Behavioural email segmentation in 2026 involves dividing your email list based on a customer’s actions – or inactions – with your business, rather than demographic data. This allows marketers to send highly targeted messages triggered by specific behaviours, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
As of December 2025, most Australian-used marketing automation platforms, such as Campaign Monitor, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign, now include advanced behavioural tracking. These systems monitor website activity (page views, product searches), email engagement (opens, clicks, bounces), purchase history, and app usage. In 2026, these platforms increasingly leverage first-party data due to evolving privacy regulations like the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Segmentation is typically achieved through ‘if/then’ logic within the platform; for example, ‘if a customer abandons a shopping cart, then send an automated reminder email’. Currently, platforms offer pre-built behavioural segments, and the ability to create custom segments based on multiple actions. Integration with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce is standard, automatically syncing purchase data. Some platforms now include predictive behavioural scoring, assigning a likelihood score to customers performing a specific action, such as making a repeat purchase.
Ultimately, behavioural email segmentation functions by automatically categorising subscribers and delivering tailored content based on their demonstrated interactions with your brand.
