How to Organize Subscribers with Categories on Farmzz: Targeted Notifications That Get 3x More Engagement

Sophie runs a diversified farm in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. She grows vegetables, raises laying hens, and sells flower bouquets at two different markets. Her subscriber list hit 420 people by mid-July. Every Tuesday she sent the same notification to all 420: a mix of vegetable availability, egg updates, and bouquet specials. The message tried to be everything to everyone. Her restaurant clients scrolled past the bouquet info. Her flower-market customers ignored the 50-lb produce boxes. Her open rate sat at 22%—decent, but she knew it could be better.

Then she spent 15 minutes creating three subscriber categories: "Restaurants," "Market Regulars," and "Flower Lovers." She assigned her existing subscribers to the right groups. The next week, she sent three targeted notifications instead of one generic blast. Restaurants got a message about bulk produce availability and wholesale pricing. Market regulars heard about this week's veggie box and egg supply. Flower lovers got a photo of the week's bouquet selection with availability by market location.

Her open rate jumped to 61%. Restaurant orders increased by $800 that week. Two flower subscribers who'd been inactive for a month placed pre-orders. Same subscribers, same farm, same products—but the right message to the right people at the right time changed everything.

Why blasting everyone with the same message costs you sales

When you send one notification to your entire subscriber list, you're forcing every person to filter through information that may not be relevant to them. A restaurant chef looking for 40 lbs of tomatoes doesn't care about your bouquet prices. A young family interested in u-pick strawberries doesn't need to know about your wholesale egg deliveries.

Every irrelevant line in your notification is friction. It's a reason to stop reading. And once a subscriber stops reading one notification, they're statistically less likely to open the next one. The pattern compounds. After three or four "meh" notifications, a subscriber mentally tunes you out—even though they still want some of what you sell.

Segmentation fixes this. When a subscriber receives a notification that's specifically about what they care about, it feels personal—like you wrote it just for them. They read it, they act on it, and they look forward to the next one.

The numbers aren't subtle. Targeted notifications consistently deliver 2–3 times higher engagement. And higher engagement means more people at your stand, more orders from your restaurant clients, and more revenue from the same subscriber list you already have.

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How to create subscriber categories in Farmzz

Creating categories takes about 2 minutes. Here's the step-by-step:

1. Log in to your Farmzz dashboard and navigate to Subscribers in the left sidebar.
2. Click "Categories" (or the equivalent tab depending on your view).
3. Click "Add Category" and give it a clear, descriptive name. Use names that make sense to you when you're selecting recipients for a notification at 6 AM.
4. Repeat for each category you need. Most farms start with 2–4 categories.

That's it. Categories are just labels you attach to subscribers. The power comes from how you use them when sending notifications.

Category strategies that work for different farm types

The categories you create should reflect how your customers actually differ from each other. Here are the most effective strategies based on what's working for farms on Farmzz:

By customer type (most common):

• "Restaurants" — wholesale buyers who order in bulk, care about consistency and volume
• "Retail / Families" — individual buyers who come to the stand or market, care about variety and freshness
• "CSA Members" — subscribers who've committed to a weekly or biweekly box

By location:

• "Jean-Talon Market" — subscribers who visit you at Jean-Talon
• "Farm Stand" — subscribers who come to your farm directly
• "Sainte-Foy Market" — subscribers from your Saturday market presence

By product interest:

• "Berry Lovers" — subscribers who signed up during strawberry or blueberry season
• "Egg Customers" — regulars who come primarily for eggs
• "Flower Bouquets" — subscribers interested in weekly bouquet availability

By engagement level:

• "VIP / Regulars" — your most engaged subscribers who open every notification
• "New Subscribers" — people who joined in the last 30 days and might need extra attention

Start simple. You don't need 10 categories on day one. Two or three well-chosen categories will immediately improve your notification performance. You can always add more as your subscriber list grows and you learn more about who your customers are.

How to assign subscribers to categories

There are two ways to assign subscribers to categories: one at a time, or in bulk.

One at a time: Open any subscriber's profile in your dashboard and add one or more categories. This works when a new subscriber signs up and you know who they are—for example, a restaurant owner who scanned your QR code at the market and you chatted with them.

In bulk: Select multiple subscribers from your list and assign a category to all of them at once. This is ideal when you're first setting up categories and need to sort your existing list. It's also useful when you import contacts—you can assign a category during the import process so new contacts land in the right group immediately.

A subscriber can belong to multiple categories. A restaurant client who also buys flower bouquets can be in both "Restaurants" and "Flowers." They'll receive notifications sent to either category. This flexibility means you don't need to overthink your category structure—just tag subscribers with every category that applies.

Sending targeted notifications to specific categories

This is where the payoff happens. When you create a notification on Farmzz, one of the steps is choosing recipients. You can send to:

• All subscribers — everyone on your list (use for announcements that affect everyone, like farm hours changes or season-opening news)
• One or more categories — only subscribers in selected groups (use for targeted product updates, wholesale offers, or location-specific market reminders)

Sending to a category is just as fast as sending to everyone. You select the category, pick your products, write your message, and hit send. The only difference is who receives it—and that difference can double your engagement.

