Email Automation Trigger Engine

Overview

Each trigger watches for a specific event or condition. When triggered, ILLIXIS automatically:

1. Creates or updates the subscriber record
2. Enrolls them in matching active sequences
3. Executes the first step of the sequence
4. Schedules subsequent steps based on delays

Triggers only fire for sequences that are in Active status. Draft or paused sequences are ignored.

Abandoned Cart

Trigger type: ecommerce.cart_abandoned

Fires when a customer adds items to their cart but does not complete checkout within the configured time window.

How It Works

1. Customer adds items to cart (tracked via your store connection)
2. System waits for the abandonment window (default: 1 hour)
3. If no checkout completed, trigger fires
4. Customer enters the Cart Recovery sequence

Configuration Options

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Wait time | How long after cart creation before triggering | 1 hour |
| Minimum cart value | Only trigger for carts above this amount | $0 (all carts) |
| Exclude recent purchasers | Skip customers who purchased in last N days | 7 days |

Best Practices

• Send the first email within 1-2 hours while intent is high
• Include cart contents with images in the email
• Save the discount offer for email 2 or 3, not the first touch
• Use urgency sparingly (items selling fast, limited stock)
• Cap the sequence at 3 emails over 72 hours

Lapsed Customer

Trigger type: ecommerce.lapsed

Fires when a previous customer has not made a purchase within the specified timeframe.

How It Works

1. System checks customer purchase history daily
2. If last purchase exceeds the lapsed threshold, trigger fires
3. Customer enters the Winback sequence
4. Trigger includes last purchase date and items in context

Configuration Options

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Days since last purchase | Threshold for considering a customer lapsed | 60 days |
| Minimum lifetime orders | Only trigger for customers with N+ orders | 1 |
| Exclude recent browsers | Skip if they visited site in last N days | 7 days |

Best Practices

• Segment by customer lifetime value (VIPs get different treatment)
• Lead with "we miss you" messaging, not immediate discounts
• Show new products or bestsellers since their last purchase
• Offer a meaningful incentive in email 2 or 3 (15-20% works well)
• Consider a final "last chance" email with stronger offer

No Activity

Trigger type: no_activity

Fires when a subscriber has no engagement (opens, clicks, or site visits) for the specified period.

How It Works

1. System tracks engagement timestamps for each subscriber
2. Daily check compares last activity against threshold
3. If threshold exceeded, trigger fires
4. Subscriber enters the Re-engagement sequence

Configuration Options

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Days without activity | How long before triggering | 30 days |
| Activity types counted | Opens, clicks, site visits, purchases | All |
| Exclude unsubscribed | Skip subscribers who opted out | Yes |

Best Practices

• Use a compelling subject line that stands out (try a question or curiosity gap)
• Ask directly if they want to stay subscribed
• Offer a preference center to change email frequency
• Include a clear unsubscribe option (reduces complaints)
• If no response after 2-3 emails, consider sunsetting the contact

Site Abandonment

Trigger type: ecommerce.site_abandoned

Fires when a known visitor lands on your site but leaves without viewing any products.

How It Works

1. Visitor identified via email cookie or login
2. Session tracked through page views
3. If session ends with no product views, trigger fires after delay
4. Visitor enters the Site Winback sequence

Configuration Options

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Session timeout | How long before a session is considered abandoned | 30 minutes |
| Minimum pages viewed | Only trigger if they viewed N+ pages | 1 |
| Trigger delay | Wait time after session ends | 24 hours |

Best Practices

• This is low-intent traffic, so keep expectations modest
• Showcase bestsellers or new arrivals (generic recommendations)
• Focus on brand storytelling rather than hard sells
• One email is usually sufficient for this trigger
• Monitor unsubscribe rates; increase delay if rates climb

Browse Abandonment

Trigger type: ecommerce.browse_abandoned

Fires when a visitor views specific products but does not add anything to their cart.

