How to run a search
- Go to Contacts
- Click Search Your Contacts
- Pick a field to search by (e.g. Tags, Interested In, Number of visits, Purchase date)
- Choose an operator and enter a value
- Add more criteria as needed using + Add Another Search Field
- Click Search to view results
Search field categories
When you add a search field, Connect groups them into tabs based on where the data comes from:
Basic Search — All standard and custom contact fields, including First Name, Email, Mobile, Tags, Date of Birth, Created Date, Last Updated, subscription status, and sign-up method.
Purchase — Transaction data from integrations and the API, including items purchased, transaction dates, number of transactions, total spend, and purchase location (venue).
Visits — Visit and booking data populated via integrations (e.g. WiFi providers, reservation systems), including visit dates, number of visits, visit type, and visit location.
Campaign — Engagement data across email and SMS campaigns, including opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes. You can filter by number of interactions, date of engagement, or specific campaign names.
Form Submission — Filter by form name and submission date to find contacts who completed a specific form.
Operators explained
Once you select a field, choose an operator to define how Connect matches values:
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Equals | Exact match only | "First Name equals John" matches John but not Johnny |
| Does not equal | Excludes exact matches | "State does not equal VIC" returns everyone outside VIC |
| Contains | Partial match | "First Name contains John" matches John, Johnny, Johnathan |
| Is empty | No value set for that field | "Date of Birth is empty" finds contacts with no DOB |
| Is not empty | Has any value for that field | "Email is not empty" finds all contacts with an email |
| Greater than / Less than | Numeric or date comparisons | "Total spend greater than 300" |
| Within last X days | Relative date range | "Last visit date within last 30 days" |
Different field types (text, number, date, dropdown, etc.) will show different operator options.
Understanding match logic
When you combine multiple search criteria, the match mode controls how they work together:
Match all conditions (AND) — A contact must meet every criterion to appear in results. Use this when you want to narrow down to a very specific group.
Match one or more conditions (OR) — A contact only needs to meet at least one criterion. Use this when you want a broader audience.
⚠️ Common mistake: If your results look off, check your match mode. Using OR when you meant AND (or vice versa) is one of the most common search issues. Also watch for stacking "equals" on the same field in AND mode — a contact can't have a first name that equals both "John" AND "Jane" at the same time.
Using purchase and integration filters
For contacts created through integrations (e.g. POS, WiFi, bookings), some data lives on transactions rather than on the contact record itself.
To target contacts by venue, location, or recent spend, switch to the Purchase tab and use filters like:
- Purchase Location equals [Venue name]
- Transaction date within last X days
- Total spend greater than [amount]
This is especially useful for multi-venue organisations that need to segment by location.
Saving a search as a segment
Any search can be saved and reused as a segment — a dynamic, always-up-to-date list of contacts that match your criteria.
- Run your search
- Click Save This Segment
- Give it a clear, descriptive name
- Click Save
Once saved, you can use the segment in campaigns, automations, and reports without rebuilding the search each time.
See: Segments for more detail on creating, naming, and using segments.
Example searches to try
Here are some practical searches to get you started:
New customers
- Number of visits equals 1
- Created date within last 30 days
- Match mode: AND
Re-engagement
- Last visit date greater than 60 days ago
- Subscribed equals true
- Match mode: AND
Venue-specific
- Purchase Location equals [Venue A]
- Transaction date within last 90 days
- Match mode: AND
VIPs / High spenders
- Total spend greater than 300
- Number of visits greater than 5
- Match mode: AND
Birthday campaign
- Date of Birth month equals current month
- Subscribed equals true
- Match mode: AND
Best practices
- Start simple — begin with one or two criteria, then refine by adding more
- Name segments clearly so your whole team can find and reuse them (e.g. "Lapsed 60D – Email" not "Segment 1")
- Search for unengaged contacts regularly — suppress or clean contacts who haven't opened or clicked in 180+ days to protect your email reputation
- Avoid overly complex searches — too many criteria can slow performance. If needed, split into smaller, focused segments instead
- Use purchase filters for venue targeting — don't rely on contact fields alone if the data comes from transactions