Create marketing automations in Shopify

This page was printed on Jul 26, 2023. For the current version, visit https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/create-marketing-automations.

Marketing automations let you send multi-channel communications, such as email, SMS, and push notifications, to customers automatically. You can increase customer engagement and drive conversions by connecting with your customers across multiple platforms.

Marketing automations useShopify Flowand can be configured in the following ways:

  • using a pre-built template offered by Shopify Email or third-party apps
  • manually to create a custom automation

Marketing automations are available for stores on theBasic Shopifyplan or higher. To create marketing automations, you must have theMarketingpermission on your store account. For more information, refer tostaff permissions.

On this page

Create a marketing automation

When you create a marketing automation from a template, you can configure the specific settings of how the automation works. For example, you can adjust the timing of the abandoned cart email and send the email after a specific timeframe when your customer abandons a cart.

After you configure an automation, you can turn it on immediately, or you can save it as a draft. To edit an automation's workflow, you must use a desktop device.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go toMarketing>Automations.
  2. ClickCreate automation.
  3. Click the automation that you want to turn on.
  4. ClickUse workflow.
  5. Review and edit your workflow actions.
  6. ClickTurn on workflow, and then clickTurn on.
  1. From theShopify app, go toStore>Marketing.
  2. TapAutomationsand then tap+.
  3. Tap the automation that you want to turn on.
  4. TapTurn on automation, and then tapTurn on.
  1. From theShopify app, go toStore>Marketing.
  2. TapAutomationsand then tap+.
  3. Tap the automation that you want to turn on.
  4. TapTurn on automation, and then tapTurn on.

After you turn on an automation, you canaccess marketing automation analyticsto find out how the automation is performing. Learn more about using theShopify Email template editorto customize your automation emails.

Edit a marketing automation or email template

You can edit the workflow for a marketing automation to change when an email is sent to a customer. Additionally, you can edit the email template used in the automation. To edit an automation's workflow or email template, you must use a desktop device.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go toMarketing>Automations.
  2. In theAutomationssection:
    • To edit the workflow, click the automation that you want to edit, and then clickEdit workflow. Make any desired changes, and then clickApply changes.
    • To edit the email template, click the…button on the automation, and then clickEdit. Make any desired changes, then clickSave.
  3. ClickExit.

Turn a marketing automation off

  1. From your Shopify admin, go toMarketing>Automations.
  2. In theAutomationssection, click the automation that you want to turn off.
  3. ClickTurn off automation, and then clickTurn off.
  1. From theShopify app, go toStore>Marketing.
  2. TapAutomations.
  3. Tap the automation that you want to turn off.
  4. Tap⋮, and then tapTurn off automation.
  1. From theShopify app, go toStore>Marketing.
  2. TapAutomations.
  3. Tap the automation that you want to turn off.
  4. Tap⋮, and then tapTurn off automation.

Any workflows that are in awaitstage are canceled so no further emails are sent as part of the automation.

Access marketing automation analytics

您可以访问分析,如转化率,for automations that you activate to help you understand the impact of marketing automations on your business. You can use this information to improve your automations and experiment with different configurations.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go toMarketing>Automations.
  2. In theAutomationssection, click the automation that you want to access the analytics for.
  3. In theMarketing activities in the workflowsection, click…, and then clickView report.
  1. From theShopify app, go toStore>Marketing.
  2. TapAutomations.
  3. Tap the automation that you want to access analytics for.
  4. In theActivities in this workflowsection, tap the automation name.
  1. From theShopify app, go toStore>Marketing.
  2. TapAutomations.
  3. Tap the automation that you want to access analytics for.
  4. In theActivities in this workflowsection, tap the automation name.

Shopify Email

Marketing automations useShopify Emailto send email messages to customers excluding the custom marketing automations and third-party automations. Emails that are sent using marketing automations, other than the abandoned checkout automation emails, count towards your emails sent with Shopify Email. For more information, refer toShopify Email pricing.

Types of Shopify Email marketing automations

Review the following table to learn more about the types ofShopify Emailmarketing automations:

Types of marketing automations and their descriptions.
Automation Description
Abandoned cart Sends an email message to customers who add products to their cart, but don't start the checkout process.
Abandoned checkout Sends an email message to customers who start the checkout process, but don't complete an order.
Abandoned product browse Sends an email message to customers who view a specific product, but don't add it to their cart.
Custom Design your own email automations based on events that you choose.
Customer winback Sends an email message to customers after a specified amount of time has passed since their last order was placed.
First purchase upsell Sends an email message to customers after they maKe their first purchase.
Post-purchase thank you Sends a thank you email to customers after their first and second purchases.
Post-purchase upsell email Sends a post-purchase upsell email message after a customer buys something.
Welcome email series (brand story with discount) Sends your brand story and social links in 3 emails. If no purchase is made, then an email with a discount is sent.
Welcome email series (discount with reminder) Sends new subscribers an email with a discount, followed by 2 brand-building emails. If no purchase is made, then a discount reminder is sent.
Welcome new subscriber Sends an email message to customers when they subscribe using theemail signup formon your online store.

Types of third-party marketing automations

Review the following table to learn more about the types of third-party marketing automations:

Types of third-party marketing automations and their descriptions.
Automation Description
Back in stock email Uses Seguno and sends an email to customers who request a restock alert.Learn more about Seguno's restock automation and pricing information.
Browser push notification for specific product releases Uses PushOwl to send a browser push notification to all of your PushOwl subscribers. The push notification is sent when a new product that you add includes thepush notificationproduct tag.Learn more about PushOwl's automated push notification for new product releases.
Post-purchase upsell email or SMS Uses Shopify Email and AfterShip SMS to send a post-purchase upsell email message or SMS after a customer places an order.Learn more about how to send a post-purchase upsell email or SMS through AfterShip SMS, along with SMS pricing and subscription plans.

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