# Recipients Selector
The recipients selector lets you choose who should receive gift cards, discount codes, or store credit. There are **four input methods**, each suited to a different scenario.
> Used by: [Gift Card Bulk Send](/bulk-operations/bulk-send.md), [Discount Codes Bulk Send](/bulk-operations/discount-codes-bulk-send.md), [Store Credit Bulk Add](/bulk-operations/store-credit-bulk-add.md), and several campaigns.
**Method 1: Manual List of Emails (Default)**
**How it works:** Type or paste a list of email addresses or customer IDs directly into the text field.
**Format:**
* Separate entries with commas OR new lines
* Mix of emails and customer IDs is allowed
* Extra spaces are automatically removed
**Examples:**
Comma-separated:
```
john@example.com, jane@example.com, bob@example.com
```
New line separated:
```
john@example.com
jane@example.com
bob@example.com
```
Mixed format:
```
john@example.com, jane@example.com
bob@example.com
```
Using customer IDs:
```
123456789
987654321
```
**When to use:**
* You have a specific list of customers
* You're copying emails from a spreadsheet
* You have 50 or fewer customers
* You need precise control over recipients
**Tips:**
* Copy from Excel/Google Sheets directly - the app handles formatting
* If you have customer IDs from Shopify exports, you can use those
* The app will create new customer records if emails don't exist yet
* Always double-check for typos in email addresses
***
**Method 2: Select Customers**
**How it works:** Click a button to open a customer selector where you can browse and choose specific customers from your store.
**Steps:**
1. Click **"Select customers"** button
2. Browse or search for customers in the modal
3. Check the boxes next to customers you want to include
4. Click **"Confirm"** to apply your selection
**Features:**
* Search by name, email, or customer details
* See customer information before selecting
* Multi-select - choose as many as needed
* Change selection anytime before creating the operation
* Clear all selections with one click
**When to use:**
* You want to browse your customer list
* You need to verify customer details before selection
* You're not sure of exact email addresses
* You want a visual selection process
* You have 10-200 customers to select
**Display:** After selection, you'll see a green banner showing:
* "X customers selected"
* Buttons to change or clear your selection
***
**Method 3: Select Customer Segment**
**How it works:** Choose an entire customer segment that you've already created in Shopify, and all members of that segment will receive gift card, discount code or store credit.
**Steps:**
1. Click **"Select segment"** button
2. Browse available segments from your Shopify store
3. Select the segment you want
4. Click **"Confirm"** to apply
**Features:**
* Uses your existing Shopify customer segments
* Automatically includes all segment members
* Shows member count before confirmation
* Perfect for large groups
* Updates dynamically if segment membership changes before execution
**What are Shopify Segments?** Customer segments are groups of customers in Shopify based on criteria like:
* Purchase history (e.g., "Customers who spent $500+")
* Location (e.g., "Customers in California")
* Engagement (e.g., "Subscribed to marketing")
* Custom tags or attributes
**Creating Segments:** If you haven't created segments yet:
1. Go to Shopify Admin → Customers
2. Click "Segments" or "Create segment"
3. Set your criteria
4. Save the segment
5. Return to Gift Card Factory and select it
**When to use:**
* You have existing segments in Shopify
* You're targeting large groups (100+ customers)
* You want dynamic membership (segment updates automatically)
* You run regular campaigns to the same groups
* You need consistent targeting across operations
**Display:** After selection, you'll see a green banner showing:
* "Segment: \[Segment Name] (X members)"
* Buttons to change or clear your selection
**Important:** The segment members are evaluated at the time the operation runs, not when you create it. If you schedule the operation for the future, the segment membership may change between now and then.
***
**Method 4: Customers Query**
**How it works:** Enter a Shopify customer search query (e.g. `tag:vip`, `orders_count:>5`, or a Liquid expression like `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }}`). The recipient list is **resolved at execution time** — every customer matching the query when the operation runs becomes a recipient.
**Steps:**
1. Switch to the **Customers query** tab.
2. Enter your query in the input field.
3. Use the **Test Query** button to preview the matching customers.
4. The query is saved with the operation; the actual list is computed when the operation executes.
**Features:**
* **Dynamic recipients** — the same query produces different recipients on different days (e.g. `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }}` matches today's birthdays each time it runs).
* Uses [Shopify's customer search syntax](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/usage/search-syntax), supporting `AND` / `OR` / `NOT`, wildcards, and many fields (tags, location, orders count, marketing consent, etc.).
* Supports [Liquid templating](/misc/customers-query-selector.md#understanding-liquid-templating) for date-based queries.
* No upfront list — recipients can be added/removed by tagging or untagging customers in Shopify.
**When to use:**
* **Recurring or scheduled campaigns** where the audience changes over time (birthday campaigns, anniversary campaigns, "customers tagged X this month").
* **Tag-driven workflows** where you (or another system) maintain audience membership via Shopify tags.
* **Targeting by attribute** (location, marketing consent, order count) without manually building a list.
* **Pairing with the** [**Customers Query Selector docs**](/misc/customers-query-selector.md) for in-depth syntax reference and examples.
**Limitations:**
* Shopify's search returns up to **250 matching customers** per execution. If your query matches more, narrow it (more specific tags, additional `AND` conditions).
* You won't see the actual recipient list until the operation runs (use **Test Query** to preview, but remember the test runs against today's date — scheduled runs will use the date at execution time).
**See also:** [Customers Query Selector](/misc/customers-query-selector.md) for the full query syntax, Liquid filters, and worked examples.
***
#### Comparing Recipient Methods
| Feature | Manual List | Select Customers | Select Segment | Customers Query |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| **Best for** | Small, specific lists | Medium-sized selections | Large groups | Recurring / dynamic campaigns |
| **Size limit** | Any | 50–200 practical | Unlimited | Up to 250 per execution |
| **Requires preparation** | List of emails | No | Segment must exist | Tags / attributes set on customers |
| **Visual selection** | No | Yes | Yes | No (preview via Test Query) |
| **Dynamic at run time?** | No (static list) | No (snapshot) | Yes (segment members re-evaluated) | Yes (query re-runs) |
| **Supports Liquid dates?** | No | No | No | Yes |
| **Speed to set up** | Fast for small lists | Moderate | Very fast | Moderate (query authoring) |
| **Accuracy** | Requires careful typing | High | High | High (assuming correct query) |
**Recommendation:**
* **One-off, small list (1–50)** → Manual list, if you have the emails.
* **One-off, medium browse-and-pick** → Select customers.
* **One-off, large pre-defined group** → Select segment.
* **Recurring / scheduled with changing audience** → Customers query.
* **Date-driven (birthdays, anniversaries)** → Customers query with Liquid.
---
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