Managing Campaign Autopilot tactics and campaigns
After you set up Campaign Autopilot, you can review new recommendations, approve or dismiss tactics, watch performance, adjust guardrails, and stop individual tactics from Growth > Autopilot.
Autopilot analyzes your store data and recommends tactics for your store. You approve or dismiss each tactic in Pending actions. Approved tactics run on their channels within the guardrails that you set up.
On this page
Understanding tactics in Autopilot
A tactic is a recommended action by Autopilot that you can approve or dismiss before you run it. For example, an email automation or an ad campaign.
Tactics can be in different states, such as pending or completed. Some elements in a tactic can't be changed.
Tactic states
Review the following tactics states:
- Pending: A recommended tactic waiting in Pending actions for you to approve or dismiss.
- Active: A tactic you approved that Autopilot is running on the connected channel.
- Completed: A tactic that finished its run or send window (for example, a one-time campaign that has sent).
- Stopped: A tactic you stopped, or that stopped when you paused Campaign Autopilot. It no longer runs.
After you dismiss a pending tactic, it's removed from Pending actions. That dismissal doesn't block future recommendations. Autopilot can suggest new tactics later as your store data, performance, and seasons change.
Editing tactics
Autopilot manages tactics on your behalf, but some elements have different levels of editability:
- You can't change: The customer segment that a tactic targets. Autopilot selects the segment based on your store's data to maximize results.
- You can regenerate: Elements such as email subject lines and product selections. If you don't want the suggestion, then you can ask Autopilot to generate a new one, but you can't write your own.
- You can customize: Visual elements such as email body content, colors, and branding. Changes to these elements are lower risk but might affect performance.
Seasonal and performance-based recommendation updates
Autopilot analyzes your store's data to determine which tactics are most likely to drive results, including your product catalog, customer segments, sales history, and current marketing activity.
Recommendations adapt over time. As Autopilot collects performance data from your running tactics, it uses that data to refine future recommendations. If a tactic type performs well for your store, then Autopilot is more likely to recommend similar tactics in the future.
Autopilot also adjusts its recommendations based on seasonal trends and shopping events. For example, during high-traffic periods such as Black Friday or holiday sales, Autopilot might recommend tactics that capitalize on increased shopper activity.
Review and approve pending Autopilot tactics
When Autopilot recommends new tactics, then they're displayed as pending actions in Growth > Autopilot. You need to review and approve each tactic before it runs.
For channel-specific details about what to review in each tactic type, refer to Email automations with Campaign Autopilot, Shop Campaigns with Campaign Autopilot, or Meta ads with Campaign Autopilot.
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Growth > Autopilot.
In the Pending actions section, click a tactic that you want to review.
Review the tactic summary, including the channel, target audience, and expected outcome.
Approve or dismiss a tactic:
- To approve the tactic, click Approve. Autopilot begins running the tactic on your behalf.
- To dismiss the tactic, click Dismiss. The tactic is removed from your pending actions.
Edit your Autopilot guardrails and permissions
You can adjust your monthly budget, guardrails, and permissions at any time to change what Autopilot can do. These settings control monthly ad spend, target return on ad spend, target regions, target languages, and whether Autopilot needs your approval to create email campaigns and ad campaigns. Changes take effect on future recommendations and don't affect tactics that are already running.
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Growth > Autopilot.
To change your monthly ad spend, in the Budget section, click Edit. Adjust your budget, and then click Save.
To change your guardrails, in the Guardrails section, click Edit. Adjust your target return on ad spend, target regions, or target languages, and then click Save.
To change your permissions, in the Permissions section, click Edit. Choose whether Autopilot can create email campaigns and ad campaigns on its own, and then click Save.
Monitor Autopilot tactic performance
You can track how your approved tactics are performing in Growth > Autopilot. Each active tactic includes a timeline of actions taken and key performance metrics.
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Growth > Autopilot.
In the Activity section, review the timeline of recent actions.
Click a specific tactic to view its performance details, including reach, sessions, orders, and sales.
Stop an Autopilot tactic
If you need to stop a tactic that's already active, then stop it from the tactic details in Growth > Autopilot. For ad campaigns, the campaign is paused on the ad platform. For email automations, the automation is deactivated.
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Growth > Autopilot.
Open the active tactic you want to stop.
Click Stop.
Stopping a tactic doesn't affect your other active tactics or your Autopilot settings.
To stop all Autopilot activity across channels and tactics, follow Pause Campaign Autopilot.
Troubleshooting Autopilot strategies
If Autopilot isn't working as you expect, then start with these checks:
Autopilot isn't recommending new tactics
Check these possible causes:
- At least 1 marketing channel is connected and active in Growth > Autopilot.
- Your guardrails aren't so restrictive that Autopilot can't suggest paid tactics (for example, a very low spending limit and no budget headroom).
- Your store has active products and customer data for Autopilot to analyze.
- Your store meets the requirements for setting up Autopilot (plan, Shopify Payments, and Marketing staff permission).
- If you previously paused Campaign Autopilot, then resume it from Growth > Autopilot.
A tactic isn't running after approval
Check these possible causes:
- For ad campaigns, confirm that you've added a valid payment method to the ad platform.
- For email automations, confirm that the Shopify Messaging app is installed and that you have an active subscriber list.
- Check whether the tactic requires a connected channel that has been disconnected.