This article will help you understand:
- What a Product Interest Trigger is
- Why you should use a Product Interest Trigger
- How to use/customize all the different settings and filters, so it fits your solution
- How to combine the Product Interest Trigger with product recommendations
🔍 Note: before you get started, it's essential to understand that Raptor isn't an e-mail marketing system, meaning it doesn't send e-mails directly. Instead, Raptor integrates with your chosen e-mail marketing provider, allowing you to utilize all of Raptor's functionalities alongside with the features in your e-mail marketing system.
See all e-mail marketing systems Raptor works with here: Raptor integrations
What is a Product Interest Trigger?
During the consideration phase, numerous users browse various products on your website. However, certain products tend to attract more attention than others. The Product Interest Trigger fires when a user visits a product a selected number of times within a specific period without making a purchase and where the product is not added to the cart
A Product Interest Trigger scenario could look like this:
🔍 Note: if a user looks at multiple products at least to times within 7 days, the Trigger will fire for the product the user visited the most times.
The Trigger can be configured to fire only for products that are in stock since there is always a lookup in a Product Catalog to check the stock status. The purpose of the e-mail is, of course, to show the user the product they have shown interest in or inspire the user with similar items, or interesting content.
Trigger settings
The product Interest Trigger can be configured in the following matters:
1. Runtime
The Trigger setup exists of two different runtime settings:
- Automated: the Trigger runs every hour.
- Scheduled: the Trigger will run at a specific time. The schedule is custom, and can be customized to whenever you want the Trigger to fire.
💡 Example: the Trigger runs every hour (12.00, 13.00, 14.00 etc.) to check for users who showed ‘product interest’
2. Look back period
Define how far back the Trigger should look to retrieve customer data. The longer the look back period, the more Triggers will fire. Raptor recommends a look back period between 7 - 14 days to ensure products remain relevant to the user.
💡 Example: the Trigger utilizes the user's behavior within the last 7 days
3. Visit occurences
Choose how many times a user must visit a product before the Trigger fires. The higher the minimum visit occurrence, the better the click-through rate and conversion rate, as it indicates a higher level of user interest in the product. However, this also leads to fewer Triggers being sent, potentially resulting in lost revenue. Therefore, finding a sweet spot is essential. We recommend setting the minimum visit occurrence between 2-3.
💡 Example: a product must be visited at least 3 times before the Trigger fires
4. Waiting time
Define the delay time that should pass before the user receives the Trigger. It is recommended that the Trigger fires shortly after the user has left the site to ensure conversion. We recommend that the Trigger fires between 1-2 hours after the last visit event.
💡 Example: the Trigger should fire 2 hours after the user last visited the product
5. Limit
Choose how many Triggers the user may receive within a specific period. To avoid spamming the user, a limit can be set. Raptor recommends a limit where the user can receive a maximum of one Trigger per 24 hours. *The limit can be combined with other triggers such as Category interest, Abandoned basket, and Price drop product interest.
💡 Example: the user may receive a maximum of 1 product interest trigger within 24 hours
This is what the Trigger with the above mentioned settings will look like in the e-commerce funnel. Remember that all these settings are customizable (if a user visits the same product 3 times, an e-mail will be send after two hours. After this, the limit period will not send any other Product Interest e-mails for 24 hours):
Organizing your Triggers
1. Execution order
When you've activated multiple Triggers, you can set a priority to determine the order of your Triggers. The Trigger with the lowest index set in the execution order will activate first. For this to work, the Triggers set with execution order must activate simultaneously.
💡 Example: if you've set up a Product Interest, Category Interest, and Abandoned Basket, you need to set all Triggers with the same latency to utilize execution order functionality.
2. Trigger grouping
Using the limit, you can ensure that the user receives only a specific number of Triggers within a certain period. With 'Trigger group', you can choose which Triggers should disqualify each other. In some cases, you may want a Trigger to always activate, regardless of what the user has received previously. For example, a Price-drop Trigger that only activates when there is sale on your website.
💡 Example: suppose you have 4 Raptor Triggers in your setup: Product Interest, Abandoned Basket, Category Interest, and Price Drop Product Interest. The Trigger groups are set up, named ‘Group 1’ and ‘Group 2’:
Group 1: contains Product Interest, Category Interest, and Abandoned Basket. These triggers can disqualify each other. So the user only revieces one Trigger from the group within a specific period.
Group 2: contains only the Price Drop Product Interest. This Trigger will always activate regardless of other Triggers the user has received, since it is in it's own group. The Trigger may disqualify itself, depending on the limit settings if there are multiple price drops in with a short interval.
Trigger filters
If certain products need to be excluded from Trigger communications, filters can be set up in Raptor's Data Manager. Filters can be created based on all product information in your Product Catalog.
Filter examples:
• Exclude products costing less than €10,-
• Exclude products with a low contribution margin
• Exclude products from a specific category
• Create a feed so that triggers are exclusively fired for products from a specific category
👀 Usecase: Harald Nyborg sells a diverse range of products for home improvement, DIY, gardening, and leisure activities. Their offerings include tools, building materials, kitchenware, garden equipment, electronics, and more. However, to prevent clients from being inundated with basic products such as cleaning agents, screws, toilet paper, and similar items, they utilize a filter that excludes all products priced under 400 kr.
