Prerequisites
Before getting started, ensure you have:
Required Permissions
Campaign Builder is available to staff members with:
Marketing
Marketing Analyst
Operator
Owner
Plan Requirements
Marketing Starter
Waterfall Campaigns require Marketing Pro
How to Create a New Campaign
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns
Click + Create Campaign
Select your campaign type:
Regular Campaigns
Each selected channel sends its own message to the chosen audience.
A/B Test Campaigns
Split-test campaign content and compare results to determine the best-performing version.
Waterfall Campaigns
Requirements:
Requires selecting 2+ channel
Requires Marketing Pro
In AIQ, a waterfall campaign uses a predefined channel priority sequence. For example, you can prioritize messages to be sent through SMS first, followed by email. For each recipient:
a) The system attempts to send the message using the highest-priority channel in your sequence (e.g., SMS).
b) If the highest-priority channel is not available (e.g., the recipient lacks a phone number, the channel is ineligible), the system automatically moves to the next channel in your priority list.
c) Each recipient will receive the message through only one eligible channel. Multiple messages are not sent via different channels to the same person for the same campaign.
If a shopper only opts into the 2nd priority message channel, AIQ will automatically skip the first channel and send the message via the next channel. In the example above, if a shopper is subscribed to Email messages but opts out of Text messages, Waterfall will skip Text messages and send an email.
4. Select one or more campaign channels:
Email
Text (SMS/MMS)
Push
Voice
Direct Mail
Wallet Pass
Loops
📌 For co-marketing campaigns, see Co-Marketing for Brands.
Save as Draft (Anytime)
Click Save as Draft in the upper-right corner to store progress.
Saved campaigns are labeled as:
Draft (instead of the legacy “Inactive” label)
Step 2: Recipients
Campaign Information
Campaign Trigger
Select a trigger type (default is Normal, a one-time send).Campaign Name
Internal-only name for organization.Tags
Add existing tags or create new ones for reporting and filtering.
Recipient Settings
If multiple channels are selected, you’ll see:
Will campaign info & recipients be the same for all channels?
ON by default
Toggle OFF to customize settings per channel
Select one or more recipient audiences using the available search bar.
Shoppers in multiple audiences will only receive the message once
To send to all shoppers, select All Subscribed Users
📌 See Creating New Audiences documentation for setup details.
Optional Recipients Filters
Send only to recipients whose favorite store is…
Limits delivery to shoppers tied to selected stores.Exclude shoppers within these audiences…
Prevents sends to specific groups.Co-Marketing Store Requirement
Contact’s favorite store must match parent company store selection
(Only applies inside co-marketing templates.)Automatically stop after X recipients
Caps campaign sends at a defined number per day
Resume by increasing the limit or setting to 0
If your Audience contains more than 5,000 contacts, you should consider breaking it down into smaller, more targeted subsets to avoid carrier blocking.
Step 3: Content
Content setup depends on the channel. Refer to the relevant guide:
💡 Personalize content within a single campaign using Audience Slots. Instead of building separate campaigns for different shopper groups, you can embed targeted content blocks directly into your email or SMS. See Audience Slots for setup details.
Personalization Macros
Personalization Macros allow you to better customize your campaigns for each recipient. There are multiple ways to see the list of available personalization macros.
Where to Find Personalization Macros
Go to Marketing > Campaigns
Click the More menu ( … )
Select Personalization Macros
For full details on Personalization Macros, please review further at Personalization Macros in the Campaign Builder
While Designing Campaign Content
Create a campaign via Marketing > Campaigns > Add (+)
Complete Channels and Recipients
Insert macros by channel:
Email: Email Design → open template → + Personalization
Text: Use built-in macros or edit the Landing Page → + Personalization
Voice: Voice channel → + Personalization (below language/accent/gender)
Native & Browser Push: + Personalization under the message field
Step 4: Review
Campaign Channels
Unless Waterfall is selected, each channel sends as its own campaign
Campaign type: If you are using Abandoned cart it will trigger this campaign to send to targeted recipients when we receive a signal from your e-commerce platform that they left an online cart dormant without completing the sale. Please note that abandonment signals vary across e-commerce provider solutions.
Audience Targeting Summary
Displays all targeted audiences and any favorite-store restrictions.
Conversion Tracking
AIQ automatically tracks conversions when:
A shopper purchases within the attribution window (default: 14 days)
Global attribution window default: update in Settings > Company Account > Account Settings > Campaign Settings > Attribution Windows > Default
The shopper performs a tracked engagement (opens, clicks, etc.)
Click Engagements to select which actions count toward conversion tracking:
Scheduling Options
Blast
Sends to all recipients at the defined start time.
⚠️ Once a blast begins sending, schedule edits are locked.
Ongoing
Sends to recipients as soon as they qualify after the start time.
Start & End
Sends beginning at the start time through the end time window.
Intelligent Timing (Personalized Send Time)
When enabled, AIQ sends messages only within ~2 hours of the shopper’s typical shopping time.
Enable Intelligent Timing
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns
Select or create a campaign
Go to Review > Schedule
Toggle Intelligent Timing ON
AIQ respects both:
Personalized timing window
Campaign send window
Example 1
Shopper shops at 8 PM. Campaign window ends at 6 PM.
→ AIQ sends around 6 PM.
Example 2
Shopper shops at 8 PM. Campaign window ends at 5 PM.
→ Shopper will not receive the message.
