What is WhatsApp Customer Segmentation & How to Use it in 2025?

If you want to run tailored marketing campaigns, what is the first thing you need? A robust marketing platform, an accurate marketing list, or a personalized marketing message? Though all of these elements help in sending relevant promotional messages, they are just a part of a bigger picture. 

A properly segmented contact list is the bread and butter of personalized marketing efforts. This is more the case for WhatsApp. WhatsApp has a very strict messaging policy where you need your marketing and customer support messages templated and categorized correctly. 

So, you have to ensure your WhatsApp messages are sent to the right prospect at the right time. But to do that, you have to have a hyper-tailored, segmented contact list that lets you connect with prospective customers effectively. 

That being said, in this blog post, I will tell you all you need to know about WhatsApp customer segmentation, its benefits, and how you can build tailored lists to boost the effectiveness of your WhatsApp marketing campaigns. Without further ado, let’s jump into it!

What is WhatsApp customer segmentation?

Customer segmentation, in general, is a marketing strategy where you divide your entire target market into smaller groups (segments) for better engagement and more personalized promotions. 

You can create these segments depending on a variety of factors such as demographics, age, gender, purchasing habits, budget, and interests. After you have successfully segmented contacts into groups, you can run WhatsApp marketing campaigns at scale across the entire list effortlessly. 

An example of WhatsApp customer segmentation is suppose you are running an e-commerce brand that caters to the fashion needs of women and men. You can divide both these groups into separate lists to run targeted WhatsApp campaigns to drive conversions. 

On top of that, you can further divide a segmented list based on the above-mentioned aspects to deliver hyper-personalized messages to maximize your promotional ROI. 

In addition to that, you can divide existing customers and new signups into different groups, allowing you to properly run re-targeting initiatives while onboarding new users with WhatsApp greeting messages. 

Why should you use WhatsApp customer segmentation?

Similar to running marketing campaigns across traditional channels such as SMS or emails, you need a segmented customer list for your WhatsApp efforts to improve your ROI. That being said, here are some of the benefits of WhatsApp customer segmentation:

Relevant messaging

Sending random WhatsApp Broadcast messages and hoping to get a conversion no longer works. These days, customers expect tailored messages before they take action. With WhatsApp customer segmentation, you can send highly relevant messages that resonate with your prospects.

Fewer number of messages

When you have a segmented list of contacts and send personalized messages, you don’t have to follow up as much in regards to sending generic messages. Although not all the prospects will take action after the first message, the conversion rate is significantly higher for tailored messages. 

Since you are sending fewer WhatsApp messages overall, you can save costs and not come off as a spammer. This way, you can avoid spamming your users, reduce the opt-out rates, and save your WhatsApp account from getting banned.

Better customer interactions

When your WhatsApp messages are tailored to your target audience, it increases the quality of customer engagement. With more contextual WhatsApp Broadcasts, you can encourage recipients to take practical action quickly. 

For instance, you can streamline responses, complete purchases, or submit forms with well-crafted messages that not only convert but also enhance customer engagement. 

Lowered expenses

Personalized WhatsApp messages are cost-efficient. Instead of sending messages to your complete marketing list, you can send relevant messages to segmented audiences. This fact greatly reduces the strain on your marketing budget and allows you to make the most of your WhatsApp marketing strategy.

Different ways to do WhatsApp customer segmentation

Depending on what you sell and who your customers are, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to segmenting your audience on WhatsApp. The good news, however, is that you can group your customers in many different ways to tailor your marketing messages and get better results. 

Let’s break down the most popular ways to segment customers for WhatsApp and how each one can help you improve your campaigns’ effectiveness:

Segmenting by behavior

One of the most effective ways to segment your WhatsApp audience is by looking at how they behave. Think about what actions they take. Do they open your messages, click on links, browse certain products, but never buy, or complete purchases frequently?

This kind of segmentation is all about understanding what your customers do, rather than who they are. For instance, you can group users who added items to their cart but didn’t complete the checkout, and send them an abandoned cart WhatsApp follow-up message with a reminder or even a small discount.

Behavioral segmentation is powerful because it is based on real-time data. According to a report, companies that use behavioral data to personalize experiences see a 20% increase in customer satisfaction and up to 15% higher sales conversion rates. With WhatsApp’s instant nature, sending the right message at the right time becomes even more impactful.

Segmenting by demographic information

Another common and straightforward way to segment your customers is by their demographic details, such as things like age, gender, location, income, or occupation. While this might sound a bit old-school, it still works well, especially when you are trying to understand who your ideal buyers are.

Say you run an online clothing store. You might find that your younger customers (say, 18–25) are more likely to respond to flash sales and trendy collections, while your older audience prefers quality basics and loyalty perks. With WhatsApp, you can send personalized campaigns based on these preferences.

Segmenting by customer journey

Not every customer is at the same stage in their journey with your business, and recognizing this is key to building long-term relationships. Segmenting customers by lifecycle stage means identifying whether they are new leads, first-time buyers, repeat customers, or even those who have gone cold.

For instance, someone who just subscribed to your list but hasn’t made a purchase yet might need more nurturing, like product guides or testimonials. Meanwhile, frequent buyers could be segmented into a VIP list and get early access to sales or loyalty rewards.

Segmenting by purchasing decision

Another smart way to group your audience is by what motivates them to buy. Do your customers usually shop during big sales? Do they respond better to limited-time offers, seasonal collections, or exclusive deals?

By identifying different purchase triggers, you can create more compelling campaigns. For example, during the holiday season, you might target customers who typically buy gifts with curated bundles. If someone regularly shops during end-of-season sales, you can send them an alert the moment your clearance event goes live.

