Segments are at the core of how you use BlueConic to unify, collect, store, and activate customer data. With segment filters you can shape how your multidimensional customer segments are defined and used.
BlueConic uses filtering to determine which customers or visitors belong to a segment. BlueConic segment filters come in three varieties: Text filters, Range filters, and Date filters. The option available depends on the profile property you are filtering.
- Text filters contain one or more selectable options. The selectable options that appear in text filters are retrieved from all the profiles that have a value for the specified profile property.
- Range filters allow you to specify a numerical range to match visitors who belong to a segment. For example, you can create a segment of all visitors who have between 10 and 20 page views.
- Date filters allow you to define a time period within which website visitors have performed some action. For example, you can specify that a visitor belongs to a segment if their last visit was between January 1, 2024 and April 30, 2024.
Your Customer Success Manager may have added custom filters to BlueConic; these filters are not covered in the description below. If you have questions about a custom filter, contact your Customer Success Manager.
For basic information on using segmentation with BlueConic, see Creating dynamic customer segments.
The sections below dive into more detail for each type.
Defining customer segments using Text filters
A text filter allows you assign profiles to a segment based on whether they have or don't have a value or values for a specific profile property. You can select from a list of existing profile properties values (which are present in one or more visitor profiles), or you can add a new profile property value that you expect to present in one or more properties in the future.
When you select a profile property of type "Text" in the Segment Filter overview, the text filter appears at the right-hand side of the page. The filter displays values that have been retrieved from that profile property in all visitor profiles. Select the values that you want your segment to filter on. Once you save the segment, all current and future visitors whose profile property matches the values you selected in the filter will automatically belong to the segment.
For example:
The profile property "Favorite Sport" is of the type "Text," so a text filter is displayed when you click it. You see values gathered from visitor profiles and the number of profiles that contain each value. The list shows the 1000 values that occur most. In the example above, "nba" and "golf" are selected. You can also filter by another value by clicking Add value and entering its name (lowercase only).
In some cases where data is unavailable, BlueConic pre-populates obvious choices for certain filters (for example: "high," "medium," and "low" for Engagement).
Tip: If you're working with large datasets or require faster loading times, consider unchecking the View profile counts setting to display property values only, without profile counts. This allows you to quickly create and adjust your segmentation logic without waiting for count data to load. (You can turn this setting on or off at any time.)
Note: When you select a property with a large number of values, those values load progressively in blocks of 40. The first 40 values are shown immediately, and another 40 appear each time you scroll down to the end of that block. The first option listed will be labeled "Select first XX values," displaying the current number of values after each block of 40 is loaded.
Using text filter operators
Text filters have operators that you can use to define whether or the selected values should be included or excluded, and the relationship between the selected values. By default BlueConic uses "contains any of." Select the word "contains" to open a selection menu with other options:
Select the option you prefer:
- contains any of: In order to match, profiles must contain any value you selected in the profile property. In the previous example: profiles where "Favorite Sport" contains "nba" or "golf" or both would match.
- does not contain any of: In order to match, profiles must not contain any of the values you selected in the profile property. In the previous example: profiles where "Favorite Sport" does not contain either "nba" or "golf" would match.
- is empty: In order to match, profiles must not have a value for the profile property. In the previous example: profiles where "Favorite Sport" is empty would match.
- has a value: In order to match, profiles must have a value for the profile property. In the previous example: profiles where "Favorite Sport" has any value would match.
- contains all: In order to match, profiles must contain all values for the profile property. In the previous example: profiles where "Favorite Sport" contains both "nba" and "golf" would match.
- does not contain all: In order to match, profiles must not contain all values for the profile property. In the previous example: profiles where "Favorite Sport" does not contain both "nba" and "golf" at the same time would match.
Defining customer segments using Range filters
A Range filter allows you to segment profiles based on having profile property values that fall within or outside a numerical range. Click on a numeric profile property in a segment and a Range filter will open on the right-hand side. For example, the profile property "Visits" is of type numeric. (See Profile properties for information on profile property data types.) Clicking on a numeric profile property shows something like this:
In the Range filter, you can define the following:
- Minimum and maximum values for the profile property
- Range is empty (no value)
- Range has a value.
