Engage time optimization (send time optimization)

Engage Time Optimization, also known as Send Time Optimization (STO), is a Blueshift advanced capability that enables you to optimize your campaigns by sending messages when your customers are more likely to engage with your brand.

Send time optimization is available for all campaigns.

The true measure of optimal send time is one where the customer is likely to give you their full attention. In today’s always-connected world, it is no longer sufficient to assume that historical open/click data is the best way to optimize send times. Always-on connectivity and easy access to apps and sites, particularly on mobile devices, lead to many short-lived sessions. Such sessions cannot be used as a full gauge of consumer interest. Marketers need to look deeper at the total amount of time customers spend and prioritize times of the day when they are more likely to click through, spend time, and are more likely to browse or make a purchase.

At Blueshift, we analyze the total time spent by each customer and rank each hour of the day based on the time spent and the customer's position in the purchase funnel. You can use these computed scores to optimize the send time of your messaging.

Consider the following points about using Send Time Optimization in your campaigns:

• The predictive affinities for a customer are part of the customer profile.
• Send time optimization is available for all campaigns.
• When Send Time Optimization is enabled, Blueshift uses the computed scores to send the message at the precise time at which the user is most likely to engage with your content.
• If your message is time-sensitive, specify an upper time limit by using the Send this message no later than _ hours after they are eligible option. Using this option ensures that the message is sent on the day that it is scheduled and is not queued for the next day. However, without Dayparting windows, a limit of 24 hours will ensure that the user is messaged at their optimal hour.
• If this trigger has defined dayparting windows, the Dayparting windows will take precedence over send time optimization. For example, if a user's optimum send time is at 11:00 AM and Dayparting windows only allow messages from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the message will be sent between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM.
• The Dayparting window and Send time optimization limit are always guaranteed to be applied. If you specify that the user should be messaged between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM, the user will be messaged within that time frame. If you specified that the Send time optimization limit is 1 hour, the user will be messaged within 1 hour of eligibility.
• Send time optimization is applied only if the previous two checks are accurate, so there are cases where it will not be used.
• Suppose a customer does not have a Top Hour Predictive Affinity available, for example. In that case, if the customer is new, the campaign message is sent when the campaign starts (at the execution schedule start time).

Example: Send time optimization with dayparting

The following example illustrates how send time optimization (STO) interacts with dayparting windows and time limits:

Key considerations for STO with dayparting:

• Timezone handling: STO uses account timezone, while dayparting can use either user or account timezone depending on configuration
• Optimization window: The broader your STO time limit, the greater the chance users will receive messages at their optimal times
• Immediate sending: When optimal times fall outside the STO limit, messages are sent immediately when users become eligible

To enable Blueshift's Send Time Optimization, select Predictive Optimization in the Send Time Optimization section of the Delay tab of the trigger.