Automations — Customer triggers

Two new ways to start an automation from how a customer behaves over time, alongside the existing order triggers: Spending threshold crossed and Customer became inactive. Unlike an order trigger, neither fires off a single event — they’re checked every few minutes, so there’s a short delay (typically under 5-10 minutes) between the moment a customer actually qualifies and the automation running.

Spending threshold crossed

Fires once per customer, the first time their lifetime spend rises to or above an amount you choose. Good for a VIP or loyalty automation.

1. Create or open an automation and drag Spending threshold crossed onto the canvas.
2. Click the node and set Lifetime spend reaches — in your store’s currency, major units (e.g. 100 for £100). It starts at 500; you can’t activate with a value of 0 or below.
3. Wire it to an action — send an email, post to Slack, or call a webhook.
4. Reference the customer in your message with {{customer.email}}, {{customer.lifetimeValue}}, {{customer.group}} or {{customer.ordersCount}}.
5. Save, then Activate.

Customer became inactive

Fires once, when a customer hasn’t placed an order for a number of days you choose, measured from their last order (or their signup date, if they’ve never ordered). Good for a win-back automation.

1. Drag Customer became inactive onto the canvas and set Days without an order — it starts at 90.
2. Wire it to an action, same as above.
3. Save, then Activate.

Unlike most triggers, this one can fire again for the same customer: if they come back and place an order, then go quiet for the same number of days again, that’s treated as a genuinely new lapse and fires a second time.

Good to know

• Activating either trigger never fires on your existing customers. Only a crossing that happens after you activate counts — a customer who was already over the threshold, or already inactive, when you turned the automation on will not trigger a run. This is deliberate: turning on a new automation should never suddenly message your entire customer base as if they all just qualified today.
• Each crossing fires exactly once (spending threshold), and each distinct lapse fires exactly once (inactivity, but see above for the win-back re-fire case). Leaving the automation running longer doesn’t produce repeat runs for a customer who stays over the threshold or stays inactive.
• There’s a short delay. Both triggers are evaluated on a periodic check rather than instantly, so allow up to several minutes after a qualifying order for the automation to run — this is normal, not a sign something’s wrong.
• Order-only conditions and actions can’t be mixed in. A condition like “Order total”, or an action like “Add order comment” / “Hold order” / “Cancel order”, only makes sense after an order trigger. Wiring one of these under a customer trigger is caught when you save — the validation panel names the node and explains it needs a different kind of trigger.

Source: modernx-admin PR #402.