Membership Rules
Membership rules define who belongs to a dynamic audience. When consumers match the rules, they’re automatically included in the audience. This guide covers all available rule types and configuration options.
Rule Basics
How Rules Work
- Rules evaluate consumer attributes
- If conditions are met, the consumer is a member
- Membership updates automatically as data changes
- No manual maintenance required
Caption: Membership rules automatically determine audience membership
Rule Components
Each rule consists of:
| Component | Description | Example |
|---|
| Field | Consumer attribute to check | email, loyaltyPoints, tags |
| Operator | How to compare | equals, contains, greaterThan |
| Value | What to compare against | ”@company.com”, 1000, “VIP” |
Available Fields
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| email | String | Consumer’s email address |
| emailDomain | String | Domain part of email (after @) |
| phone | String | Phone number |
| fullName | String | Full name |
| firstName | String | First name |
| lastName | String | Last name |
Loyalty & Engagement
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| loyaltyPoints | Number | Current loyalty points balance |
| loyaltyTier | String | Current tier (Gold, Silver, etc.) |
| totalOrders | Number | Total order count |
| totalSpend | Number | Lifetime spend amount |
| averageOrderValue | Number | Average order value |
Dates & Timing
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| createdAt | Date | When consumer was created |
| lastActivityAt | Date | Most recent activity |
| firstPurchaseAt | Date | First purchase date |
| lastPurchaseAt | Date | Most recent purchase |
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| tags | Array | Consumer tags |
| externalId | String | External system ID |
| source | String | Where consumer originated |
Custom Attributes
Custom attributes you’ve defined for consumers can also be used in rules:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| metadata. | Varies | Custom metadata field |
| attributes. | Varies | Custom attribute |
Operators
String Operators
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|
| equals | Exact match | email equals “[email protected]” |
| notEquals | Not an exact match | email notEquals “[email protected]” |
| contains | Contains substring | email contains “@company.com” |
| notContains | Doesn’t contain substring | email notContains “@competitor.com” |
| startsWith | Begins with | email startsWith “vip” |
| endsWith | Ends with | email endsWith “.edu” |
| isEmpty | Field is empty | firstName isEmpty |
| isNotEmpty | Field has a value | phone isNotEmpty |
Number Operators
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|
| equals | Exact match | loyaltyPoints equals 1000 |
| notEquals | Not equal | loyaltyPoints notEquals 0 |
| greaterThan | Greater than value | totalSpend greaterThan 500 |
| greaterOrEqual | Greater or equal | totalOrders greaterOrEqual 5 |
| lessThan | Less than value | loyaltyPoints lessThan 100 |
| lessOrEqual | Less or equal | averageOrderValue lessOrEqual 50 |
| between | Within range | loyaltyPoints between 500-1000 |
Date Operators
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|
| equals | Exact date | createdAt equals “2024-01-01” |
| before | Before date | lastPurchaseAt before “2024-01-01” |
| after | After date | createdAt after “2024-06-01” |
| within | Within period | lastActivityAt within “30 days” |
| notWithin | Not within period | lastPurchaseAt notWithin “90 days” |
Array Operators
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|
| contains | Array includes value | tags contains “VIP” |
| notContains | Array doesn’t include | tags notContains “blocked” |
| isEmpty | Array is empty | tags isEmpty |
| isNotEmpty | Array has items | tags isNotEmpty |
| hasAll | Has all values | tags hasAll [“VIP”, “Verified”] |
| hasAny | Has any value | tags hasAny [“Gold”, “Silver”] |
Combining Rules
AND Logic
When rules are combined with AND, consumers must match all rules:
Rule 1: loyaltyPoints greaterThan 1000
AND
Rule 2: totalOrders greaterThan 5
OR Logic
When rules are combined with OR, consumers must match any rule:
Rule 1: loyaltyTier equals "Gold"
OR
Rule 2: totalSpend greaterThan 5000
Complex Logic
Combine AND and OR for complex targeting:
(Rule 1: loyaltyTier equals "Gold" OR Rule 2: loyaltyTier equals "Platinum")
AND
Rule 3: lastActivityAt within "30 days"
Rule Groups
Group rules for cleaner organization and complex logic:
Caption: Group rules for complex logic
Creating Groups
- Click Add Group
- Add rules within the group
- Set logic within the group (AND/OR)
- Set logic between groups (AND/OR)
Common Rule Patterns
VIP Customers
loyaltyTier equals "Gold"
OR
loyaltyTier equals "Platinum"
OR
totalSpend greaterThan 10000
Active Customers
lastActivityAt within "30 days"
AND
totalOrders greaterThan 0
High-Value Prospects
totalSpend between 500-2000
AND
lastPurchaseAt within "60 days"
AND
averageOrderValue greaterThan 100
New Customers
createdAt within "30 days"
AND
totalOrders lessOrEqual 1
Corporate Customers
emailDomain notContains "@gmail.com"
AND
emailDomain notContains "@yahoo.com"
AND
emailDomain notContains "@hotmail.com"
Lapsed Customers
totalOrders greaterThan 2
AND
lastPurchaseAt notWithin "90 days"
Testing Rules
Preview Matching Consumers
Before saving, preview which consumers match:
- Configure your rules
- Click Preview Matches
- Review the list of matching consumers
- Adjust rules if needed
Caption: Preview which consumers match your rules
Test Specific Consumer
Check if a specific consumer matches:
- Click Test Consumer
- Search for a consumer
- See which rules they match/fail
- Understand why they’re included or excluded
Best Practices
- Use indexed fields - Email, phone, and ID fields are fastest
- Avoid complex calculations - Simple rules perform better
- Limit nested groups - Keep logic straightforward
- Test with samples - Preview before saving
| Rule Type | Performance | Notes |
|---|
| Email equals | Fast | Direct lookup |
| Tags contains | Fast | Indexed search |
| Custom metadata | Medium | May require scan |
| Complex calculations | Slow | Avoid in large audiences |
Editing Rules
Modifying Existing Rules
- Navigate to the audience detail page
- Go to the Rules tab
- Click on a rule to edit
- Save changes
Adding Rules to Existing Audience
- Click Add Rule on the Rules tab
- Configure the new rule
- Set logic connection (AND/OR)
- Save
Removing Rules
- Click the delete icon on the rule
- Confirm removal
- Membership updates automatically
Removing rules may significantly change audience membership. Preview changes before saving.
Troubleshooting
Rules Not Matching Expected Consumers
- Check field names - Ensure using correct field
- Verify operators - equals vs. contains
- Check data types - String vs. number
- Review logic - AND vs. OR
Rules Matching Too Many Consumers
- Add more restrictive conditions
- Change OR to AND logic
- Add exclusion rules
Rules Matching Too Few Consumers
- Relax conditions (greaterThan 500 vs. 1000)
- Change AND to OR logic
- Remove restrictive rules
