The First Anniversary Flow automatically emails a shopper one year after their first purchase, celebrating the milestone and giving them a reason to come back. It is an out-of-the-box flow that turns itself on, so there is nothing to build or schedule.
Where to find it
Go to AI Flows in your Instant AI dashboard and look under Loyalty. The Anniversary Flow appears there by default on every account.
How it works
- Triggers exactly one year after a shopper’s first completed purchase (based on their first order date, not their most recent order).
- Applies to all shoppers and all products. There is nothing to configure per product.
- Sends one touchpoint by default. You can turn on additional touchpoints if you want a longer series.
- The copy is written by AI in your brand’s tone of voice, referencing the one-year milestone.
- The email uses the same structure as your Post Purchase and Win-Back flows: header, body, cart, and footer.
Adding a coupon
You can attach a coupon to the Anniversary Flow to incentivise the repeat purchase, in the same way you configure coupons on any other flow.
- Go to Settings > Coupons
- Add or open the coupon you want to use
- Click the Settings (gear icon) on the Coupons page
- Select Anniversary among the flows the coupon applies to
- Save
Note: The trigger is fixed. You cannot change when the Anniversary Flow sends or which shoppers it targets. This keeps the one-year timing accurate for every shopper.
Tip: The Anniversary Flow runs on a fixed one-year timer, so it is not affected by your Email Intensity setting. Intensity controls your abandonment flows, not lifecycle flows like this one.
FAQ
Do I need to set the Anniversary Flow up? No. It appears under Loyalty by default and turns on like your other flows. Your shoppers experience it automatically with no setup from you.
Which purchase does it count from? Only the first purchase. The flow measures one year from a shopper’s first completed order, so each shopper receives it once, on the anniversary of that first order.
Does it send for free or $0 orders? No. The flow only counts purchases above $0, so free orders and $0 orders do not start the timer.
What happens if the first order is refunded? Orders that do not represent a genuine paid purchase are not counted, so a refunded or $0 first order will not trigger the flow.
Can I edit the trigger or target specific products? No. The trigger is fixed at one year from first purchase and the flow is product agnostic. You can add a coupon and turn on extra touchpoints, but you cannot change who receives it or when.
Can I add more than one email? Yes. One touchpoint is on by default, and any additional touchpoints are optional.
For more on how flows enrol shoppers and send, see Understanding Instant AI Flows. For coupon setup, see How to Manage Coupons with Instant AI.