Before you start
Things you need to know:
If you’re not using Fresh Relevance for triggered emails, skip to Get started with SmartBlocks.
Create a trigger program
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.
Cart Abandon
Browse Abandon
Purchase Complete
Price Drop
Back In Stock
Low Stock
Custom (Code or Segment)
Select CONTINUE.
Select CREATE for the template you want to use.
Available templates vary depending on the messaging channels you have configured.
Trigger programs sending 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 right number of messages.
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, recommended wait times include 30 mins, 24 hours and 7 days (168 hours). This means that customers are sent a notification within a short time after the abandonment event, and are then reminded 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 customer 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
Configure a trigger program
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 are not sure.
The specific options available to you 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 should use this field can 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 the section Triggers: Catch-all and Pause.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.
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. You can also choose a trigger program that sends a sequence of two or three messages.
To set marketing rules for a trigger program:
Go to Triggers in the left side menu.
Select the trigger you want to edit.
Drag-and-drop a rule to the decision tree on the right hand side. Configure the rule as you want it.
Select the Add Trigger Program tab, and drag-and-drop a trigger program onto the decision tree, below your rule.
You can edit or delete existing trigger programs, or create new ones. To modify an existing trigger program, select it and then select Configure trigger program.
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.
Triggers: Catch-All and Pause
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.
When a catch-all address is set, for example, for cart abandonment recovery, 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 3 levels:
For your whole account
You can set separate addresses for email and for SMS channels. Learn more in the section Go Live.
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.
Set a catch-all email address for a trigger program
For occasions where you are testing a new or updated trigger program, but want to leave all others running, it’s useful to set a catch-all for a single trigger program.
To do this:
Go to Triggers, then select the Trigger Programs tab.
Select the trigger program you want to add a catch-all for.
Under Enabled or Paused?, enter the email address you want to use as a catch-all in the Catch-all email address for this trigger program (Optional) field.
Select SAVE.
You can also pause an individual trigger program.
To do this:
Go to Triggers, then the Trigger Programs tab.
Select the trigger program you want to pause.
Under Enabled or Paused?, select the Pause this trigger program (Optional) checkbox.
Select SAVE.
If your ecommerce site is particularly busy, you might sometimes see what look like duplicate messages when sending to catch-all or BCC address. This happens when Fresh Relevance asks your messaging provider to send several messages very close together - for different shoppers but using the same catch-all address.
With some messaging providers the messages share one set of temporary profile data (for the catch-all address) and so you may see the same data merged into more than one message. This does not happen when sending to real customers because when you turn off the catch-all, each message goes to its own address.
Go live
You have the option to set system-wide catch all addresses for your triggers. Adding a system wide catch-all means that any sends of the type for which you have set the catch-all go only to the email address of or mobile number you have specified. Sends of that type do not go to live contacts.
To do this:
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > Triggers and Messaging integrations.
Select Go Live!.
There are several options for entering a catch-all address or mobile number:
Catch-All Email Address for All Sends (Except Browse Abandon)
Catch-All Email Address for Browse Abandon
Catch-All Mobile for All Sends (Except Browse Abandon)
Catch-All Mobile for Browse Abandon
When you have added all of the Catch-All addresses you want, select NEXT.
You see a confirmation summary of your Go Live settings. If you want to edit a setting, select CHANGE.
Edit a trigger program
Go to Triggers, then select the Trigger Programs tab.
Select the trigger program you want to edit.
Make your desired changes to the program.
Select SAVE.
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 Create and edit a cart layout.
To test an email or SMS:
Go to Content > Cart Layout.
Hover over the cart layout and select VIEW.
Select the For email address or For mobile number radio button, depending on which type of test message you want to send.
Select the email address or mobile number to edit the value.
This updates the cart layout preview for the specified contact record.Under Send Test Message section, expand the drop-down menu, and select the appropriate trigger.
Enter the email address or mobile number you want to send the test to.
Select SEND TEST MESSAGE(S).
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.
Default messaging channel
The message content stored in your Email Service Provider and the amount of content taken from Fresh Relevance differs depending on which ESP you’re using.
Learn more in the section Email messaging providers.
Use custom triggers
Our standard abandonment triggers are designed for specific purposes. Custom triggers allow for support outside of traditional ecommerce behavior. There are plenty of scenarios where you might want to trigger a message based on visitor behavior, beyond the typical browse > cart > purchase cycle.
Learn more in Raising custom signals.
While being separate from our default trigger types, custom triggers offer the same benefits:
multiple stages and triggers
customizable delay intervals
visitor targeting
ability to load to a list in your ESP
capture and include data from the page
signals included in Firehose output.
While our other triggers rely on someone leaving your site, as soon as a custom signal is received the trigger can start. This makes it useful for a number of scenarios outside of abandonment:
Triggering messages when a form is submitted.
Sending messages when people visit specific pages.
Building a list of visitors who perform certain actions.
This enables us to support a wide variety of functions, such as:
Triggering a message when someone requests a brochure using a form on your website.
Sending a message when a customer requests a quote, including the details they submitted.
Sending a list of products on a wishlist page after a customer views it.
Uploading customers who view a product/tag value (category) to a list in your ESP for future bulk campaigns.
Form submissions.
Sending a message if a customer reaches a failed payment page with details of how to resolve this issue.
Providing information about the customer's nearest branch after searching on your site.
In addition to triggering the messages themselves, we can also capture details from the page, which can be included in the message, uploaded to your ESP, or simply stored within the platform. Of course, you can also include all of our usual live content, such as product recommendations.
Use custom triggers to add visitors to an email marketing list
There is a specific trigger program template for this purpose: Custom - Set field, Add to list. This trigger adds the shopper to a list in your ESP, subscribes them to receive messages, and sets a field in the extend data of the visitor record.
Go to Triggers and select the Trigger Programs tab.
Select CREATE TRIGGER PROGRAM.
Expand the drop-down menu and select Custom (Code or Segment).
Select CONTINUE.
Select CREATE for the Custom - Set field, Add to list template.
This type of trigger is frequently used in targeted data capture forms when the shopper has decided to subscribe to messages.
You must ensure that shoppers who use a subscribe form, or any other process that invokes this trigger program, have given permission to receive messages, in accordance with current data protection legislation.
Segment trigger types
You can build a segment and send messages to people who have browsed:
products which have then dropped in price.
out-of-stock products which have then come back into stock.
products that are now at a certain stock level.