Flowhub Marketing automated campaigns send on their own when a customer's birthday comes around or when they stop buying for a set number of days. In this article, we'll guide you through setting up, activating, pausing, and tracking automated campaigns so you reach customers at the right moment.
š Note: Automated campaigns send email and push notifications. Text messages aren't available for automated campaigns.
Create an Automated Campaign
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns.
Select New campaign in the top-right corner.
Enter a Campaign Name.
Under Campaign type, select Automated.
One-time is selected by default. You can't change the type after you save the campaign.
Under Trigger, select Winback or Birthday.
Winback is selected by default.
Automated campaigns don't use Campaign Timing. The trigger settings decide when each message sends.
Set Up a Winback Trigger
Winback reaches customers who have stopped buying. The first message goes out after the interval passes with no purchase. Another follows every interval while the customer stays inactive.
Select Winback.
Enter the Winback interval in days without a purchase.
The default is 45 days. Enter a whole number from 1 to 3,650.
Enter a Send time.
Messages send at this time in the store time zone shown under the field.
(Optional) Check Include customers who already qualify when activated.
Select About including customers who already qualify (the info icon beside the checkbox) to read how it works.
Review When it sends and What resets it below the fields.
A purchase at any of your locations restarts the clock. Returns and voided sales don't restart it.
āExample: You activate a winback campaign with a 45-day interval. A customer buys on March 1 and doesn't come back. They get a message on April 15, then another on May 30 if they still haven't bought.
Include Customers Who Already Qualify
This checkbox decides who is in the first send. It's off by default.
Off: Only purchases made after you activate start the winback clock. The first messages go out one interval after those purchases.
On: Customers who are already past the interval are in the first send. This can be a large send to customers who have been gone a long time.
š Note: You can only change this setting before you activate. It no longer displays once the campaign is active.
š” Tip: Review the Next opportunity panel before you turn this on. It shows how many customers the next send would reach.
Set Up a Birthday Trigger
Select Birthday.
Enter Days before birthday.
Enter 0 to send on the birthday. Enter a whole number up to 365 to send earlier.
Enter a Send time.
Each campaign sends a customer one birthday message a year.
Customers need a birthday saved on their customer profile.
February 29 birthdays send on February 28 in non-leap years.
Birthday messages start with the first send date after you activate.
Choose Your Audience and Messages
Under Audience, select one or more segments.
Customers must be in a selected segment at each send time.
Under Messages, add an Email, a Push Notification, or both.
You can add one message per channel.
Each message follows your frequency limits unless you check Send email notification to customers regardless of frequency limit or Send push notification to customers regardless of frequency limit.
Review the Next opportunity panel on the right.
Next send shows the next send time. Eligible customers shows how many customers qualify at that time.
Each channel shows how many customers can receive it and how many are excluded by frequency limits.
The panel is an estimate. Eligibility is checked again before each send. For help writing your messages, see Create a Campaign in Flowhub Marketing.
Activate Your Automated Campaign
Select Activate campaign.
Review Next send and Eligible customers in the Activate automated campaign window.
If no customers qualify for the next send time, the window says so. The campaign keeps checking at each send time.
Select Activate campaign to confirm.
The campaign turns on now. The first messages go out at the next send time.
To save your work without activating, select Save as draft. To activate a draft later, open it from the Campaigns page, select Actions, then select Activate.
š Note: Automated campaigns use your existing Marketing role permissions. No new permission is needed.
ā ļø Important: An active campaign sends at every send time without anyone selecting send. Pausing stops messages that haven't been handed off for delivery. It can't recall messages that already went out.
Edit an Active Automated Campaign
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns and select the campaign.
Select Edit.
Make your changes and review the Next opportunity panel.
Select Save changes.
Select Apply changes to confirm.
Changes apply right away to customers whose messages haven't been queued yet. Messages already queued keep their content and schedule.
A paused campaign stays paused.
If someone else changed the campaign while you were editing, a message asks you to reload it before you apply your changes.
Pause, Resume, or Archive an Automated Campaign
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns.
Select the campaign to open its details panel.
Select Actions, then select Pause, Resume, or Archive.
Confirm your choice in the window that opens.
Pause: Stops new sends and any messages that haven't been handed off for delivery. Missed sends stay skipped.
Resume: Picks up each customer's existing schedule. Messages missed while paused aren't sent.
Archive: Stops the automation and keeps its history.
ā ļø Important: Archiving an automated campaign is permanent. You can't edit, resume, or activate it again. To run it again, select Actions, then select Clone & edit.
Only drafts can be deleted. To remove a draft you no longer need, select Actions, then select Delete.
Track Automated Campaign Results
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns.
Select Type, then select Automated to show only automated campaigns.
Each campaign row shows One-time or Automated under its name.
The Status filter includes Paused for automated campaigns.
Select a campaign to open its details panel.
Under Performance, select Lifetime to change the date range, then choose Last 30 days or Custom range.
Results show the campaign's lifetime by default.
Review Messages sent, Delivered customers, Attributed sales, Customers who purchased, and the card for each channel.
Review Campaign details for the Trigger, Send time, and Next check.
Purchases are attributed within 14 days of a qualifying send.
Date ranges use UTC calendar days, so a day in the report may not line up with your store's local day.
In Marketing > Overview, each campaign row shows One-time or Automated. An automated campaign appears when it sent messages during the date range you selected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will customers who stopped buying before I activate get a winback message?
No, not by default. Check Include customers who already qualify when activated before you activate to include them. Otherwise, their winback clock starts with their next purchase.
Why does the activation window show 0 eligible customers?
No one qualifies at the next send time yet. With the checkbox off, winback messages start one interval after new purchases. The campaign keeps checking at each send time.
What happens when a customer has reached their frequency limit?
That message is skipped, not delayed. The customer can get the next one at their next winback interval or next birthday.
Which campaign sends first when a customer qualifies for several at once?
One-time campaigns go first, then birthday, then winback. Your frequency limits apply in that order.
Does a purchase at any store reset the winback clock?
Yes. A purchase at any of your locations restarts the clock, including stores outside the campaign's segments. Returns and voided sales don't count.
Will customers get messages they missed while the campaign was paused?
No. Resuming picks up each customer's existing schedule. Sends missed while paused stay skipped.
Can I change a one-time campaign into an automated campaign?
No. You choose the type before you first save. To reuse a one-time campaign's messages, select Actions, then Clone & edit, and choose Automated before you save.
Great work! š„³ You've set up an automated campaign that reaches customers on their birthday or when they stop buying. Your team can track its results from the details panel and pause it whenever you need to.