What are personalisation fields?

Personalisation fields (also called merge tags or template variables) are placeholders you add to the text of an email. When the email sends, Instant replaces each field with that shopper’s details, such as their first name.

Why you need them

  • Without a field, every shopper gets the same text, so you cannot greet a shopper by name in copy you write yourself.
  • A custom attribute on a shopper’s profile does not appear in an email unless you add it as a field.

How to set it up

Before you start

  • You add fields to Rich Text blocks in the email editor.
  • Any custom attributes you want to use must already be on your shopper profiles. For more on profiles, see Managing Customer Profiles in Instant AI.

Adding a field as you type

  1. Go to Configuration > Template Designer in your Instant AI dashboard. [CONFIRM: navigation path for flows and campaigns]
  2. Open the email you want to edit.
  3. Click into the Rich Text block where you want the field to go.
  4. Type {{. A list of fields opens next to your cursor.
  5. Keep typing to filter the list. You can search by the field name (for example, “first”) or by the variable (for example, “first_name”).
  6. Use the up and down arrow keys to move through the list.
  7. Press Enter, or click Insert, to add the field.
  8. Click Save Changes.

The field shows in your text as a chip with the field name, for example First name.

Tip: Press Esc to close the list. The {{ you typed stays in your text as plain text.

Browsing all fields

  1. Click into a Rich Text block.
  2. Click the { } button in the text toolbar. You can also type {{ and click Browse all fields at the bottom of the list.
  3. Search, or scroll through each group, to find the field you want.
  4. Click the field to add it.

Setting a fallback

A fallback is the text Instant uses when a shopper has no value for that field.

  1. Click the field chip in your text.
  2. In If empty, show, type your fallback text (for example, “there”).
  3. Click Save Changes.

Note: Keep fallbacks short and natural, so the sentence still reads well. For example, “Hi” followed by a First name field with a fallback of “there” sends as “Hi there” to a shopper with no first name on file.

Changing or removing a field

  1. Click the field chip in your text.
  2. Click Swap to choose a different field. The new field replaces the old one in the same place.
  3. Or click Remove to delete the field. The text around it stays.
  4. Click Save Changes.

How it works

Which fields you can use

The list groups fields so you can find them quickly. Each field shows a name and, under it, the exact variable.

Basics (shown for every email):

  • First name (first_name)
  • Coupon code (coupon_code)
  • Call-to-action URL (cta_url)
  • Site name (site_name)

Shopper (details from the shopper’s profile):

  • First name (profile.first_name)
  • Email (profile.email)
  • Each custom attribute on your shopper profiles, listed by its attribute name

What the shopper sees

When the email sends, Instant replaces each field with that shopper’s value. If the shopper has no value and you set a fallback, Instant uses the fallback.

Fields that are no longer available

If a field cannot be used in an email anymore, its chip turns grey with a line through it. Click the chip and use Swap to choose a different field, or Remove to delete it.

FAQ

Do I need to know the variable names? No. Type {{ and search by the plain name, such as “coupon”. The list shows the exact variable under each field.

Can I add a field in the middle of a sentence? Yes. Put your cursor where you want the field, then type {{.

What happens if a shopper has no value for a field? Instant uses your fallback text. Set a fallback on any field that some shoppers may not have, such as first name.

Can I use these fields in SMS? SMS messages have their own Add variable option. See How to send an SMS Campaign with Instant AI.

For more on editing your emails, see How to Customise Email Templates in Instant AI.