Build segments

Last update: February 14, 2025

CREATED FOR:

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • Developer

In this lesson, we will build some segments based on the profile data we ingested in the previous lessons.

Once you have Real-Time Customer Profiles, you can create segments of individuals who share similar traits and might respond similarly to marketing strategies. The building blocks of these segments are the XDM fields which you created earlier.

Data Architects will need to create segments outside of this tutorial and support their colleagues with this task.

Before you begin the exercises, watch this short video to learn more about creating segments:

Permissions required

In the Configure Permissions lesson, you set up all the access controls required to complete this lesson, specifically:

  • Permission items Profile Management > Manage Segments, View Segments, and Export Audience Segment
  • Permission items Profile Management > View Profiles, and Manage Profiles
  • Permission item Sandboxes > Luma Tutorial
  • User-role access to the Luma Tutorial Platform product profile
  • Developer-role access to the Luma Tutorial Platform product profile (for API)

Build a basic segment

Let’s create a simple segment for loyalty program customers with a Gold or Platinum Status

  1. In the Platform user interface, go to Segments in the left navigation
  2. Select the Create segment button
  3. On the left of the schema builder are three tabs for Attributes (Record data), Events (Time-series data), and Audiences
  4. Select the gear icon to note how the segment builder defaults to only show you fields with data and allows you to change the merge policy
  5. In Attributes tab, navigate to the XDM Individual Profile > Loyalty folder (you could also search for “loyalty”)
  6. Drag and drop, Tier from the attribute fields menu to the segment builder canvas
  7. Select Tier equals Gold or Platinum
  8. Select Refresh estimate to see how many profiles qualify for your segment
  9. As the Name, enter Luma customers with level Gold or Above
  10. Select Save
    Segment

Build a dynamic segment

In this exercise, we will create a segment for customers who have bought the same product twice within 30 days. Dynamic segments allow you to scale your segmentation by using fields as variables.

  1. Go to Segments in the left navigation

  2. Select the Create segment button

  3. Select the Events tab

  4. Filter the list to purchases

  5. Drag the Purchases event type onto the canvas two separate times

  6. Select the clock icon in between the two Purchases events and choose “within 30 days”

  7. Confirm that your segment definition at this point reads “Include audience who have at least 1 Purchases event then within 30 days have at least 1 Purchases event”
    Two purchases within 30 days

  8. Now change the event filter to sku

  9. Drag the SKU field to the second purchase event
    Two purchases within 30 days with SKU

  10. Now clear the event filter

  11. You should see in the Browse Variables section, there are folders for the two purchase events. Click to explore Purchases 1
    Two purchases within 30 days with SKU, browse the first purchase

  12. Drill down into the Product list items folder, select the SKU field, and drag it to the right of the equals operand. When you are hovering over the area, drop it in the “Add to compare operands” section

  13. Name your segment Bought same product within 30 days

  14. Confirm that your audience definition is “Include audience who have at least 1 Purchases event then within 30 days have at least 1 Purchases event where ((SKU equals Purchases1 SKU))”

  15. Select the Save button

    Bought same product in the last 30 days segment

Build a multi-entity segment

Remember how we created the relationship between the Luma Offline Purchase Events Schema and the Luma Product Catalog Schema in earlier lessons? We did that so we could use the relationship in our schema using multi-entity segmentation.

With the advanced multi-entity segmentation feature, you can create segments using multiple XDM classes to extend your schemas. As a result, the segment builder can access additional fields as if they were native to the profile data store

You will create the next segment by applying the relationship you built between your Luma Product Catalog Schema and your Luma Offline Purchase Events Schema.

  1. Go to Segments in the left navigation

  2. Select the Create segment button

  3. Select the Events tab

  4. Filter the list to purchases

  5. Drag the Purchases event type onto the canvas

  6. Select the clock dropdown above the event and choose in last 30 days

  7. Filter the Events list to category and then drag the Product Category field onto Purchases

  8. Change the operator to starts with and enter men into the text box

  9. As the Name, enter Purchased a Men's product in the last 30 days

  10. Confirm the audience definition (Include audience who have at least 1 Purchases event where ((Product Category starts with men)) ) and occurs in last 30 day(s)

  11. Select the Save button

    Bought same product in the last 30 days segment