How It Works

1. Visitor views one or more product pages
2. Session ends without cart addition
3. After delay, trigger fires with viewed products in context
4. Visitor enters the Browse Recovery sequence

Configuration Options

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Products viewed threshold | Minimum product views to trigger | 1 |
| Session timeout | How long before session is considered ended | 30 minutes |
| Trigger delay | Wait time after session ends | 4 hours |
| Include product data | Pass viewed products to email template | Yes |

Best Practices

• Send within 4-6 hours while products are fresh in mind
• Feature the exact products they viewed (not generic recommendations)
• Include customer reviews or ratings for viewed products
• Keep to 1-2 emails maximum; this is medium intent
• Pair with dynamic product content blocks in your email

Trial Lifecycle

Trigger type: trial_started, trial_day, trial_ending, trial_expired

A family of triggers that fire at specific points during a free trial period. Used primarily by SaaS businesses.

How It Works

The trial lifecycle includes four distinct triggers:

| Trigger | When It Fires |
|---------|---------------|
| trial_started | Immediately when trial begins |
| trial_day | On specific days of the trial (Day 1, 3, 5, etc.) |
| trial_ending | N days before trial expires |
| trial_expired | When trial period ends without conversion |

Each trigger can have its own sequence, or you can use a single sequence with conditional branching.

Configuration Options

Trial Started:

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Delay | Time after signup before sending | 0 (immediate) |

Trial Day:

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Day number | Which day of the trial to trigger | 1, 3, 5 (configurable) |
| Time of day | What time to send | User's timezone, 9 AM |

Trial Ending:

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Days before expiry | How many days before trial ends | 3 days |

Trial Expired:

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Delay after expiry | How long after trial ends | 0 (immediate) |

Best Practices

Welcome (Day 0):

• Send immediately after signup
• Focus on one clear next action
• Link to quick-start guide or onboarding video

Early Trial (Days 1-3):

• Highlight your primary value feature
• Include usage tips and best practices
• Offer help or a quick call

Mid-Trial (Days 5-7):

• Check in on their experience
• Show features they may have missed
• Share customer success stories

Trial Ending:

• Create urgency without being pushy
• Summarize what they will lose
• Make the upgrade path clear

Trial Expired:

• Acknowledge they did not convert
• Ask for feedback (short survey)
• Leave door open with a discount or extended trial offer

Enabling and Disabling Triggers

To Enable a Trigger

1. Go to Email Automation > Sequences
2. Create or open a sequence
3. Set the Trigger Type to the desired trigger
4. Configure trigger options in the settings panel
5. Change status to Active

Sequences must be Active for triggers to fire. Draft sequences are ignored.

To Disable a Trigger

1. Open the sequence using that trigger
2. Change status to Paused or Draft
3. Existing enrollments will pause (not deleted)

Alternatively, edit the trigger configuration to exclude the conditions that were firing.

Connecting Triggers to Sequences

Each sequence has exactly one trigger type. When that trigger fires:

1. System finds all Active sequences with matching trigger type
2. Checks if subscriber is already enrolled (and sequence settings)
3. Creates new enrollment if allowed
4. Queues first step for execution

Handling Multiple Sequences

You can have multiple sequences for the same trigger type. All matching sequences will enroll the subscriber unless:

• They are already enrolled in that specific sequence
• The sequence has enrollment limits configured
• Re-enrollment is disabled and they completed the sequence previously

Trigger Context Data

Triggers pass context data to your email templates:

| Trigger Type | Available Variables |
|--------------|---------------------|
| Cart abandoned | cart_items, cart_total, cart_url |
| Browse abandoned | browsed_products, product_url |
| Lapsed | last_order_date, days_since_purchase |
| Trial triggers | trial_start_date, trial_end_date, days_remaining |

Use these variables in your email templates with {{variable_name}} syntax.

Troubleshooting

Trigger not firing:

• Verify sequence status is Active
• Check trigger configuration matches the event
• Confirm tracking script is installed (for browse/site abandonment)
• Review subscriber eligibility (not suppressed, not already enrolled)

Duplicate enrollments:

• Check if "Allow Re-enrollment" is enabled
• Verify you don't have multiple sequences with the same trigger

Wrong timing:

• Review delay settings in trigger configuration
• Check timezone settings for trial day triggers
• Verify session timeout for abandonment triggers