Imagine a visitor lands on your WooCommerce store, spends several minutes exploring your product pages, and checks out a few items but doesn’t add anything to the cart. They’re clearly interested, but they leave without taking action. How do you bring them back?
That’s exactly the kind of scenario where the “Create from Scratch” automation feature in the WebToffee Marketing Automation app shines.
Until now, store owners could easily launch common workflows like welcome emails, thank-you notes, or abandoned cart reminders using prebuilt templates. But what if you want to target more nuanced customer behavior, like:
- Visitors who spend time browsing a specific product
- Shoppers who started checkout but didn’t complete it
With Create from Scratch, you can build fully customized automations that start with your choice of trigger, include precise filters, and combine delay or email blocks to suit your exact marketing strategy.
Let’s get started.
Example Use Case:
Send a personalized email to users who view a specific product and stay on the site for at least 5 minutes.
But First: You Need the Visitor’s Email (Prerequisite)
To enter a workflow, the system needs to identify the user, which requires having their email address. Your automation can target:
- Existing customers (those who’ve placed an order before)
- Visitors who’ve submitted their email via a pop-up or campaign
- Users who are logged in or have an account in your store
- Guests who entered their email at checkout but didn’t complete the purchase
Check out this article on – Creating a Web Campaign for WooCommerce Stores
Creating an Automation from Scratch
- Navigate to the Automations menu in your dashboard.
- Click Create automations.
- Click Create from Scratch to start building a new workflow.
Step 2: Choose a Trigger: Customer Views the Site
You’ll be presented with five trigger options:
- Order Placed (Thank You Email Automation/ Win Back Email Automation )
- Abandoned Cart (Abandoned Cart Recovery Email Automation)
- Abandoned Checkout
- Customer Sign Up (Welcome Email Automation)
- Customer Views the Site (We’ll use this one)
This trigger is ideal for targeting users showing interest by browsing your store.
Note: You can change the trigger at any time before publishing.
Step 3: Configure the Trigger Settings
1. Set Time Spent on Site
- Specify the minimum duration a user must stay on the site to enter the workflow. For example, choose 5 minutes.
2. Skip Contacts Already in the Workflow
- Enable the ‘Skip contacts’ option to exclude users who have already entered this workflow within the last 30 days. This avoids spamming the same contact repeatedly.
- Click Save to apply the changes.
3. Add Trigger Filters (Optional but Recommended)
- Refine your audience by adding conditions like:
- Specific product
- Specific category
- Number of orders
- Page URL
- User type
- In this case, select:
- Trigger Filter: Specific product
- Condition: is
- Value: [specific product] – WooCommerce “Gimme the Money” Zipper Hoodie
- Click “Save” to apply the changes.
Only users who view the specified product for at least 5 minutes will be included.
Step 4: Add a Delay Block
- Click the plus (+) icon and add a Delay block. Set it to wait 5 minutes before sending the email. This adds a buffer after the user meets the trigger criteria.
- Advanced Time Settings (Optional)
- Send only on selected days: Choose specific days of the week (e.g., Mon, Wed, Fri) to restrict email delivery.
- Send only at a selected time: Define a specific time of the day (e.g., 17:30) for the email to be sent.
Step 5: Add an Email Block
- Click the plus icon and choose Email. Give your email a title and customize the subject line, pre-header, and the email template.
- Click Edit content to edit the email template.
Example:
- Email Title: Product Interest Follow-Up
- Subject: Still thinking it over?
- Pre-header: Take another look — it might be just what you need.
Email Content:
Hi {{first_name}},
We noticed you spent some time checking out {{ Product Name }} — it’s one of our most loved items, and we can see why it caught your attention.
Still thinking it over? Here’s a quick reminder of what makes it special:
✨ [Highlight 1] — e.g., Crafted from premium, sustainable materials
⚡ [Highlight 2] — e.g., Designed for everyday comfort and durability
💬 [Highlight 3] — e.g., Rated 4.8★ by over 2,000 happy customers
If you’re not quite ready to decide, no worries — we’ve saved the link for you:
👉 [View {{ Product Name }} Again]
Want to make it yours today? Use code WELCOME10 at checkout for 10% off your first order.
Need help or have questions? Just reply to this email — we’re happy to assist.
Step 6: Add More Steps (Optional)
- Want to send a follow-up email?
You can click the plus icon again and build more extended sequences by adding:- More delays
- More emails
Step 7: Review and Publish
- Give a unique name for the automation and click the checkmark icon.
- Click on “Publish” to make it live.
You now have a flexible automation designed to re-engage potential customers based on specific behavior. Keep testing different filters, delays, and content to see what resonates most with your audience.
