> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.digifist.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Lists

> Static customer groups in Galantis — created and managed manually, used as campaign targets and automation exclusions.

Customer Lists are static, manually managed groups. Unlike segments — which update automatically as customer data changes — a list's membership changes only when you explicitly add or remove customers. That predictability is what makes lists useful: when you need a fixed, curated group that does not shift between when you configure a campaign and when you send it, a list is the right tool.

## What this covers

* What lists are and when to use them over segments
* Creating and managing lists
* Adding customers to a list
* How lists are used in campaigns and automations
* Common list use cases

## Lists vs segments

|                | Lists                                                 | Segments                                                 |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Membership** | Static — changes only when you manually add or remove | Dynamic — updates automatically as customer data changes |
| **Management** | Manual                                                | Rule-based, self-maintaining                             |
| **Best for**   | Curated, stable groups                                | Behavioral or data-driven groups                         |
| **Example**    | VIP customers selected by hand                        | Customers who spent > \$500 in the last 90 days          |

Use a list when the group is defined by human judgment — a handpicked VIP tier, a specific import, a post-event attendee group. Use a segment when the group is defined by customer behavior or data thresholds that should update automatically.

## Creating a list

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Lists">
    In the Galantis dashboard, go to **Audience → Lists** and click **New List**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name the list">
    Give the list a clear, descriptive name. List names appear in the campaign audience builder and in automation exclusion rules — a name like `VIP Customers - Handpicked` is more useful than `List 1`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add customers">
    Add customers individually by searching for them, or import a batch via CSV upload. Customers can also be added to a list programmatically via the `USER_ADDED_TO_LIST` automation trigger context.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the list">
    The list is immediately available for use in campaign audience targeting and as an automation exclusion rule or trigger source.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Adding customers to a list

**Individual add** — Search for a customer by name, email, or phone number in the list management view and add them directly. Use this for one-off additions or small curated groups.

**Bulk import** — Upload a CSV of customer records to add multiple customers at once.

**Recency tracking** — Each list tracks when it was most recently used in a campaign. This is visible in the list detail view and is useful for auditing which lists are actively in use versus stale.

## How lists are used

**In campaigns** — Lists can be added as include or exclude targets in the campaign audience builder. Include a list to send to its members; exclude a list to suppress its members from the send even if they appear in other included sources. See [Campaigns — Audience Targeting](/whatsapp/campaigns/audience-targeting).

**As automation triggers** — The `USER_ADDED_TO_LIST` trigger fires an automation when a customer is added to a specific list. This makes lists a useful mechanism for manually enrolling customers into automation flows — adding a customer to a "Win-Back Candidates" list triggers the win-back flow without any further configuration. See [Automations — Triggers](/whatsapp/automations/triggers).

**As automation exclusions** — Lists can be added as exclusion rules on any automation. Customers on the excluded list are not enrolled in the automation even if they match the trigger. The most common use is a "Do Not Contact" suppression list applied as an exclusion across multiple automations. See [Automations — Exclusion Rules](/whatsapp/automations/exclusion-rules).

## Common use cases

**VIP customers** — A handpicked list of your highest-value customers, used as an include target for VIP-exclusive campaign sends and a condition input for automation branching.

**Newsletter subscribers** — Customers who opted into a specific newsletter or content series, managed separately from general marketing consent.

**Post-purchase follow-up groups** — Customers who purchased a specific product or attended a specific event, grouped manually for a targeted follow-up campaign.

**Re-engagement candidates** — Customers identified for re-engagement based on manual review rather than a data-driven segment rule.

**Suppression / Do Not Contact** — Customers who have requested no messaging beyond the standard opt-out flow. Adding this list as an exclusion on all automations creates a secondary suppression layer on top of consent-state filtering.

## Best practices

* **Keep list names descriptive and consistent.** Lists are referenced by name throughout the campaign builder and automation configuration. A clear naming convention (`[Purpose] - [Date or Version]`) reduces confusion when managing multiple lists.
* **Audit list membership regularly.** Unlike segments, lists do not self-update. A VIP list that has not been reviewed in 6 months may contain customers who are no longer active or relevant. Schedule periodic reviews.
* **Use exclusion lists proactively.** Maintaining a "Do Not Contact" list and applying it as an exclusion across automations provides a safety net for customers who have communicated a preference outside the standard STOP flow.
* **Prefer segments for data-driven groups.** If the criteria for list membership can be expressed as a rule (e.g., "spent more than \$200"), build a segment instead — it will stay accurate without manual maintenance.

## Related guides

* [Segments](./segments) — Dynamic rule-based groups that complement static lists
* [Consent & Opt-outs](./consent-optouts) — How opt-out state interacts with list membership
* [Campaigns — Audience Targeting](/whatsapp/campaigns/audience-targeting) — Using lists as campaign audience sources
* [Automations — Triggers](/whatsapp/automations/triggers) — USER\_ADDED\_TO\_LIST trigger configuration
* [Automations — Exclusion Rules](/whatsapp/automations/exclusion-rules) — Using lists as automation suppression rules