# Customer accounts and segments

Level: Beginner. About 35 minutes. Plans: Not stated by Shopify. Checked against Shopify's documentation on 2026-10-08.

**Short answer:** Turn on customer sign-in in **Settings** > **Customer accounts** with **Show sign-in links** [4]. Then go to **Customers** > **Segments** > **Create segment**, build the conditions in the query editor, click **Run** and **Save segment** [5]. From a saved segment, **Use segment** sends an email or creates a discount for just those customers [3].

## Before you start

This guide covers two related jobs. First, customer accounts let shoppers sign in to see their orders and details. By default they sign in without a password: they enter their email and receive a one-time 6-digit code [1]. Sign-in with Shop needs Shop Pay activated, and connecting your own identity provider needs Shopify Plus [1].

Second, customer segments are rule-based customer lists. You write the rules as a query, and Shopify adds or removes customers as they start or stop matching [2][3]. A customer can be in more than one segment, and test orders and deleted orders are left out of the calculations [3].

Shopify's pages on these features do not state which plans include customer accounts or segments, or how many segments you can create. The only plan limits stated are the Shopify Plus requirement for your own identity provider and that saved payment methods in accounts are only for stores on Shopify's Enterprise offering [1][4].

A worked example: a candle shop wants to thank customers who have ordered five or more times and agreed to receive emails. It builds that segment, then sends those customers a discount.

## Steps

1. **Show sign-in links on your store.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Customer accounts**. In the **Sign-in links** section, turn on **Show sign-in links**, then click **Save** [4]. How the link looks depends on your theme; it is often a person icon or a label such as "Sign in" [4].

2. **Choose extra account options.** On the same page you can turn on other settings, such as self-serve returns, store credit, an account URL on a subdomain, social sign-in with Google and Facebook, and **Sign in with Shop** [4]. Branding for the account pages is set in the checkout and accounts editor, where you can work in a draft before publishing [4].

3. **Open the segment editor.** Go to **Customers**, click **Segments**, then click **Create segment** [5]. Click in the query editor to show the default query. It starts with `FROM customers` and a `SHOW` line, which you cannot change, and a `WHERE` line that holds your rules [5].

4. **Start from a template, if one fits.** Click the **Templates** icon, optionally narrow the list by **Categories**, and click a template card. Its filters, operators and values fill the editor, and you can edit them [5].

5. **Write the conditions.** In the `WHERE` clause, pick a filter, an operator and a value from the suggestions, or type them [5]. For the worked example, enter `email_subscription_status = 'SUBSCRIBED' AND number_of_orders >= 5` [6]. Without brackets, `AND` is applied before `OR`, so use brackets when you mix them [6].

6. **Run the query.** Click **Run**. Matching customers appear below the editor and the count appears above it [5]. If the query has an error, the line is underlined in red; hover over it to see a suggested fix [5].

7. **Save the segment.** Review the AI-generated description and edit it if needed. Click **Save segment**, enter a name, and click **Save** [5].

8. **Email the segment.** Open the segment and click **Use segment** > **Email**, then create the campaign in Shopify Messaging [3]. If the app is not installed, you are asked to install it the first time [3].

9. **Give the segment a discount.** Open the segment and click **Use segment** > **Discount**, then choose **Amount off products**, **Amount off orders**, **Buy X get Y** or **Free shipping** [3].

10. **Export the list if you need a record.** Open the segment, click **More actions** > **Export**, choose a CSV format and click **Export customers** [3]. Shopify suggests exporting to keep a record of who received an email campaign [3].

## Check your work

- Open your online store in a private browser window and look for the sign-in link in the header. Sign in with an email that belongs to a customer profile; you should receive a 6-digit code [1][4].
- On **Customers** > **Segments**, find your segment and check the share of all customers it holds. Hover over the count to see when it was last updated [3].
- Open the segment and run it again. The list and count update each time [5].

## Common problems

- **"Customers can't find where to sign in."** Sign-in links are off, or your theme hides the account icon. Turn on **Show sign-in links** in **Settings** > **Customer accounts** [4]. If the links are hidden, customers cannot sign in at all [4].
- **"I want to switch off one customer's account."** You cannot deactivate a single account. You can delete the customer profile, but a new one is created if they sign in again with the same email [4].
- **"Two profiles belong to the same person."** Customers cannot merge profiles by changing their email. Merge them yourself in the admin [1].
- **"My email reached fewer people than the segment count."** Only subscribed customers with valid email addresses receive Shopify Messaging campaigns [3].
- **"I can't rename my segment."** Check that no other segment shows **Draft**, then use **More actions** > **Rename** [3].
- **"I changed a default segment by mistake."** When you edit an existing segment, use **Save as new segment** to keep the original unchanged [5].

## Further reading

- Customer segmentation, Shopify Help Center [2]
- Managing customer segments, Shopify Help Center [3]

## Sources

1. [Customer accounts](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-accounts), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
2. [Customer segmentation](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
3. [Managing customer segments](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation/manage-customer-segments), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
4. [Setting up and managing customer accounts](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-accounts/manage), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
5. [Creating customer segments](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation/create-customer-segments), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
6. [Customer segment reference guide: components](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation/reference-guide/components), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08

Source page: https://webmerchants.net/guides/customer-segments