Promotions

E-Commerce Marketers often need to include 1-time use promotion codes in their marketing. Blueshift makes it easy to create Promo Codes and dynamically allocate them. However, redemption and validation will have to be managed by your e-commerce system.

To add promotions to your campaigns, complete the following steps:

1. Prepare a CSV of promo codes
2. Create a Promotion Code Bucket
3. Use Promotion Codes in Your Templates
4. Use Promotion Codes in Your Campaigns
5. Track Distribution
6. Monitor Alerts
7. Add promotion codes to existing bucket if required

1. Create a CSV

Create a .csv file with a single promotion code per row. Do not include a header row in the CSV file.

2. Create a Promotion Bucket

1. To create a new promotion bucket, click Promotions in the left navigation and then click +PROMOTION.
2. Upload the CSV file created in the previous step.

3. Use Promo Codes in Your Templates

You will need to reference the promo code in your email, push, or SMS templates.

To include a promotion in the template insert the following syntax: {{user.promo_code}}. When the message is sent to the user, this is replaced with the promotion code you associate with the campaign.

You can also use the promo code that gets generated after you create the promotion bucket in step 2. You can then insert the following syntax in your template: {{user.promotions.'promotion_id'}}. 

Note: Using the {{user.promotions.‘promotion_id’}} syntax works only if the promotion_id you use in the campaign matches the promotion_id you reference in the template. If there’s a mismatch, the messages will go out without any promo code. As such, we recommend that you use the generic promo code reference, {{user.promo_code}}, instead of using the promo code, {{user.promotions.promotion_id}}, in your template.

4. Use Promotion Codes in Your Campaigns

Finally, associate the promotion code with the campaign from the Send Settings on the Messaging tab of each applicable trigger.

Question 1: Will a user receive the same promotion code for multiple touch points from a given campaign?

In a campaign journey, the promotion code sent to a user at different touch points is the same as long as the promotion bucket is the same. The promotion code sent to the user depends on the following criteria. If any of these is different, the promotion code sent is different.

• User
• Campaign
• Promotion bucket (i.e. promotion_id)

In addition, promo code allocation is sticky. If the user is sent from the same trigger again, they will receive the same promo code that was previously allocated.

Question 2: Can I include multiple promotions on a trigger?

Yes you can, but the user will only be allocated at most one code from one of the promotions. It does not allocate a code from each promotion. The purpose of allowing multiple promotions is to have a backup in case one of them runs out of codes. For example, if the trigger has promotions "Bucket A" and "Bucket B" (in order), the campaign will try to allocate a code from "Bucket A" first. If it succeeds, then it stops there. If "Bucket A" no longer has any codes, it will try to allocate one from "Bucket B".

This behavior is the same regardless of whether you user the {{user.promo_code}} syntax or {{user.promotions.'promotion_id'}} syntax in your templates. In fact, if you are using multiple promotions, you should avoid using the legacy {{user.promotions.'promotion_id'}} syntax as the user may not even get allocated a code from the promotion you are specifying.

5. Track Distribution

Once you have launched promotion code-based campaigns, you can monitor the distribution of promo codes on the main Promotions page.

6. Alerts

Any time the list of promo codes in a bucket is exhausted, all campaigns using that bucket will be automatically paused. This ensures that your customers don't receive a promo email with no promo code.

Blueshift will send out email alerts to the campaign author and any user monitoring the campaign execution status with details on the impacted campaigns and the promotion buckets that would need to be replenished.

 

7. Additional promotion codes

If you are running out of codes and/or need to add more codes to an existing bucket, simply edit the bucket and upload a new CSV file. Follow the same format as in step 1.