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Creating and managing marketing automations in Shopify Messaging

You can use marketing automations in Shopify Messaging to automatically send emails and SMS messages when customers take actions in your store, such as abandoning a checkout or browsing a product. You can get started quickly with pre-built templates in the Shopify Messaging app.

After you activate an automation, you can review metrics and reports for your marketing automations to learn how your automation is performing.

Before you get started, review the requirements and considerations for creating marketing automations in Shopify Messaging.

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Marketing automation types

You can create the following types of marketing automations in the Shopify Messaging app.

Recover site visitors

Use these automations to follow up with customers who visited your store but left without completing a purchase.

Automations for recovering site visitors, with available channels.
AutomationDescriptionAvailable channels
Convert abandoned product browseSends a marketing message to customers who view at least one product, but don't add it to their cart or make a purchase before leaving your store.Email, SMS
Recover abandoned cartSends a marketing message to customers who add products to their cart, but don't start the checkout process.Email, SMS
Recover abandoned checkout

Sends a marketing message to customers who start the checkout process, but don't complete an order. These emails don't count towards your emails sent with Shopify Messaging.

Marketing automations send only to customers subscribed to email marketing by default. However, when you create an Abandoned checkout automation, you can change the To: field to All customers in the email editor.

Email, SMS

Welcome new subscribers

Use these automations to make a strong first impression when customers sign up to receive your marketing emails.

Automations for welcoming new subscribers, with available channels.
AutomationDescriptionAvailable channels
Welcome new subscribers with a discount email

Sends a marketing message to customers when they subscribe by using a form on your online store.

Consider using the Shopify Forms app to set up forms in your online store that your customers can use to sign up for emails.

Email
Welcome new subscribers with a discount series

Sends an email with a discount to customers when they subscribe by using a form on your online store, followed by 2 brand-building emails. If no purchase is made, then a discount reminder is sent.

Consider using the Shopify Forms app to set up forms in your online store that your customers can use to sign up for emails.

Email

Post-purchase

Use these automations to encourage repeat purchases and engage with customers after an order is placed.

Post-purchase automations, with available channels.
AutomationDescriptionAvailable channels
Drive online customers to your nearby retail locations

Sends an email inviting first time customers who have only shopped online to visit your retail locations.

This automation uses the order paid trigger and the Customers near retail locations customer segment, which includes up to 8 retail locations with a valid address. At least one valid retail location is required to create this segment.

Email
Thank customers after they purchaseSends a thank you email to customers after their first and second purchases.Email
Upsell customers after their first purchaseSends a marketing message to customers after they make their first purchase.Email
Win back customersSends a marketing message to customers after a specified amount of time has passed after their last order was placed.

This automation uses the Customer joined segment trigger.

Email

Customer appreciation

Use these automations to reward customers based on personal milestones or loyalty.

Customer appreciation automations, with available channels.
AutomationDescriptionAvailable channels
Celebrate customer birthday

Sends customers a marketing message with a discount code on their birthday.

This automation uses the Customer joined segment trigger and the birth date standard metafield. Consider using the Shopify Forms app with custom input fields to collect birthdays and populate the metafield for your customers.

Email
Welcome VIP customers

Sends a marketing message to welcome VIP customers when they join your VIP segment. By default, a customer joins the segment after they place their third order and spend a total of $1000 USD or more, or are tagged as VIP.

This automation uses the Customer joined segment trigger.

Email

Creating email marketing automations

You can create an email automation by choosing a template, customizing the template or message, and then activating the automation.

Create an email marketing automation that recovers site visitors

Recover site visitors automations include the Recover abandoned checkout, Convert abandoned product browse, and Recover abandoned cart templates. You can create these automations from your Shopify admin on a desktop device, or on a mobile device using the Shopify app.

Desktop

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Messaging.

  2. Click Automations.

  3. Click Create automation.

  4. Choose the Recover abandoned checkout, Convert abandoned product browse, or Recover abandoned cart template.

  5. In the dialog, select Email as the channel.

  6. Optional: To edit the template, or test the automation, click Edit email and then do any of the following:

    • Make any necessary changes to the email.
    • To send a test, click Send test, enter the email addresses that you want to send the test to, and then click Send.

  7. To activate the automation, do either of the following depending if you edited the email:

    • If you didn't edit the email, then click Turn on automation.
    • If you edited the email, then from the editor, click Turn on, and then in the dialog, select Turn on. Alternatively, you can select Save without turning on to save your changes and activate the automation later.
Mobile

  1. From the Shopify app, tap the Menu icon.

  2. In the Apps section, tap Messaging.

  3. Tap Messaging > Automations.

  4. Tap the Add icon.

  5. Depending on the automation that you want to create, tap Recover abandoned checkout, Convert abandoned product browse, or Recover abandoned cart.

  6. Tap Turn on automation to create and activate your automation.

Create a welcome, post-purchase, or customer appreciation marketing automation

You can create a Welcome new subscribers, Post-purchase, or Customer appreciation email automation from your Shopify admin when you use a desktop device.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Messaging.

  2. Click Automations.

  3. Click Create automation.

  4. Select the template that you want to create an automation for.

  5. Click Edit email, and then make any necessary changes.

  6. Optional: To test the automation, click Send test, enter the email addresses that you want to send the test to, and then click Send.

  7. Click Turn on, and then in the dialog, select Turn on. Alternatively, you can select Save without turning on to save your changes and activate the automation later.

Create an SMS marketing automation

You can create the following SMS automations in the Shopify Messaging app:

  • Recover abandoned checkout with SMS
  • Convert abandoned product browse with SMS
  • Recover abandoned cart with SMS

Before you create an SMS automation, consider setting an SMS spending threshold in Shopify Messaging settings so that you receive an email notification when your SMS spending reaches the threshold.

Steps:

Desktop

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Messaging.

  2. Click Automations.

  3. Click Create automation.

  4. Click the automation template that you want to use.

  5. In the dialog, select SMS as the message channel.

  6. Optional: To edit the message, click Edit SMS, and then make any necessary changes.

  7. Click Turn on automation to activate your automation.

Mobile

  1. From the Shopify app, tap the Menu icon.

  2. In the Apps section, tap Messaging.

  3. Tap Messaging > Automations.

  4. Tap the Add icon.

  5. Tap the automation template that you want to use.

  6. Select SMS as the message channel.

  7. Tap Turn on automation to create and activate your automation.

Edit a marketing automation or template

You can edit the workflow for a marketing automation to change when it sends a message to a customer. You can also edit the template that's used in the automation.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Messaging.

  2. Click Automations.

  3. In the Automations section, edit your workflow or template:

    • To edit the workflow:
      1. Click the automation, and then click Edit workflow.
      2. Make the necessary changes to your automation.
      3. Click Apply changes.
    • To edit the template:
      1. Click Horizontal menu on the automation, and then click Edit.
      2. Make the necessary changes to your template.
      3. Click Save.

  4. Click Exit.

Turn off a marketing automation

You can turn off a marketing automation at any time. When you turn off an automation, any workflows that are in a wait stage are canceled so that no further messages are sent as part of the automation.

Steps:

Desktop

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Messaging.

  2. Click Automations.

  3. In the Automations section, click the automation that you want to turn off.

  4. Click Turn off automation, and then click Turn off.

Mobile

  1. From the Shopify app, tap the Menu icon.

  2. In the Apps section, tap Messaging.

  3. Tap Automations.

  4. Tap the automation that you want to turn off.

  5. Tap Vertical menu, and then tap Turn off automation.