While basic products are still relevant for users, they may not be suitable for the context of a Product Interest Trigger. Basic essentials should be presented on the website when users are browsing through it.
Data enrichment
Raptor's trigger events are enriched with data that can be used to provide a more personalized experience in your e-mail marketing tool.
Raptor Product Interest Triggers always include:
| Data | Description |
RecommendedId |
The product the user has visited |
Productname |
The name of a product fetched from the product feed |
Categorypath |
The full path to a specific category |
Timestamp |
The time the Trigger was fired |
Eventname |
The name of the event fired to the last-mile system |
EmailmarketingId |
E-mail or ID used in the e-mail marketing system |
If additional data from your Product Catalog is desired to be included in the Trigger, this can easily be included, for example:
• RetailPrice
• Discount
• OriginalPrice
• OnsalePrice
• ProductCategory
• ProductDescription
• BrandName
• Stockstatus
• Producturl
• Imageurl
Also custom fields can be populated with any relevant information you wish to include to enhance the Trigger data:
• Customfield1
• Customfield2
• Customfield3
• Customfield4
• Customfield5
👀 Usecase: if you want to take your Trigger automation to the next level, you can use product information to create more personalized and relevant e-mails.
There are some classic subject lines for a Product Interest Trigger, like:
• Did something catch you eye?
• Picked only for
• You take a second look!
• *Name* you have great taste!
Instead, try coming engaging text with the product name to grab the user's attention, for example:
• Is this your next *product name*?
You can also use brand or category information to create a more targeted e-mail with communication about the product features, or brand/category specific content.
Technical requirements
In order to set up Raptor’s Product Interest Trigger, two requirements have to be met:
1. Tracking: Your chosen product ID must be sent in the tracking under P2 (ProductId). E-mail or other user identifier for the E-mail marketing system must be set under Ruid. Read more about setting up tracking in the Tracking documentation in Raptor’s Help Center.
2. Product Catalog: The Product Catalog must be set up with the following parameters at a minimum:
• ProductNumber
• ProductUrl
• ImageUrl
Read more about the Product Catalog setup in the Product Catalog documentation in Raptor’s Help Center.
🔍 Note: ensure that the ProductId in the tracking matches the ProductNumber in the feed.
Combine the Trigger with e-mail personalization modules
Combination 1
Product Interest x Look Alike Products
The recommendation method "Look alike products" is the king of product recommendations. Every decent e-commerce brand has a product carousel featuring Look alike products on all PDP pages. Across all industries, this is the most used and best converting recommendation method.
Why not utilize this in your e-mails? Enrich your Product Interest e-mails with AI-generated look alike products to provide users with the best alternatives to the products they've already shown interest in. Boost products within the same category and brand if you want to ensure that the products are exactly alike. If you want to introduce the user to a new brand, you can easily boost similar products from other brands within the algorithm. Of course, the recommendations can be personalized. Look for the module 'Other customers have also seen' in the Raptor Control Panel.
E-mail example:
Combination 2
Product Interest x Recently Seen Products
Take another look at the product you were checking out earlier. First impressions count, but why not preview products that the user has already looked at? The Raptor engine knows what the user is interested in, so why not give them a second chance to have a look at the product? Decide whether you want to include or exclude products that are already in the basket or products that the user has already bought. Look for the module 'Products recently seen' in the Raptor Control Panel.
E-mail example:
Combination 3
Product Interest x Content
Let us help you make the right choice. The Raptor engine can, through AI, combine products and articles, allowing you to use dynamic content images in your Product Interest Triggers. By offering high-quality articles, your brand can establish authority within the market, fostering trust and credibility among customers. The articles also serve to educate customers about products, industry trends, and best practices, empowering them to make informed purchasing decisions. Look for the module 'Customers who viewed this product also saw this content' in Raptor’s Control Panel.
🔍 Note: in order to provide content recommendations in newsletters, it's necessary for you to have a content feed.
E-mail example:
Product Interest reminder
It's often seen that brands run a series of Abandoned Basket reminders, but why should you avoid this with Product Interest? With the right messaging, this series can create just as much value as your Abandoned Basket flow.
Enter the star of the show: the Product Interest Trigger. It's the high-traffic zone of the sales funnel, where we witness high volume and numerous e-mails being sent. By slipping in a reminder, you're ensuring the clients inbox stays lively with personalized content, when timing is right.
In the first e-mail, we are showcasing the exact product that piqued your interest, along with a touch of personalization to make it feel like it was made just for you.
In the follow-up email, we're mixing things up. No need to dwell on the same old product; the next e-mail should include look alike products that might catch the users eyes. Timing is crucial, too. We're talking about firing off that second e-mail shortly after the first one, with a friendly reminder dropping into your inbox no more than 24 hours before.
With the limit, you can ensure that the Trigger does not fire if the user has already made a purchase.