A trigger is the starting point for all automation. It defines when a customer enters a flow. It can be a customer action—such as making a purchase, signing up, or adding items to a cart—or a condition, such as going a certain number of days without making a purchase. Without a clear trigger, the flow doesn’t know who to reach out to or when to do so.

Why does it matter?

The trigger determines the timing of the message, and in marketing, timing matters just as much as content. A shopping cart reminder that arrives an hour later makes sense; one that arrives a month later, not so much.

Some common types:

• By event: first purchase, order delivered, added to the list.
• By behavior: abandoned cart, items viewed but not purchased.
• By time or status: a certain amount of time has passed since the last purchase; the customer has gone from active to inactive.

A good trigger is specific. "All customers" is not a trigger; "customers who viewed a category twice this week and didn't make a purchase" is.

Story mode

Lucía looks at the same jacket three times on an online sports store, but doesn't buy it. That browsing activity acts as a trigger: the next day, she receives a message featuring the item she viewed and a similar alternative. Lucía returns to the site and completes the purchase.

How to Use It with Data4Sales

• Workflows are triggered at key moments in the customer journey: welcome, abandoned cart, abandoned browsing session, post-purchase, repeat purchase, reactivation, and post-sale NPS.
• The web pixel tracks browsing activity (categories and products viewed, searches) and makes this data available for use in workflows.
• The customer lifecycle and predictive models—such as "days until next purchase"—help you determine the best time to send each message.

Related terms

• Flow
• Marketing Automation
• Abandoned Cart
• Web Pixel