Understanding changes to how segment conditions evaluate null or empty values

You will learn

Learn about the changes to segmentation and properties that aren’t set or have no values in Klaviyo implemented beginning in April 2023. 

Key terms

• Property not set
  A property that doesn’t exist on a profile
• Property with no value
  A property that is set on a profile, but doesn’t have an associated value

Properties that aren’t set and booleans

In boolean conditions (i.e., true/false conditions), properties that don’t exist are no longer considered in the evaluation. 

• Old system
  Profiles where property does not exist used to be evaluated as False.
• New system
  Profiles where property does not exist are now excluded from evaluation.

Consider the condition Properties about someone > VIP > is False. A Klaviyo account contains the following profiles: 

Before the change, this segment contained 75 profiles. After the change, it includes 50 profiles. 

Why this is better

The new system more accurately evaluates only True or False conditions, and you have the option to explicitly include profiles where that property is not set, if desired, by adding the condition OR Properties about someone > [profile property] > is not set. 

Properties that aren’t set and text conditions 

Historically, when evaluating profile properties that don’t exist for text conditions, these values have been treated as if they contain the text “None.” Now, these values are excluded from consideration in text conditions. 

• Old system
  Text conditions that searched for strings like “N,” “No,” and “None” included properties that aren’t set.
• New system
  Properties that don’t exist on the profile are now excluded from evaluation.

Consider the condition Properties about someone > Do you eat tofu > contains “No”. A Klaviyo account contains the following profiles: 

Before the change, this segment contained 40 profiles. It would count the 25 who answered “No,” and the 15 profiles where that value was not set, because it was treating their empty values as “None.” After the change, it includes 25 profiles. 

Why this is better

The new system does not erroneously set the string “None” in profile properties that aren’t set. This means that any searches that include “N,” “No,” “Non,” and “None” will no longer include these properties. 

Properties that aren’t set and negative conditions

When a segment uses negative conditions (i.e., a profile property “is not” a specific value, or “does not contain” a specific string), the segment will no longer include properties that aren’t set.

• Old system
  Properties that aren’t set used to be included in segments with negative conditions. 
• New system
  Properties that aren’t set are now excluded from evaluation.

Consider the condition Properties about someone > Favorite color > doesn’t equal > red. A Klaviyo account contains the following profiles: 

Before the change, this segment contained 145 profiles. After the change, it includes 45 profiles. 

Why this is better

The previous system was ambiguous, and it was unclear why certain profiles were being included when they did not have a profile property. There was also no straightforward way to exclude those profiles if desired. 

The new system makes it explicit that only profiles where the property is set are included. If you want to include profiles which do not have the profile property set, you can do so by adding OR Properties about someone > [profile property] > is not set.

Countries that aren't set and the "Is or is not within the EU (GDPR)" criteria

When a segment criteria contains the definition “If someone is or is not within the EU (GDPR)” “Location is not within European Union/United States,” the segment will no longer include profiles where the Country property is not set.

• Old system
  Profiles where property does not exist used to be included in this segment.
• New system
  Profiles where property does not exist are now excluded from evaluation.

Consider the condition If someone is or is not within the EU (GDPR) > Location is not > within > European Union. A Klaviyo account contains the following profiles:

Before the change, this segment contained 150 profiles. After the change, it includes 50 profiles.

Why this is better

The new system more accurately evaluates only profiles with a known country. You can the option to explicitly include profiles without a known country, if desired, by adding the condition OR Properties about someone > Country > is not set. 

Additional resources

• Segmenting with dates reference
• Understanding data types