Customer Journeys in Per Diem: The Complete Guide

| **Journey**                       | **Sends when**                                                 | **Default wait** | **What it's for**                               | **When to switch it on**                                                               |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Cart left behind**              | A customer leaves items in their cart                          | 1 hour           | Recovering orders that almost happened          | Right away. It's a great first journey for most businesses.                            |
| **First Order welcome**           | A customer places their first order                            | 1 day            | Turning first-time buyers into repeat customers | As soon as new customers are ordering through your app                                 |
| **Signed up, no order**           | A customer signs up but hasn't ordered                         | 1 day            | Getting new sign-ups to place a first order     | When sign-ups aren't turning into orders, and once you have a first-order coupon ready |
| **Win back lapsed customers**     | Time passes since a customer's last order                      | 30 days          | Bringing back customers who've stopped ordering | Once you've been live long enough to have customers who haven't ordered in a while     |
| **Nearby (never ordered before)** | An app user who has never ordered enters your store's geofence | Sends on arrival | Turning app downloads into first orders         | When your store gets regular foot traffic                                              |
| **Nearby (ordered before)**       | A past customer enters your store's geofence                   | Sends on arrival | Bringing your regulars in more often            | Once you have a base of repeat customers                                               |

We recommend starting with one or two journeys for the customers who matter most to you, such as Cart left behind and First Order welcome, then adding more over time.

### **Before you switch a journey on:**

* **First Order welcome:** these customers have just ordered, so update the default message to thank them and invite them back for a second visit.
* **Signed up, no order:** the default message mentions an offer, so set up a first-order coupon under **Marketing → Coupons** first, or reword the message.
* **Win back lapsed customers:** set the wait to match how often your customers usually order, for example 14 days for a coffee shop with daily regulars or 45 to 60 days for a restaurant with monthly visits.

### **Setting up and managing a journey**

#### **How do I set up a journey?**

1. Go to **Marketing → Customer Journeys**.
2. Click the **pencil icon** on the journey you want to set up.
3. Review the flow from top to bottom so you know what your customers will receive and when.
4. **Adjust the timing.** Click **Edit** on the **Wait** step, enter a number, and choose Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks or Months. Click Done.
5. **Personalize the message.** Click Edit on the Push step and update the text. Click Done.
6. **Review the journey settings** in the panel on the right, such as **Respect quiet hours** or **Send a second reminder**.
7. Click **Save changes**. The label at the top will change from Unsaved changes to All changes saved.
8. Switch the journey on using the **Paused / Live** toggle at the top, or go back to **All journeys** and switch on its toggle in the list.

*Remember to click Save changes before leaving a journey. Your edits are only applied once you save.*

#### **What can I change in a push message?**

It depends on the journey:

* **Cart left behind, First Order welcome, Signed up no order, and Win back lapsed customers:** the **Step name** (for your reference only, customers won't see it), the **Subject** (the bold first line of the notification), and the **Message** (the body text).
* **Both Nearby journeys:** the **Title** and **Message**, plus personalization buttons that add **{{customer\_first\_name}}** or **{{location\_name}}** to your text.

Keep your messages short and sweet. Most phones only show about two lines of a notification, so lead with the most important words.

#### **How do the Nearby journeys work?**

The two Nearby journeys use **geofencing**. A geofence is an invisible boundary drawn around your store. When a customer with your app comes inside that boundary, Per Diem sends them a push notification inviting them to order ahead, so their order is ready when they walk in.

There are two versions so every customer gets a message that fits them:

* **Nearby (never ordered before)** reaches app users who have never placed an order.
* **Nearby (ordered before)** reaches customers who have ordered from you before.

To adjust either one, click **Edit** on its **Trigger** step:

* **Geofence radius:** how close a customer needs to be to your store. The default is 161 meters (about a tenth of a mile), and you can switch between **Meters** and **Feet**. Use a smaller radius in busy areas and a larger one if customers usually drive to you.
* **Wait between sends:** the minimum number of days before the same customer can get this message again. The default is 1 day, so a customer who passes by every morning hears from you no more than once a day.

Nearby messages can be personalized with **{{customer\_first\_name}}** and **{{location\_name}}** using the buttons under the Message box.

*Geofencing only works for customers who have allowed your app to use their location.*

#### **Can I send a second cart reminder?**

Yes. In the **Cart left behind** journey, switch on **Send a second reminder** in the Journey settings panel. This adds a follow-up push one day later, only if the cart is still there. You can edit its timing and message like any other step.

#### **What does "Respect quiet hours" do?**

When it's on, that journey only sends notifications between your store's opening and closing times. It's switched on by default for journeys with a timed wait, and we recommend keeping it on so your customers only hear from you at times that suit them.

#### **How do I pause a journey?**

Switch off its toggle in the journeys list, or switch the toggle at the top of the journey from **Live** to **Paused**. The journey stops sending new messages, and all your settings and wording are kept, so you can switch it back on whenever you like.

#### **Can I create my own journey?**

Customer Journeys currently includes the six journeys in this guide, and you can personalize each one. To send a one-time or scheduled message to a group of customers, use Marketing → Push notifications.

### **FAQs**

#### **Who receives Customer Journey notifications?**

Customers who have your mobile app installed with push notifications allowed.

#### **Why does my journey still say "Paused" after I saved it?**

Saving and switching on are separate steps. **Save changes** stores your edits, and the **Paused / Live** toggle controls whether the journey is running.

#### **Can journeys send emails or text messages?**

Not at the moment. For email and SMS campaigns, use **Marketing → Emails** and **Marketing → SMS**.

#### **Still have questions?**

Reach out to our support team anytime and we'll be happy to help.