If you're using a Shopify store, branching on product data lets you build dynamic journeys that message subscribers who viewed, purchased, or abandoned items in their cart in your Shopify store. For example, if a subscriber purchases a sweater, they enter a post-purchase journey which sends them another message highlighting a complementary product like a matching jogger.
You can build custom journeys with the following three custom triggers, or the following prebuilt journeys:
- Viewed a product/Browse Abandonment: Convert product views into product purchases by sending subscribers a message promoting a sale or special offer based on an item they viewed.
- Added to cart/Cart Abandonment: Reduce browse abandonment rates by sending subscribers special offers or discounts if they return to your Shopify site and complete the purchase.
- Made a purchase/Post Purchase: Boost your sales by sending subscribers a message promoting a product complementary to the product they purchased.
For more on using branching on product data for your business, check out Branching on product data use cases.
With an eCommerce integration or the Product Data API, you can input product data to incorporate product attributes in your subscriber segments or journey branches. This allows you to create product-change triggered journeys. For more information, see Use your product data in Attentive.
Before you get started
The way that your Shopify store is configured has important implications for how you can branch journeys on product data. Journeys can “see” and branch on the following types of product details:
- Product name: product title in Shopify.
- Example: Green suede L-section couch
- Product category: product type in Shopify.
- Example: Couches
- Product collection: A group of products in Shopify. For more, check out Collections on the Shopify help center.
- Example: L-section couches
- Product tag: product tags in Shopify.
- Example: #couch #suede
- Product availability: product status in Shopify.
- Example: In stock!
For more, check out Product details on the Shopify help center.
- Example: In stock!
What this means is that the more granular your product details in Shopify are, the more granular your journeys branched on product data can be. For example, if you use a single #on-sale tag to denote all items in your Shopify store that are currently on sale, then a journey branching for an #on-sale tag will include all products that have the #on-sale tag. If you use a series of different tags to denote specific sales, like #spring-sale-2021, then you can branch for more specific items.
Also, note that both main and else branches can include up to 20 “paths” of product data. For example, if your journey branches on product names, you can include up to twenty distinct branches.
You can send a different message to each path, set unique wait times, or even add additional branches. For more, check out Add steps to a journey.
What happens if a subscriber views more than one product that triggers a branching on product data journey?
Subscribers will enter the first journey that they trigger. For example, if you have three browse abandonment journeys and a subscriber views each, only the first product they view will trigger the journey. All subsequent events won't trigger an additional journey.
Can I branch on product data multiple times in one journey?
Yes! You can nest product data branches (or other types of branches) to your journeys.
This view abandonment journey has five steps:
- The journey is triggered when a customer views any product on your store.
- The journey waits for one hour in case the customer buys the item they viewed. For customers who make a purchase, the journey ends.
- The journey branches:
- Main branch: If the customer has added at least one item to their cart since beginning the journey, send them a generic text message and end the journey.
- Else customers who haven't added a product to their cart continue to the rest of the journey.
- The journey branches:
- Main branch: If the product the customer viewed has the #on-sale tag, then the journey goes to step 4.
- Else the customer viewed a product that didn't have the #on-sale tag, then send them a generic sales message.
- For customers who viewed a product with the #on-sale tag, the journey branches again:
- Main branch: If the product’s name was L Section Couch, then send them a message about the specific product.
- Else the customer viewed a product that isn't named L Section Couch, then send them a generic sales message.
- The journey ends.
In the above example, subscribers who viewed items with the #on-sale tag and were in the Shirts category would receive the specific message about shirts on sale. All other subscribers who entered the journey would receive the generic message.
Can I create branches based on multiple products in a cart?
Yes! You can create branches based on any items in a subscriber’s cart, all items in a cart, or the value of items in a cart.
Note: You can only create branches based on multiple products where the trigger that starts the journey is Checkout started (Shopify only) or Made a purchase.
Note: When creating branches based on the value of items in a cart, that value is the sum of the cost of the items in a cart (i.e., the subtotal). It doesn’t include other costs, such as taxes or shipping.
Branch based on any or all products
Follow these steps to create branches based on any or all products in a cart:
- Add a branch after a Checkout started (Shopify only) or Made a purchase trigger.
- Select What product was purchased.
- Select the product property you want branches to be based on (name, category, collection, tag, availability).
- In the first branch, select one of the following:
- Where any product is…
- Where all products are…
- Select the product property.
- Click + Add branch to create additional branches; then save. See Branches in journeys for more information.
For example, if a subscriber adds any item in a particular category, like a pair of shorts, you can send them a message with a discount code that encourages them to purchase accessories like belts and socks. For customers who add an item in a different category, like a pair of sunglasses, you can send a beach-themed message with a discount code encouraging them to purchase swimsuits, beach towels, and canvas tote bags.
Note: Subscribers will enter the branch that’s farthest to the left in the journey builder if their cart meets the criteria for more than one branch.
Branch based on cart’s value
Follow these steps to create branches based on a cart’s value:
- Add a branch after a Checkout started or Made a purchase trigger.
- Select Where the cart’s value is.
- In the first branch, select how you want to evaluate the cart’s value:
- Equals
- Is less than
- Is greater than
- Does not equal
- Is between
- Enter the value(s) you want to evaluate the cart’s value against.
-
Create additional branches as needed; then save.
For example, if a subscriber purchases multiple items and their cart total was $500 or greater, you can send them a message that thanks them for their purchase and includes a discount code for future purchases. However, if their cart total was less than $500, you can send them a message that thanks them for their purchase but doesn’t include a discount code.
Note: When branching on cart value in post-purchase journeys and items are in a foreign currency, Attentive uses the default currency in Shopify. If you don't have an integration with Shopify, Attentive uses the currency of the first product in your product catalog.
Are there prebuilt journeys for branching on product data?
Not yet! In the meantime, we recommend building a new custom journey if you want to branch on product data.
Note that you can add product data branches to your existing journeys or to journeys templates, but you may need to shift and add additional send text message steps to send the right message at the right time.