How to exclude certain shoppers from receiving Instant AI emails

Instant AI gives you multiple ways to exclude shoppers from receiving emails. These exclusions work at different levels, depending on whether you want to stop all emails or only specific flows.

Below is a breakdown of each option, how it works, and when to use it.

Shopify tag Exclusion

Instant AI automatically imports all Shopify tags associated with a shopper profile. You can view these tags by viewing Shoppers > Opening any shopper profile > Reviewing the list of Shopify tags on their profile. Many merchants already use Shopify tags via, subscription tools, Loyalty platforms, B2B workflows, Forms, lists, or automations.

Shopify tag exclusion lets you exclude shoppers from specific flows, based on a tag.

Example
Exclude all shoppers with the tag “B2B” from the Browse Abandonment flow.

In this case:

Any shopper with the “B2B” tag will never enrol in that flow
They can still receive other flows and campaigns
The exclusion always applies as long as the tag remains

Visibility in the shopper profile

When viewing a shopper, you’ll see their Shopify tags and any flows they are excluded from. This makes it easy to understand why a shopper didn’t enter a flow. Shopify tag exclusions are commonly used to avoid attribution issues with subscription customers, Prevent browse or cart emails for shoppers who were already likely to purchase or handle B2B or internal customer groups cleanly.

How to Configure

To configure domain and Shopify tag exclusions:

Go to Settings
Open Email Settings
Select Preferences
Scroll down to Shopify Tags
Enter a list of Shopify Tags you would like to exclude
Select which flows to exclude them from
Save your changes

You can use the tag instant_exclude if you would like a pre-configured tag to use, otherwise simply enter the name of the tag that you'd like to add. The tag is case sensitive so it's important to check the case and formatting to confirm it's accurately working.

Domain Exclusion

By default, Instant AI automatically excludes your own business domain and any Instant team member email domains from triggering your flows. This prevents you or your team from accidentally triggering abandonment flows and paying for emails sent to yourselves. You may also wish to manually add additional domains if you operate multiple businesses, or share domains across brands or want to exclude internal, test, or partner email addresses.

It’s important to note:

Shoppers with excluded domains will not enrol in flows
These shoppers can still receive campaigns if they explicitly subscribe
Domain exclusion applies automatically once configured

This is useful for avoiding unwanted flow enrolment without fully suppressing shoppers.

Manually Suppress a Profile

Suppressing a profile is the strongest form of exclusion in Instant AI. A suppressed shopper will never receive any Instant AI emails, regardless of their subscription status. This includes all flows, campaigns and any future Instant AI emails.

It’s important to note:

A shopper can still be marked as subscribed and suppressed at the same time
Suppression skips checking subscription status entirely and won't email them
By default, no shoppers are suppressed

How to suppress a profile

Go to Shoppers
Search for the shopper and open their profile
Click the three-dot menu on the right-hand side
Select Suppress

Once suppressed, the shopper’s profile will display a “Suppressed” badge, shown alongside their subscribed or unsubscribed status. Use suppression when you need a guaranteed, permanent exclusion for a specific shopper.

FAQs

What’s the difference between suppressing a shopper and excluding them via tags or domains?

Suppressing a shopper is a complete, permanent exclusion — they will never receive any Instant AI emails. Shopify tag and domain exclusions are more targeted and only prevent enrolment in specific flows (or flows in general), while still allowing other communications where applicable.

If a shopper is suppressed, can they still receive campaigns?

No. Suppressed shoppers will not receive any flows, campaigns, or future Instant AI emails under any circumstances.

If a shopper has an excluded domain, can they still receive emails?

Shoppers with excluded domains will not enrol in flows. They can still receive campaigns if they explicitly subscribe.

What happens if a shopper matches multiple exclusions?

The strongest rule always applies. Suppression overrides all other settings. If a shopper is not suppressed, Shopify tag and domain exclusions are evaluated next.

If I remove a Shopify tag, will the shopper be able to enter the flow again?

Yes. Shopify tag exclusions only apply while the tag is present. If the tag is removed, the shopper becomes eligible for the flow again (based on the flow’s normal entry rules).

Can I see why a shopper didn’t enter a flow?

Yes. When viewing a shopper profile, you’ll see their Shopify tags and any flows they are excluded from, making it easy to understand why they were skipped.