segments

Select one or more segments to include. A user who belongs to at least one of the selected segments qualifies for the campaign. This is an "OR" relationship—the user does not need to be in every selected segment, just one.

Example: You include "VIP Customers" and "Loyalty Members." Anyone in either segment will receive the notification.

If you leave the include section empty, the campaign targets all subscribers by default.

[Screenshot: Include Segments selector with two segments chosen]

Exclude Segments

Select one or more segments to exclude. A user who belongs to any excluded segment is removed from the audience, even if they also match an included segment. This is useful for suppressing messages to users who should not see them.

Example: You include "All Subscribers" but exclude "Purchased Last 7 Days" so that recent buyers are not bombarded with a promotional message.

[Screenshot: Exclude Segments selector removing a segment from the audience]

How the Audience Is Calculated

The system processes targeting in this order:

Gather all users from the included segments (union).
Remove any users who appear in the excluded segments.
The remaining set is your final campaign audience.

The estimated audience size updates in real time as you adjust your include and exclude selections.

Retargeting Previous Campaign Recipients

BeyondCart lets you retarget users based on how they interacted with a previous campaign. In the targeting section, select Retarget Campaign and choose a previously sent campaign from the dropdown.

You can then filter by recipient behavior:

All Recipients — Target everyone who received the original campaign.

Did Not Open — Target users who received the notification but never opened it. Useful for giving your message a second chance with a revised title or different send time.

Clicked — Target users who tapped the notification. These are engaged users who showed interest and may be ready for a follow-up offer.

Added to Checkout — Target users who tapped the notification and started a checkout but did not complete the purchase. A nudge or incentive can help close the sale.

Purchased — Target users who completed a purchase after tapping the notification. Use this to thank buyers, suggest complementary products, or invite a review.

[Screenshot: Retarget Campaign dropdown with behavior filter options]

Targeting Specific Device Tokens

For internal testing or troubleshooting, you can send a campaign to specific device tokens instead of segments. This bypasses all segment rules and delivers the notification only to the listed devices.

Enter one or more device tokens in the Test Tokens field, separated by commas. This is especially useful when verifying that a campaign renders correctly before sending it to your full audience.

See Test Notifications for more details on setting up test users.

Best Practices

Start broad with included segments, then narrow by excluding groups that should not receive the message.
Use retargeting "Did Not Open" to re-send important announcements with a fresh subject line.
Avoid over-targeting the same users repeatedly—check campaign history before scheduling.
Always preview the estimated audience size to make sure it matches your expectations.