Knowledgebase

How do I use Automation Rules?
 

With Shift4Shop's Automation Rules feature, you can specify automated actions that will be applied to orders when they meet conditional requirements which you set. Orders meeting your pre-defined requirements can then be made to apply certain actions such as:

  • Initiating an Autoresponder email campaign
  • Assigning the customer to a specific customer pricing group
  • Flagging the orders a specific color in your order manager
  • All of the above

Here are just a few situations where automation rules can apply.

  • Example 1
    Automatically assign your customers to a special autoresponder email campaign when their orders reach a pre-defined amount. For example, single orders totaling over $500 can automatically be assigned special follow-up emails after the order is shipped. These autoresponder messages can range anywhere from special thank you notes thanking them for their business or even special promotions and coupons to encourage them to purchase more!
  • Example 2
    Automatically place customers into a special pricing group when they order a specific product. For example, a gold membership card that gives them access to a preferred members pricing group. When the order for this product is fulfilled, your automation rules automatically assign the customer to your predefined group.
  • Example 3
    Flag specific orders with a color designation within your Shift4Shop order manager so that they're easier to see. For instance, an order that is placed by a member of specific customer group can automatically be flagged in a red color to help you identify these orders more quickly in the order manger.
  • Example 4
    Send an automated email for registrants when they sign up for a specific customer group.

Configuring your Automation Rules

Log into your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager and, using the left hand navigation menu:

  1. Go to Modules
  2. Using the search bar, search for AutoResponder and click on its settings button
  3. Select "Automation Rules"
  4. Next, click on "Add Rule" at the top right and provide a name for your rule
  5. Select whether the Rule Type will be for Order or Customer Registration*

*Additional Information
When adding an Automation Rule, you have two types to choose from:

  • Order
    The automation rule will trigger tasks based on paramaters you specify when orders come in.
  • Customer Registration
    The automation rule will trigger an autoresponder campaign when customers register for any particular customer group you specify.
  1. After selecting the type of rule in step 5 above, click "Save"

After clicking "Save" you will be taken to the Automation Rule you've just created so you may begin specifying its parameters.

  1. Specify your automation rule settings as needed, followed by your automation tasks.
    (See Reference*)
  2. Then click "Save"
  3. When complete, be sure to ENABLE the Automation Rule by clicking the provided button at the top.

*Reference

The following will illustrate the individual options available when creating your automation rules and tasks.

Note
If you are creating an Automation Rule for an autoresponder campaign; please be sure to have the campaign created, populated with email messages and ready for use before assigning a rule for it. The same will apply to automation rules for Custoemr Registration since an autoreposnder campaign is the only option allowed for these types of rules.

Automation Rules settings

When creating your Automation Rules, you will have the following settings available. This section will contain two specific portions; Automation Rules & Automation Tasks.

Your available settings are:

  • Automation Rules
    These will be the parameters the order must meet in order to apply for the automation.
    • Rule Name
      This is the specific name of your rule. You may change it as needed.

Automation Rules
The first half of this page will contain the actual Rules you need to specify. Orders must meet the requirements set in this section in order to trigger the tasks specified in the second half.

    • Order Status
      Select which order status triggers your rule. When the order is actively moved to this status, the rule will initiate.
    • Customer Group
      When an order is placed by a member of this customer group, the automation will be triggered.
    • Payment Method
       Select the payment method that you would like to specify for the trigger
    • Shipping Method
      When an order is placed using the shipping method selected here,
      • the automation will be triggered.
    • Distributor
      If the order includes products from a specific distributor selected in this drop down, the automation will trigger.
    • Order Amount (min. max.)
      Orders within this range will initiate automation.
    • Applies if Products from these Categories are in the Basket
      Use the "+Add" and "Remove" buttons to select categories that contain products which will trigger the automation. If the products are present in the shopper's cart, then the automation will be applicable to the order
    • Products
      Here you can select up to five items that - when purchased - will trigger the automation task.
    • Customer Group (only on "Customer Registration" rule type)
      When creation an automation rule for Customer Registration, select which customer group will trigger the rule.

Additional Information
When using the products trigger function, if multiple items are selected, those multiple items will need to be present in the cart in order for the automation task to trigger. In other words if you create the automation rule for three items in the products list, those three items will need to be in the order.

  • Automation Tasks
    These will be the individual actions that will get applied to the orders when the rules are met.
    • Add Email to Autoresponder
      Orders meeting the above rules will have their email addresses added to this autoresponder. This will also be the option available when creating a "Customer Registration" rule type.
    • Assign to Customer Group
      Users placing orders that meet the above rules will have their accounts moved to this tasks customer group.
    • Flag Order
      Orders meeting the above rules will be flagged with a specific color in the Shift4Shop order manager.
      Automation Rules Listing
    • Change to Order Status
      Orders meeting the above rules will be moved to a specific status in the Shift4Shop Online Store Manager.

You can create an unlimited amount of automation rules for your store.

After creating the automation rules, you can view and edit them simply by navigating to your Automation Rules page in the Store Modules section.



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