In Blueshift, unsubscribes happen at the channel level by default—for example, opting out of a single email results in unsubscribing from all future emails. This can be limiting when you want customers to selectively opt out of specific types of content, such as newsletters or promotions.
Subscription groups offer a more granular way to manage preferences within a channel. You can define distinct categories of communication (like Product Updates or Holiday Offers), giving customers better control while helping you retain reach for important messages.
Enable access
To enable access to subscription groups in your account, contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) or email support@getblueshift.com.
Getting started with subscription groups
To roll out subscription groups successfully, follow these steps in sequence. Each step links to detailed guidance so you can implement it in your account.
Plan your subscription groups
Decide which subscription groups your account needs. This depends on:
- How you want to split customer preferences (e.g., newsletters vs. promotions).
- Which marketing streams you want to manage separately.
- If you manage multiple brands or sub-brands, whether each should have its own group.
Create the groups in Blueshift
Add the groups you identified into your account and make them available for use.
Audit and backfill your customer base
Review your existing customers and check whether subscription group
preferences need to be backfilled. If you currently track preferences
outside Blueshift (e.g., in customer attributes or external systems),
plan how to update them onto customer profiles.
Blueshift can assist with a one-time backfill for your customer base.
Learn more: Update subscription group status for customers →
ℹ Why this step matters
Backfilling ensures that your customers’ existing preferences are respected. Without it, campaigns may send to unsubscribed users or miss engaged audiences.
Manage unsubscribes & preference forms
Make sure your forms allow customers to manage subscriptions for the new groups:
- If you are using Blueshift’s preference center, use the Liquid snippet available in the info section to automatically list all subscription groups.
- If you are using your own preference center, follow the example HTML in User data from forms.
- If you collect preferences from other sources (e.g., external systems), set up pipelines to keep Blueshift updated. Options include customer profile imports, identify event imports, or identify events with updated payloads.
Learn more: Managing unsubscribes & preference center →
✓ Important for consistency
Make sure every form or pipeline reflects the same set of subscription groups. Inconsistencies may cause mismatched user preferences.
Associate groups where they matter most
Decide whether to link subscription groups to:
- Adapters – Useful if you manage separate permissions for each sending domain or adapter.
- Campaigns or triggers – Provides more flexibility to manage preferences at the campaign or message level.
Review FAQs & best practices
Check for answers to common questions, edge cases, and expected behaviors to make sure your setup works as intended.
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