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Note:
This section describes configuring segmentation when using the ContextHub. If you are using the Client Context functionality, please see the relevant documentation for configuring segmentation for Client Context.
Segmentation is a key consideration when creating a campaign. See Managing Audiences for information on how segmentation works and key terms.
Depending on the information you have already collected about your site visitors and the goals you want to achieve, you will need to define the segments and strategies needed for your targeted content.
These segments are then used to provide a visitor with specifically targeted content. This content is maintained in the Personalization section of the website. Activities defined here can be included on any page and define which visitor segment the specialized content is applicable for.
AEM allows you to easily personalize your users' experience. It also allows you to verify the results of your segment definitions.
The Audiences console is used to manage segments for ContextHub or Client Context as well as audiences for your Adobe Target account. This documentation covers managing segments for ContextHub. For Client Context segments and Adobe Target segments, please see the relevant documentation.
To access your segments, in global navigation select Navigation > Personalization > Audiences.

The Segment Editor allows you to easily modify a segment. To edit a segment, select a segment in the list of segments and click the Edit button.

Using the components browser you can add AND and OR containers to define the segment logic, then add additional components to compare properties and values or reference scripts and other segments to define the selection criteria.
The following components are available out-of-the-box and allow you to group comparisons and references together for boolean evaluation. They can be dragged from the components browser to the editor.
The following segment comparisons are available out-of-the-box to evaluate segment properties. They can be dragged from the components browser to the editor.
Property-Value |
Compares a property of a store to a defined value |
Property-Property | Compares one property of a store to another property |
Property-Segment Reference | Compares a property of a store to another referenced segment |
Property-Script Reference | Compares a property of a store to the results of a script |
Segment Reference-Script Reference | Compares a referenced segment to the results of a script |
Note:
When comparing values, if the data type of the comparison is not set (i.e. set to auto detect), ContextHub's segmentation engine will simply compare the values as javascript would. It does not cast values to their expected types, which can lead to misleading results. For example:
null < 30 // will return true
Therefore when creating a segment, you should select a data type whenever the types of compared values are known. For example:
When comparing the property profile/age, you already know that the compared type will be number, so even if profile/age is not set, a comparison profile/age less-than 30 will return false, as you would expect.
You can combine comparisons and references to scripts and other segments using the OR and AND containers (see Creating a New Segment) to define the exact scenario for selecting this segment.
When the entire statement evaluates to true then this segment has resolved. In the event of multiple segments being applicable, then the Boost factor is also used. See Creating a New Segment for details on the boost factor.
Caution:
The segment editor does not check for any circular references. For example, segment A references another segment B, which in turn references segment A. You must ensure that your segments do not contain any circular refernces.
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After accessing the segments, click or tap the Create button and select Create ContextHub Segment.
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Double-click on or tap the configure option of the new reference or segment to edit the specific parameters. In this example, we are testing for people in San Jose.
Always set a Data Type if possible to ensure that your comparisons are evaluated properly. See Comparisons for more information.
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Add more components as required. You can formulate boolean expressions using the container components for AND and OR comparisons (see Using AND and Or Containers below). With the segment editor you can delete components not needed anymore, or drag them to new positions within the statement.
Using the AND and OR container components, you can construct complex segments in AEM. When doing this, it helps to be aware of a few basic points:
- The top level of the definition is always the AND container that is initially created. This cannot be changed, but does not have an effect on the rest of your segment definition.
- Ensure that the nesting of your container makes sense. The containers can be viewed as the brackets of your boolean expression.
The following example is used to select visitors who are considered in our prime age group:
Male and between the ages of 30 and 59
OR
Female and between the ages of 30 and 59
You start by placing an OR container component within the default AND container. Within the OR container, you add two AND containers and within both of these you can add the property or reference components.

Once the segment has been defined, potential results can be tested with the help of the ContextHub.
- Preview a page
- Click the ContextHub icon to reveal the ContextHub toolbar
- Select a persona that matches the segment you created
- The ContextHub will resolve the applicable segments for the selected persona
For example, our simple segment defintion to identify users in our prime age group is a simple segment definition is based on the age and gender of the user. Loading a specific persona that matches those criteria shows if that the segment is successfully resolved:


Note:
All traits are resolved immediately, though most only change on page reload.
Such tests can also be performed on content pages and in combination with targeted content and related Activities and Experiences.
If you have set up an activity and experience using the prime age group segment example above, you can easily test your segment with the activity. For details about setting up an activity, please see the related documentation on authoring targeted content.
Segments are used are used to steer the actual content seen by specific target audiences. See Managing Audiences for more information about audiences and segments and Authoring Targeted Content about using audiences and segments to target content.