In Listrak's NextGen Platform, Journey Hub enables you to send cross-channel messages based on data collected from your site or if contacts meet a set of criteria. This article reviews the basic setup of messages across channels within the Journey Hub interface.
This guide outlines all possible settings that can be specified for a message if created from scratch when a new message step is added to the canvas. If you utilize Journey Hub templates or are editing an existing message, some properties may already be set.
If you are not yet utilizing the NextGen version of the Listrak platform, check out this article to learn more about creating Journey Hub messages.
Email Messages
Step Properties
The step properties are set on the Journey Hub canvas. Click on the message on the canvas to open the properties.
Give the message a relevant name.
💡 The step name is used when evaluating activity in an engagement decision split.
From the drop-down, select the list associated with the campaign type (e.g Marketing List for Subscription or Abandonment for Cart Abandonment).
(Optional) Toggle on the Message Delivery Settings to control when an email is eligible to be sent to a contact. Checking the box will enable Time Zone Optimization to calculate the time zone based on a contact's information. Messages will be held until the specified time if a contact becomes eligible outside the timeframe.
For cart abandonment journeys, if desired, toggle on the Cart Data Filter to prevent carted items from being displayed in the email based on product data (e.g. product category).
Click Create a Message to build a message from scratch.
Email Message Properties
Email message properties can be set for new messages or edited for messages loaded into Journey Hub.
The chart below lists all of the properties that can be set on the message creation page. Learn more about the settings that appear on this page.
From Name | From Email | Reply-to Email |
To Name (if enabled) | Subject Line | Preheader |
External Tracking | Pass-along Link | Campaign and Content values for Google Analytics |
Campaign and Version values for Listrak Conversion Analytics | Custom URL Variables (if enabled) | External Campaign ID (if enabled) |
💡 Source and medium values for Google Analytics are set at list level rather than the message level.
Email Message Creative
Most Journey Hub email messages can be built in either HTML or Listrak Composer. However, email messages for Cart Abandonment, Product Browse Abandonment, and Shopify transactional journeys cannot be built in HTML.
🔍 Learn more about the features of Listrak Composer.
To speed up message creation, you can utilize saved content and templates when creating email messages.
In addition to the Composer functionality available in all message types, some journeys also enable additional functionality to display information specific to a contact's action on the site. Learn more below.
Reference Dynamic Product Information
For product-specific journey campaigns (cart abandonment, product abandonment, purchase, and Shopify transactional), specific information about the product, cart, or overall purchase can dynamically be inserted into the message. The information can be dynamically inserted into text elements, image elements, and in the dynamic item block (see below).
To add dynamic information to a Composer text block, open the personalization item in the text properties bar. The dynamic information in the Event Variables section will automatically populate information about a contact's item, cart, or purchase. Event variables can be styled the same way as all text elements.
For tags that contain links back to the site or an image URL, these tags can be used in a link or image URL field. These tags will easily populate in a message by clicking the plus sign in the image or link URL field.
⚠️ If a full link (including the http) is not passed in this field, add any necessary information to form a full link to the field prior to the dynamic product tag. E.g. https://[[Journey:Cart.Link]]
Using the Item Block
The item block is a unique type of structured content available in the Cart Abandonment and Shopify Transactional Journeys. These blocks dynamically populate the items in a contact's cart or purchase.
⚠️ The item block can only be added when adding or editing a message directly from the Journey Hub interface.
Drag the item block into the desired area of the canvas.
Click on the block to open the properties panel.
Uncheck any of the checkboxes next to the elements of the design you want to disable.
Click the arrow next to any of the items to adjust the properties.
Item: Image width, Border
Title: Font Family, Font Size, Letter Spacing, Styling, Font Color
Quantity: Font Family, Font Size, Letter Spacing, Styling, Font Color
Pricing:
If an item has a sale price: Enable Sale Price, Enable Strikethrough Regular Price, Font Color, Enable Line Total
If an item is regular price: Font Family, Font Size, Letter Spacing, Styling, Font Color
Button/Text Link: Link Style, Link Text, Font Family, Font Size, Letter Spacing, Styling, Font Color, Button Color, Border, Size, Shape
More Item Details: Add additional information about the items based on the information in the product file
Add Item Details: Include details such as Category, Subcategory, Color and Size
Adjust: Font Family, Font Size, Letter Spacing, Styling, Font Color
Adjust the Block Design Properties
Adjust Padding
Add Dividers between items
Change Vertical Alignment
Select the maximum number of items to show
Select a item sorting method
Select a currency format
Select a decimal format
💡 Important notes about the item block:
The canvas will display default values. Select a contact when using the preview function to use a contact's data (if available).
The first item in the preview will show sale styling, if enabled.
All items will inherent the same properties.
Selecting a currency format will only change the way the numeric value is displayed. No currency conversion is used.
Mobile SMS or MMS Messages
Step Properties
The step properties are set on the journey hub canvas. Click on the message on the canvas to open the properties.
Give the message a relevant name.
From the dropdown, select the Sender Code associated with your SMS program.
Change the Message Delivery Settings toggle, if desired.
⚠️ Quiet hours are automatically turned on for many message types to meet compliance best practices.
Click Create Message.
SMS Message Properties
The top section of the SMS message creation page confirms the analytics parameters that are set for the message.
Select a list, if necessary. This may be pre-populated if you set the selection when loading a template.
Set the Listrak Conversion Analytics
Select a Campaign Type that matches the journey event.
Add a Campaign Name
Add a Campaign Version
Set the Google Analytics
Add a Campaign Name
Add a Campaign Version
💡 The source and medium values are set in the SMS sender code properties.
Compose an SMS or MMS Message
Include a program (brand) name.
Use the Add Personalization dropdown to dynamically populate a value stored in a profile field.
Include a link back to the site.
Reference Dynamic Product Information
For product-specific journey campaigns (cart abandonment, product abandonment, purchase, and Shopify transactional), specific information about the product, cart, or overall purchase can dynamically be inserted into the message.
Dynamic information can be inserted into the text of the message, or, where applicable, a product image can be dynamically shown in an MMS message.
The list of all dynamic product tags for each journey can be found here.
⚠️ Only use tags for the specific journey type you are creating, else no data will populate.
Paste the tag or tags you would like to display in the body of the message. The message will estimate the number of characters that will be used by the data, however, each contact will have a message of a different length based on the specific details of their item, cart, purchase etc.
💡 Each tag will display a maximum of 30 characters.
To add a dynamic product image, click the Add File button. In the popup, select Product Image in the sidebar and then click Apply. You will see the tag that is used to populate the image of a product, however only a placeholder image is shown in the preview.
Once you have finalized the message content, click Create Journey Message at the bottom of the page.
App Push Messages
⚠️ App push messages do not support dynamic product information at this time.
On the properties panel, give the message a name.
Change the Message Delivery Settings toggle, if desired.
When the message creation screen loads, add a
title for the message. This will be displayed on a contact's mobile device and should provide motivation to open the notification. 65 character limit.
If desired, select an emoji by clicking Add Emoji and selecting the desired option.
Input the message text that provides the full details of the notification to contacts. 240 character limit.
If desired, select an emoji by clicking Add Emoji and selecting the desired option.
Insert the Destination URL for Android devices - where you want the users to go when clicking the notification. (if applicable)
Insert the Destination URL for iOS devices - where you want the users to go when clicking the notification. (if applicable)
Click Apply Message.
💡 Toggle between iOS and Andriod to preview the message in different formats. The final appearance may differ based on an individual user's device.