Send Window: Channel Coverage, Skip Behavior, and No-Timezone Contacts
The Only send messages during time of day send window setting applies to all channels, including email — it is not SMS-only.
⚠️ Skipped ≠ Failed: Contacts who fall outside the send window (or whose timezone is unknown) are silently skipped. They are not marked as "Failed" in campaign reporting, so the skips are not immediately visible. No-timezone contacts: Contacts with no timezone on file are permanently skipped for the duration of the campaign while a send window is active. Schedule vs. window interaction: If your campaign is scheduled to start at 6am but your send window opens at 7am, sending will effectively begin at 7am with no failed sends reported for the gap.
Loyalty
Enable this option to:
Gift X points to every campaign recipient
Credit Forecast
AIQ estimates:
Total recipients
Expected credit cost
Billing location
Credit limit alerts
Split Campaign Forecasting
Shoppers may receive messages across multiple channels, so costs are additive.
Waterfall Forecasting
Shoppers are counted only in the first eligible channel.
Step 5: Save & Send
Save as Draft
Stores the campaign for later editing.
Launch Campaign
Validates the campaign and sets it live. Messages send at the scheduled time.
After launch, AIQ confirms successful creation.
📌 Final send approval is controlled by role permissions.
Troubleshooting
“Offline Mode is Enabled” Error
What it means:
This error can prevent uploading images into the campaign builder.
How to Fix
Clear cache and cookies, then reload
Try in an incognito window
Check your internet connection
Update browser to latest version
Contact AIQ Support with screenshots if error persists
Expected result: Campaigns should save and update normally.
“Ad Placement must be positioned within top third of content” Error
What it means
This error appears when a Loop Placement content block in your campaign is placed outside the top third of the template. AIQ requires ads to be positioned near the top for performance and usability.
How to Fix
Find the Loop Placement content block
Move or remove it
Drag the ad into the top third of the content
Or remove it if repositioning isn’t needed
Save your template
Reducing SMS/MMS Delivery Failures
Several factors can contribute to high SMS/MMS failure rates. The strategies below help you minimize failures and improve delivery rates.
Common Causes
Sending messages to shoppers with repeated delivery failures
Scheduling campaigns too close to their creation time
Restrictive send windows that limit the number of recipients reached
Lack of brand recognition by recipients
Strategy 1: Use Exclusionary Audiences
Creating exclusion audiences filters out shoppers with a history of delivery failures, improving overall campaign success rates.
Create an exclusion audience: Segment shoppers who have experienced repeated delivery failures (e.g., failed multiple times within a set timeframe). See Creating New Audiences for setup details.
Apply the exclusion: In the Recipients step, use the Exclude shoppers within these audiences filter under Optional Recipient Filters to exclude these shoppers.
Monitor and adjust: Regularly review delivery metrics and refine exclusion criteria to focus on engaged shoppers.
Strategy 2: Optimize Campaign Timing
Allow buffer time: Schedule campaigns at least 15 minutes after creation to avoid send issues.
Set appropriate send windows: Use compliance-friendly hours (8am–8pm shopper local time) to maximize deliverability while meeting TCPA requirements.
Broaden send windows: Widen the Only send messages during time of day window to reach more recipients, particularly shoppers without a known timezone on file. Shoppers with no timezone are silently skipped when a send window is active — see Send Window behavior above.
Strategy 3: Leverage Contact Cards
Sending a Contact Card (vCard) can improve brand recognition and reduce delivery failures by establishing your brand as a Known Sender.
What is a Contact Card? A vCard includes your brand name, logo, website, and contact details, making it easier for shoppers to recognize and save your information.
When to send: Automatically send Contact Cards to new or re-opted-in shoppers, or as a dedicated campaign to existing subscribers.
Benefits: Establishing your brand as a Known Sender can increase engagement and reduce delivery failures.
📌 See Contact Card documentation for setup instructions.
Best Practices
Filter chronic failures: Exclude shoppers with repeated delivery failures over a longer timeframe (e.g., 30–90 days).
Focus on engaged shoppers: Concentrate sends on recipients who are more likely to interact with your messages.
Monitoring and Optimization
Regularly review your campaign metrics in Marketing > Reporting to identify trends. Use the Failed Sends metric in Channel Performance Metrics to track delivery outcomes and adjust your strategies based on performance data. See Campaign Reporting Details for more.
Campaign Builder FAQs
How does Waterfall decide which channel to use?
AIQ sends through channels in your chosen priority order.
Example:
Primary: Text
Secondary: Email
Texts go to all shoppers with phone numbers, then emails go to the rest.
What happens if I set a start date in the past?
The campaign may not send. Always choose today or a future date.
Will ongoing campaigns send more than once?
No. Without recurrence, each shopper receives the message only once.
If someone leaves the audience and qualifies again, will they get another message?
No. AIQ prevents duplicate sends unless recurrence is enabled.
Do attribution windows impact credit usage?
No. Credits depend only on:
Channel type
Number of recipients
Attribution windows do not affect billing.
Do we send opt-in messages to contacts using mobile carriers with programmatic blocks in place?
No, but there is a possibility that if the carrier the contact is using is a subsidiary of a "blocked" carrier, the message will still get through. There are 180+ carriers we work with. While we are currently blocking specific carrier-tagged devices as defined by the aggregators, number porting and other edge cases exist where these carriers might not have 100% control of the delivery network.
Related Docs
Need Help?
If you need assistance, reach out to AIQ Support anytime via chat widget within your AIQ Dashboard.