Automating Emails - Auto Send a Discount to Reward Repeat Customers

The first step in automating emails is to identify to which customers the email(s) will be sent. In ShipWorks, this is done using a Filter. In this case, we want to begin sending an email to any customer that places more than one order.

The great news is that there is already a default filter in ShipWorks that we can use. Let's take a quick look at it so that we understand what it does.

1. Click on the Manage tab and then on the Filters button.

2. Click on the Customers tab and then select the Returning Customer filter.

3. Click on the Edit button.

The Filter Editor shows you what this filter is doing. In this case, the filter is sorting out all customers that have placed two or more orders with us.

What if I only want to send the emails to customers that purchase from one of my stores?

Great question. You can modify the filter to do exactly that.

1. Click on the Add Condition button. (It is the little green circle with the white + in it.) You will see a new condition appear.

2. Click on Orders Placed and select For every > Order...

3. Click on the second Add Condition button. A new line will appear. Click on Order Total and select Store > Store Instance.

4. From the drop-down, select the store to which you want the customers to be associated.

Now the filter will identify any customers that placed two orders or more with the store you selected.

5. Click OK then Close.

Next, let's set up an action that will automatically fire off an email to a customer the moment a second order for that customer enters ShipWorks.

1. Click on the Manage tab and then on the Actions button.

2. Click on the New Action button.

3. Give your action a name. For this example, we will name the action Email Repeat Customers.

4. Click on the When the following occurs: drop-down menu and select A filter's content changes.

5. Click on the blue word Order and select Customer.

6. Click on the drop-down menu and select the Returning Customer filter.

7. Click on the Add Task button and select Email.

8. From the With template: drop-down menu, select the filter that you would like email.

If you need assistance with creating a template to use, please see this article.

9. Optionally, if you would like to delay the delivery of the emails, you can do so. For example, you could have ShipWorks send the email the following day. For this example, we are leaving this setting unchecked so that the email is sent as soon as a customer's second order is downloaded into ShipWorks.

10. Click OK and then Close.

From this point forward, any customer that has a second (or more) order enter the ShipWorks software, the email will be automatically sent to them.