What are Smart Rules in campaigns?

Smart Rules show different content to different shoppers inside one campaign. Each shopper sees the version of a block that matches them, so you do not need a separate campaign for each group.

Why you need them

  • Without a rule, every shopper in the campaign sees the same blocks.
  • To give two groups different offers, you would need two campaigns and two audiences.

How to set it up

Before you start

Open the campaign: go to Campaigns in your Instant AI dashboard and open the campaign you want to change.

You can add Smart Rules to any step of a multistep campaign.

Option 1: Add a Smart Rule to an existing block

  1. Click the block in the email
  2. In the block settings panel, under Smart Rules, click Add Smart Rule
  3. Choose a rule from Your Rules, or click Create New Rule
  4. Click the + under the rule to add the blocks you want these shoppers to see
  5. Click Save changes

Your original block moves into the Default version. Shoppers who do not match any rule see the Default.

Option 2: Add a Rule block

  1. In the blocks panel, find Rule under Advanced
  2. Drag it into your email, or click it to add it
  3. Choose a rule from Your Rules, or click Create New Rule
  4. Click the + under the rule to add the blocks you want these shoppers to see
  5. Click Save changes

If a shopper does not match any rule in a Rule block, nothing shows in that spot.

Create a rule

  1. In the Block Rule window, click Create New Rule
  2. Click Add filter and choose a filter
  3. Set the conditions for the filter
  4. To add another filter, click Add filter again and choose AND or OR between the two
  5. To group filters, click Add filter group
  6. Check the rule name at the top, and change it if you want
  7. Click Save & Apply

The rule is saved to Your Rules, so you can use it again in other campaigns and flows.

Add more versions to the same block

  1. Under the last rule in the block, click + Add rule
  2. Choose or create the rule
  3. Add the content for that rule

To add a fallback for shoppers who match no rule, click + Add rule and choose Default.

How it works

Which version a shopper sees

Instant checks the rules in a block from top to bottom. The first rule that a shopper matches is the one they see.

  • If no rule matches, the shopper sees the Default version.
  • If there is no Default, nothing shows in that spot. The rest of the campaign sends as normal.
  • To change the order, drag a rule by the handle on its left.

Filters you can use in campaigns

About the Shopper

  • Shopify Tag, Location, Purchased and Email Activity
  • Email, Phone, Profile attributes and Subscription status
  • SMS activity, Viewed, Active on site and Added to cart
  • Customer insights (see How to use AI-powered segments)

These are the same filters as the Shoppers page. You can also select a segment that you saved on the Shoppers page from Your Rules.

On a Time Schedule

  • Scheduled event: shows content between a From date and a To date, from 00:00 on the From date to 23:59 on the To date in your store’s time zone.

Note: Campaigns do not have a trigger event, so the What Triggered the Flow filters (Products Engaged With, Cart Value and Product Price) are not available. A saved rule that uses them shows Unavailable for this flow.

Preview your rules

  1. Click Preview at the top right of the editor
  2. In the side panel, select a version for each Rule block, or search for a shopper by email or phone under Preview a shopper
  3. Click Preview again to go back to editing

When you save, the Preview & publish window opens. Select a version for each Rule block, click Review & publish, then click Publish.

FAQ

Can I add a Smart Rule to an existing block in a campaign? Yes. Click the block and click Add Smart Rule.

Can I use date-based rules in campaigns? Yes. Use the Scheduled event filter. This is useful when a campaign sends over several days, or when you reuse the email in a later campaign.

What happens if a shopper matches none of the conditions? They see the Default version of the block. If the block has no Default, nothing shows in that spot and the rest of the campaign sends as normal.

Can each rule in a block use different filters? Yes. Each rule has its own filters, and one rule can combine several filters with AND and OR.

Can I use a rule from a flow in a campaign? Yes, if the rule only uses About the Shopper or Scheduled event filters. Rules that use What Triggered the Flow filters show Unavailable for this flow.

For all Smart Rules features, see How to use Smart Rules in your emails.