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Industrial B2B customers have different needs based on what they buy from you. A customer purchasing raw materials operates differently than one buying finished assemblies. Their ordering patterns, price sensitivity, and cross-sell potential vary significantly.
Segmenting your manufacturing customers by product category creates opportunities for targeted campaigns that resonate with each buyer type. This guide explores how to build and use these segments in Shopify to increase cross-sell opportunities and improve marketing relevance.
Traditional customer segmentation (by industry, company size, or geography) misses a critical dimension: what the customer actually buys determines how they interact with your business.
Raw materials buyers:
Components buyers:
Finished goods buyers:
Understanding which category drives each customer's purchases lets you tailor communications, offers, and the buying experience itself.
The practical approach in Shopify is to (1) automatically tag customers based on what they purchase, then (2) build dynamic customer segments using those tags.
Use Shopify Flow to automatically add customer tags when orders include products from specific categories. These tags become reliable "category interest" signals you can market to.
Basic workflow structure:
Example Flow for raw materials buyers:
Repeat this pattern for each product category you want to track. Once set up, customers automatically accumulate tags reflecting their purchasing patterns.
With customers tagged, create dynamic segments using Shopify's customer segmentation tool:
Example segment queries:
For raw materials buyers:
customer_tags CONTAINS 'interest-raw-materials'
For components buyers:
customer_tags CONTAINS 'interest-components'
For finished goods buyers:
customer_tags CONTAINS 'interest-finished-goods'
These segments update dynamically as customers gain or lose tags, keeping your audiences current without manual maintenance.
For this approach to work, your products need consistent category tags. Establish a tagging convention:
Apply these tags systematically across your catalog. If you're using a PIM or ERP integration, map these categories during product sync. For PIM integration guidance, see How a PIM Can Revolutionize Your B2B Shopify Store.
Create more specific segments by combining customer tags with other factors using AND/OR operators:
High-value raw materials buyers:
customer_tags CONTAINS 'interest-raw-materials' AND amount_spent > 50000
Components buyers who haven't ordered recently:
customer_tags CONTAINS 'interest-components' AND orders_placed(since: -90d) = 0
New customers buying finished goods:
customer_tags CONTAINS 'interest-finished-goods' AND customer_added_date > -30d
You can edit the ShopifyQL query directly in the segment editor to build more complex conditions.
For B2B operations using Shopify's company features, you can also think about segmentation at the company level.
Add tags to company records based on their primary purchasing pattern:
This classification helps when you need to target at the account level rather than individual buyer level.
Use Shopify Flow to automatically tag companies based on order patterns:
Trigger: Order created
Conditions:
Actions:
Build similar flows for each category. Over time, companies accumulate tags reflecting their purchasing patterns.
For more on Shopify Flow automation, see Automating Back-office Processes with Shopify Flow.
Each buyer segment has different cross-sell potential. Target your efforts where they're most likely to succeed.
Customers buying raw materials may also need components for their manufacturing processes.
Cross-sell approach:
Campaign example:
"You're already sourcing [material]. Did you know we also carry the fasteners and fittings commonly used with it? Consolidate your purchasing and simplify your supply chain."
Components buyers may have applications where finished goods would be more efficient than assembly.
Cross-sell approach:
Campaign example:
"Building [assembly] from components? Our pre-assembled version saves you [X] assembly steps. Request a sample to compare."
Finished goods buyers need supporting products to use what they've purchased.
Cross-sell approach:
Campaign example:
"Your [equipment] works best with regular [consumable] replacement. Set up auto-replenishment and never run short."
Some customers might benefit from upgrading their purchasing pattern:
Campaign example:
"You've been ordering [basic product]. Our [premium version] includes [additional features] and customers report [benefit]. Worth considering for your next order?"
With segments defined, create targeted email campaigns that speak to each group's priorities.
Focus areas:
Subject line examples:
Focus areas:
Subject line examples:
For adding technical documentation to your store, see Spec Sheet and CAD Downloads for Shopify Product Pages.
Focus areas:
Subject line examples:
Beyond email, use segments to customize what customers see on your store.
Configure product recommendations based on segment membership:
Create landing pages tailored to each segment:
Link to these from segment-targeted emails for a cohesive experience.
For B2B, you may offer different pricing structures based on what customers buy:
For pricing configuration, see Customer-Specific Pricing on Shopify for B2B and Volume-Based Pricing and MOQs on Shopify.
Measure how well your segmented approach is working.
Track these metrics separately for each product category segment:
Monitor how customers move between segments over time:
This data helps refine your cross-sell strategies and identify the most effective approaches.
For reporting guidance, see Best Shopify Reports for Manufacturing Businesses.
Use automation to act on segment membership without manual intervention.
Welcome series by segment:
When a new customer's first order contains products tagged raw-materials, trigger a welcome series focused on volume pricing, contract options, and supply reliability.
Re-engagement by segment:
When a components buyer hasn't ordered in 90 days, trigger an email highlighting new products in their category or offering a returning customer discount.
Cross-sell triggers:
When a raw materials order ships, trigger a follow-up email suggesting commonly paired components.
For more complex automation spanning multiple systems:
For choosing between automation tools, see Conditional Logic Automations: When to Use n8n vs Shopify Flow.
Some customers buy across multiple categories. Handle them by:
Buyer behavior shifts over time. Keep segments relevant by:
If your catalog doesn't clearly divide into categories:
Begin with a straightforward implementation:
Product category segmentation helps you speak to industrial buyers in terms of what matters to them. A raw materials buyer cares about different things than a finished goods buyer, and your marketing should reflect that difference.
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