Example weekly schedule for a diversified farm:

• Monday 7 AM: Send to "Restaurants" — wholesale availability for the week, bulk pricing, delivery schedule
• Tuesday 8 AM: Send to "Market Regulars" — what's fresh at the market this week, featured products, stand location
• Thursday 6 PM: Send to "Flower Lovers" — this week's bouquet varieties and availability at each market

Three notifications, three different audiences, three tailored messages. Each subscriber gets exactly one notification that week—the one that matters to them. No noise, no irrelevance, no unsubscribes.

Tracking which categories perform best

After sending targeted notifications, use your Farmzz performance dashboard to track which categories drive the most engagement. Over time, you'll notice patterns:

• Which category has the highest open rate? That's your most engaged audience—give them priority and reward them with exclusive offers.
• Which category has the lowest engagement? They may need different content, different timing, or a more compelling message. Experiment before giving up.
• Which category drives the most revenue? If your "Restaurants" category generates 60% of your notification-driven revenue despite being 15% of your list, that tells you where to invest your messaging energy.

This kind of insight is impossible with a generic blast. When everyone gets the same message, you can't tell which type of customer is responding. Categories give you the data to make smarter decisions about your marketing—and your business.

Common mistakes to avoid

Too many categories too soon. Start with 2–3 categories. You can always add more later. Ten categories with 15 subscribers each isn't segmentation—it's fragmentation.

Forgetting to assign new subscribers. When a new subscriber signs up through your QR code or profile, they land in your general list without a category. Make it a habit to check your new subscribers weekly and assign categories. If you have a QR code specifically for a market location, note where they signed up so you know how to categorize them.

Never sending to "All." Categories are for targeted messages, but some announcements should go to everyone: season opening, farm hours change, a special event, or end-of-season thank-you. Don't over-segment to the point where nobody gets the full picture.

Ignoring the data. If your "Berry Lovers" category has a 60% open rate and your "General" category has a 15% open rate, that's telling you something. Double down on what's working. Try to understand—and fix—what isn't.

Real-world example: a weekly category workflow

Here's how a farm with 350 subscribers and four categories runs their weekly notification workflow. This takes about 15 minutes total per week:

Sunday evening: Review what's coming into harvest this week. Plan which products go in which notification.

Monday 7 AM: Send a "Restaurants" notification with bulk availability, case pricing, and delivery schedule for the week. Include 4–5 products with current photos. This takes 3 minutes to compose because the products are already in the catalog.

Tuesday 8 AM: Send a "Market Regulars" notification with what's fresh at the stand this week, featured products, and a reminder of market location and hours. 3 minutes.

Thursday 6 PM: Send a "Berry Lovers" notification specifically about berry availability, u-pick hours, and what's peaking this weekend. 2 minutes.

Saturday 7 AM (optional): Send a quick "All subscribers" reminder that you're at the market today with a snapshot of what you brought. 2 minutes.

Total time: 10–15 minutes per week. Each subscriber gets 1–2 notifications that are directly relevant to them, plus an optional weekend reminder. Nobody is overwhelmed. Everyone feels like you're talking directly to them.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a subscriber be in more than one category?

Yes. A subscriber can belong to as many categories as you assign. A restaurant client who also buys flowers can be in both "Restaurants" and "Flower Lovers." When you send a notification to "Restaurants," they'll get it. When you send to "Flower Lovers," they'll get that too. Farmzz handles duplicates automatically—if someone is in two categories and you send to both at once, they'll only receive the notification once.

How many categories should I start with?

Two or three is the sweet spot for most farms. You can always add more as your list grows and you learn more about your customers. A farm with 100 subscribers might only need "Retail" and "Wholesale." A farm with 500+ might benefit from 4–5 categories based on location, product interest, and customer type. Start simple, measure results, and add complexity only when you see a clear need.

Can I assign categories when I import contacts?

Yes. When you import a CSV file of contacts, you can assign a category to the entire batch during the import process. This is incredibly useful when you have separate lists from different sources—a sign-up sheet from the Jean-Talon market can be imported directly into a "Jean-Talon" category.

What's the difference between product categories and subscriber categories?

Product categories organize your catalog (Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, etc.). Subscriber categories organize your audience (Restaurants, Market Regulars, Flower Lovers, etc.). They serve different purposes but work together: you might send a notification with vegetable products specifically to your "Restaurants" subscriber category, combining both types of categorization for maximum relevance.

Will subscribers know which category they're in?

No. Categories are internal to your dashboard. Subscribers see the notification you send them and the products you feature—they have no visibility into the category system behind it. All they know is that your messages feel relevant and useful, which is exactly the point.

Can I rename or delete a category later?

Yes. You can rename a category at any time without affecting the subscribers assigned to it. If you delete a category, the subscribers who were in it aren't deleted—they just lose that label and remain in your general subscriber list. You can then reassign them to a new category if needed.