Automations

An automation is a flow that runs on its own when an event happens, without you having to hit send. It's used for welcome messages, reminders, birthdays, cart recovery, and more elaborate sequences with branches and waits. It's how you show up at the right moment, at scale, without manual work. The general overview is in automation; here we look at how it works under the hood.

How a flow is put together

Automations are built in a visual design of connected nodes, like a map: each step is a node and the arrows define the path. A flow is made up of five types of elements:

• Trigger (start): the event that fires the flow (someone subscribes, clicks, has a birthday, gets a tag added).
• Condition: a branch based on the subscriber's data or behavior ("do they have the VIP tag?").
• Wait (delay): a pause between actions (minutes, hours, days, or until an anniversary).
• Action: what the flow does: send an email, add or remove a tag, update a field.
• Exit: the end of the flow or an alternate branch.

Creating a flow from scratch

The typical path is:

1. Choose the trigger. Options include: new subscriber on a list, unsubscribe, opening a specific email, clicking a link, anniversary (birthday or subscription date), a tag added or removed, or an event from your site.
2. Build the flow by adding conditions, waits, and actions to the canvas.
3. Configure each node: the exact trigger, the precise conditions, the emails, and the wait times.
4. Connect the nodes with arrows that define how it moves forward (meets / doesn't meet the condition).
5. Set the general rules: from when to when the flow is valid, and whether the same contact can enter again.
6. Activate it. The system checks that it has at least one trigger and one action.

Tip: tags are automation's best ally. One flow can add a tag (retention, for example) and a different flow can read that tag to treat the contact differently. That way you chain behaviors without duplicating lists.

AI-generated emails inside the flow

When a node sends an email, you can choose a template from your library or generate it with Amanda IA: write a request in natural language (context, tone, call to action) and Amanda builds the content. Keep in mind that generating the email inside the flow consumes generations, just like in a regular campaign — we explain it in Amanda IA.

Use cases to get started

If you're new to automations, these three deliver quick results:

• Welcome series: triggers when someone subscribes. A first introduction email, a wait of a couple of days, and a second email with your best content or offer.
• Cart recovery (e-commerce): an event from your store triggers a friendly reminder to whoever left products without buying.
• Re-engagement: for contacts who haven't opened in a while, a sequence that invites them back — and, if they don't respond, flags them for cleanup.

For cases that depend on events happening outside arrobaMail (a purchase in your store, a sign-up in your app), the trigger arrives via integration: we cover it in connecting arrobaMail to your systems.