Minimum and maximum values: Enter the minimum value in the left input field and the maximum value in the right input field. If you leave a value blank, it is undefined, which means that there is no minimum and/or maximum value. The implications of leaving a value undefined are shown below:
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Minimum undefined | All profiles with a value up to and including the maximum will be part of the segment. |
| Maximum undefined | All profiles with a value higher than and including the minimum will be part of the segment. |
| Minimum and maximum undefined | All profiles will be part of the segment. Tip: To add all profiles that have a value for the numeric profile property to a segment, use the Profile Property Has Value Range filter. This will only include profiles that have a value for a profile property without the need to specify a certain range. |
Is empty: In order to match, profiles must not have a value for the profile property.
Has a value: In order to match, profiles must have a value for the profile property.
Negating the range
The range selection can be negated by clicking the word "in range" in the sentence "Number in range." The sentence will change to "Number not in range" and the filter will update accordingly. To switch back, click the words "not in."
Range filter graph
A line graph shows the distribution of the values taken from the profile property over all profiles. On the horizontal axis the values are shown. On the vertical axis, the number of profiles with that value is shown.
The values of the minimum and maximum value fields (i.e. the actual range) are reflected in a highlighted area in the graph.
Zooming in and out of a Range filter graph
You can zoom in on a Range filter in order to more clearly view selected parts of it. The zoom in/zoom out scale appears below the horizontal axis. On the far left and far right parts of the zoom in/zoom out scale there are sliders that you can drag left and right to zoom in.
When you zoom in on a portion of the line graph, the entire graph changes to accommodate the range you select. The minimum and maximum values of the horizontal and vertical axes and the graph itself scale to fit the available screen property.
Defining customer segments using Date Time filters
A Date Time filter allows you to segment profiles based on having profile property values that fall within a date range.
You can set a Date Time filter using the following options:
| Time Period | Description |
|---|---|
|
Date in range / Date not in range
|
Use these settings to indicate if the date has to be in or not in the date range. |
|
Date is empty / Date has a value |
Use these settings to indicate if the date must be empty or have a value. |
| Between | Select a specific start date/time and end date/time to find any values within that range. |
| After | Select one specific date/time to find any values that come after that point. |
| Before | Select one specific date/time to find any values that come before that point. |
| Within last |
Define a specific number of calendar days (UTC), days (24 hours), or hours before the current date/time to find any values within that range. |
| Within next | Define a specific number of calendar days (UTC), days (24 hours), or hours after the current date/time to find values within that range. |
All profiles with a property having a date that falls within the specified time period belong to the segment. For example, if the profile property is "Last Visited Date" and the date range is "Within last 30 calendar days (UTC)," then anyone who visited your channels within the last 30 calendar days belongs to the segment.
Note: "Between," "After," and "Before" are calculated based on the local time zone of the user who configured the segment. "Within last" and "Within next" are based on UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
Tip: When making a selection for "Within last" or "Within next," note the difference between the different "day" options:
- Calendar days (UTC) refers to the number of full days–i.e., from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM–before or after the current date/time (in your local time zone).
- Days (24 hours) refers to the number of 24-hour increments before or after the current date/time (in your local time zone). This is the default option when you choose either "Within last" or "Within next."
Date Time filter graph
For Date Time filters, a line graph appears showing the distribution of values taken from the profile property. On the horizontal axis, the minimum/maximum date is shown; on the vertical axis, the number of profiles is shown. If you hover your mouse over a value in the line graph, a popup appears that displays the value and how many profiles contain that date.
Zooming in and out of a Date Time filter graph
You can zoom in on a Date Time filter in order to more clearly view selected parts of it. The zoom in/zoom out scale appears below the horizontal axis. On the far left and far right parts of the zoom in/zoom out scale, there are sliders that you can drag left and right to zoom in.
When you zoom in on a portion of the graph, the main graph changes to show the date range you select. The minimum and maximum values of the horizontal and vertical axes in the main graph change according to the values appearing in the area you zoom in to.