Segmenting based on budget

Last but definitely not least is segmenting by how much customers typically spend. This helps you identify your big spenders versus occasional buyers. For example, you might find that a small group of your customers contributes to a large chunk of your revenue if you are a small business. These are your high-value customers, and they deserve special treatment.

By looking at average order value (AOV), you can craft messages that match their spending habits. Maybe send exclusive early access to new product lines to your high spenders, and use discount-based incentives to re-engage low spenders.

Increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%. So, focusing on your most valuable segments makes a lot of financial sense, especially on a personal channel like WhatsApp, where engagement tends to be high.

Ways to get started with WhatsApp customer segmentation

If you want your WhatsApp campaigns to actually drive revenue for your business, customer segmentation is one of the must-haves. With the right approach, you can break your audience into smart, manageable segments and start sending WhatsApp messages that actually matter to them. Here's how to do it:

Start with clear goals

Before diving into segmentation, get clear on what you are trying to achieve. Are you hoping to re-engage customers who have gone quiet? Promote a specific product line? Whatever the case, your segmentation strategy should revolve around that goal.

An example of this is if you are trying to recover abandoned carts, you will want to group users who have previously browsed your products but did not complete the checkout. On the other hand, if your focus is on boosting loyalty, you will look for repeat customers and high spenders. 

When your goal is specific, it becomes easier to decide how to organize your customer base and what kind of messages will work best.

Gather relevant contact information 

To build effective WhatsApp customer segmentation lists, you need data, and not just random data, but the kind that helps you understand who your customers are and what they care about. Start by collecting information through WhatsApp forms or product inquiry chats and save these details in your CRM for future interactions. 

Details like name, location, interests, purchase history, and even support queries can help you build a clear picture of your audience. The more relevant the data, the more targeted your segmentation can be.

If someone frequently asks about your skincare products, you can add them to a "Beauty Enthusiasts" segment and share personalized messages involving similar kinds of offerings. 

Leverage automated workflows to segment on autopilot

Manually tagging every customer is not scalable, particularly if your list is growing fast. This is where automation comes in. With the right WhatsApp tools that come with a CRM and link with the WhatsApp Business API, you can automatically save user data based on their actions.

For example, if someone clicks a link in your message about a new product, they can be instantly added to a WhatsApp list called “Interested in [Product Name].” Or if a customer completes a second purchase, you can move them from “New Buyer” to “Repeat Buyer” automatically.

Tailor your messaging for each segment

Once your segments are in place, this is where the magic of personalized campaigns happens. Instead of blasting the same generic message to everyone, you can now send super-relevant WhatsApp messages that speak directly to a customer’s interest or the stage of the WhatsApp sales funnel they are in.

Say hello to new subscribers with a welcome offer and remind window shoppers about what they left behind. These kinds of personalized touches go a long way. 

In fact, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences. And with WhatsApp’s high open rate of over 98% in some industries, your personalized messages have a much higher chance of being seen and acted on.

How can Zixflow help you with WhatsApp customer segmentation?

WhatsApp customer segmentation, as you know, is all about dividing your larger audience base into a smaller, more personalized contact list. 

Zixflow allows WhatsApp customer segmentation to feel effortless, no matter if you are managing a large list of contacts or just starting to build your audience. Instead of juggling spreadsheets or struggling with complex setups, Zixflow gives you everything you need in one clean, user-friendly platform.

First, Zixflow lets you collect rich customer data right from your WhatsApp conversations or integrations and store it directly with the native CRM. The platform is completely customizable, where you are in control of your data. This way, you are able to save and organize your customers’ data the way you want. 

Furthermore, you create custom lists to efficiently manage data and run list-wide WhatsApp campaigns to engage customers with relevant messages.

Moreover, every time you acquire a lead through WhatsApp, the contact information can automatically be sent to a pre-defined list. For example, when a user submits a form or signs up to your platform, the details entered by the user are automatically imported into a list of your choice, saving hours of manual data entry work. 

Personalization is another area where Zixflow shines. Once your segments are in place, you can send highly targeted WhatsApp marketing campaigns tailored to each group. The WhatsApp campaign editor in Zixflow is built in a way that lets you run tailored initiatives without needing any tech knowledge.

Additionally, the automation capabilities of Zixflow enable you to automate your customer interactions. Using the drag-and-drop interface, you can design a WhatsApp chatbot that allows you to handle common incoming inquiries without needing any human intervention. 

Overall, Zixflow takes the guesswork out of WhatsApp segmentation to help you focus more on connecting with your audience and less on managing tools. So, if you are looking to boost engagement, recover lost sales, or grow customer loyalty, Zixflow gives you the flexibility to do it all with ease.

Utilize WhatsApp customer segmentation to craft custom lists to maximize your promotional ROI

With the increased adoption of WhatsApp as a business marketing tool, brands are using it to connect with their customers on the go. However, sending the same message to everyone doesn’t cut it anymore. That is where the customer segmentation comes in. 

By grouping your audience based on common aspects like behavior, demographics, purchase history, or even where they are in their customer journey, you can craft conversations that actually mean something to them.

To effectively manage your customers’ information, you need a robust WhatsApp CRM that includes all the necessary features to kickstart your marketing and customer engagement initiatives on WhatsApp. 

Zixflow, with its built-in segmentation tools and real-time data collection, helps you organize your customer base and send messages that actually hit home. Sign up for a 7-day free trial to see the platform in action before upgrading to the Marketing Stack plan to unlock the centralized inbox for having two-way conversations over WhatsApp.