Before you start
Things you need to know:
If you’re not using Fresh Relevance for triggered messaging, you can skip to Get started with SmartBlocks.
Understand more about what trigger programs are in An introduction to trigger programs.
Trigger programs are automated journeys which allow you to set and control which messages are sent to your contacts and visitors based on their behavior and the data you hold about them.
There are three standard trigger program types:
Cart abandonment
Browse abandonment
Purchase complete
We create a trigger program of each standard type for you. You can edit these, or create new standard trigger programs.
You can also create custom trigger programs, and trigger programs based on Product change segments.
Learn more in:
Send multiple messages
One trigger program can send a succession of messages at different times. When you create a new trigger program you need to choose a template which sends the number of messages you want. You can then choose the send time and cart layout for each message, or select a different message to send.
When setting a trigger program with multiple messages, you can set different wait-time intervals between each message. You could, for example, send a notification within a short time after the abandonment event, and then reminders at reasonable intervals of one day later and one week later. Each of these messages can use a different template, tailored to the needs of the visitor and appropriate to the time elapsed before the message is sent.
You can choose a different messaging channel for each message. For example, if you have access to both email and SMS trigger modules, you could send:
First message after 15 minutes by SMS
Second message after 1 hour by email
Third message after 24 hours by email
Fourth message after 3 days by SMS
Create a standard trigger program
1. Create
Go to Triggers in the left side menu, then select the Trigger Programs tab.
Select CREATE TRIGGER PROGRAM.
Expand the drop-down menu and select the trigger program type.
Choose from:Cart Abandon
Browse Abandon
Purchase Complete
Select CONTINUE.
Select CREATE for the template you want to use.
Available templates vary depending on the messaging channels you have configured.
2. Configure
Before you start
You can configure system-wide operation settings, such as the delay before a session is considered abandoned, under Trigger Settings.
To do this:
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > Triggers and Messaging integrations.
Select Trigger Settings.
You can keep the default values if you’re not sure.
The specific options to configure a trigger program depend on the type of trigger program and template you have selected.
This example is for the Abandon Cart - Send 1 message using a full email or SMS provider trigger program template.
For Program Name, enter the name you want to use to identify this program.
Configure the message that the trigger program sends:
For Wait (In minutes) specify the amount of time that passes after a user is identified as having abandoned, before the message is sent.
Expand the Action channel drop-down menu and select the email or SMS messaging channel that you want the program to send through.
Optionally, enter a template ID for the message the program sends.
You can leave this field blank if you have set a default value in Settings. The way you use this field varies depending on the messaging provider you have configured.Expand the Cart layout drop-down menu and select the layout you want the program to use.
The way you should use this field varies depending on the messaging provider you have configured.
Configure whether the trigger program should be paused or enabled, and optionally set up Advanced Features:
Select or clear the Pause this trigger program (Optional) checkbox to pause or activate the program’s actions.
For Catch-all email address for this trigger program (Optional), if you want to, enter an email address to use for testing purposes for this program only. When added, all email sends from the program go to this address only.
Clear this field to resume sending to real users. Learn more in Test a trigger.
If you want to send a copy of each email sent by the program to a specified email address, add the email address you want to use in the BCC email address for this trigger program (Optional) field.
Enter a site brand in the Only run trigger program for one site brand (Optional) field to run the program only when a user has visited the specified site.
It's possible to add JavaScript to control when or if the program runs. Optionally, add the script to the Script that controls whether this trigger program is run. (Optional) field.
If you want every message in the trigger program to send, ignoring the account’s Marketing pressure setting, select the Ignore marketing pressure for sends (Optional) checkbox.
Learn more in The Contact remarketing pressure interval.Optionally, to only apply the Marketing pressure setting to the first message in the program, select the Only check Marketing pressure for the first send, not for later stages of the trigger program checkbox.
To ensure that the only action which prevents a user receiving subsequent messages from the program is a completed purchase, select the Send all stages of trigger program, unless a purchase is made checkbox.
Expand the Stock Handling drop-down menu and select one of:
Don’t check product stock
Check at least one product is in stock
Check all products are in stock
This drop-down menu is only available if stock information is stored in Fresh Relevance. If your specified stock rule is not met, the message is not sent and the user moves to the next stage of the trigger program.
Select the Refresh product data at send time (Optional) checkbox to pull in updated data from the product database for use in the message, instead of the values previously viewed by the user.
When you’re happy with your configuration, select SAVE.
Set which trigger program runs using marketing rules
You can send different messages to different shoppers depending on their behavior.
Learn more in Use marketing rules.
Client accounts which were setup in 2018 or earlier use a legacy system which requires some scripting. Contact Support if this applies to you. If you need more help with rules, or to set up custom programs, contact Support.
Test trigger programs
When creating or editing trigger programs, we strongly recommend that you set a catch-all until you have completed testing and are happy to send to live visitors.
Learn how in Test a trigger.
When a catch-all address is set, all messages sent by that type of trigger go to the catch-all address instead of to customers, so you can check the messages are working as you want them to.
Catch-all addresses are already set for you when you create a new account.
You can set a catch-all address at three levels:
For your whole account
You can set separate addresses for email and for SMS channels.
Learn more in the section Set a catch-all email across the platform.
For a messaging channel
This can be set for both email and SMS channels.
For a specific trigger program.
This can be set for email only.
Send test messages for a trigger program
You can send test messages for a trigger program from the Cart Layout preview page. This is useful for performing a quick test without having to go to your site to trigger a message manually.
Learn more in the section Send a test message using a cart layout.
If you want to test an Add to List trigger, this must be done through simulated signals and not using the Send Test Message(s) feature.
For test emails only, you can also:
Go to Triggers, then select the Trigger Programs tab.
For the trigger program you want to test, select the Show options menu icon (three dots).
Select the Send Test Emails (envelope) icon.
