Now that you've read the Introduction to the Rule Builder, you can start building your own rules.
Using the data sent through your Talon.One integration, you have full flexibility to choose from a series of custom attributes and expressions to create rules for your promotional campaigns.
1. Add a new Rule
A campaign requires a rule (or rules) before it can be activated, follow these steps to create your rule:
- Select your Application
- Click New Campaign or select an existing campaign
- From the Campaign Menu on the left, click open Rule Builder
- Click Add Rule
- Enter a name for your rule (e.g., Coupon Campaign; 10% off Coupon)
- Next click +Add Condition then +Add Effect (see step 2 & 3)
- Click Save (only then can you activate your campaign
Remember, rules are just one element of your campaign. You'll also want to schedule your campaign, generate coupons, set budgets and so on. Read more about how to create a campaign here.
2. Conditions
Every rule needs Conditions. Your Conditions define the event or action that has to happen before an Effect is triggered. This is the "If the customer does this..." element of your campaign's rule.
You can choose between +Add Condition or Always Trigger Effects.
NOTE: If you choose Always Trigger Effects whatever effects you add will trigger for every customer order. (This can be useful for use cases such as adding loyalty points or displaying a notification after every order for example.)
Click +Add Condition and a drop-down will appear with a list of possibilities:
- Coupon code is valid*
- Check loyalty points*
- Referral Code is valid*
- Validate an attribute value
- Check for custom attributes
- Check for events
- Coupon code is valid (without redemption)
- Group multiple conditions
*These effects only appear in the menu if you select them as features when you create a new campaign. Go to Settings -> Features to add Coupons, Referral or Loyalty features to your campaign.
Find out more about using conditions here.
Example 1: Simple Coupon Campaign
- + Add Condition "Coupon code is valid".
- For a more granular rule, add conditions:
- "Validate an attribute value" then choose the attribute "Session Total" is greater than or equal to 100.
- "Validate an attribute value" then choose the attribute "Current shipping city" is equal to 'Berlin'
So, for a discount to be applied in this case, your customer has to: have a valid coupon, spend 100 or more of the currency you work with and live in Berlin.
Example 2: Winter clothes rewards
Create Conditions using the Filter Cart Items feature.
Click +Add Condition, choose "Validate an attribute value" then search for your filter that you saved, for example, if "winter_clothes" is greater than 1, then you'll set the Effect to trigger any time a customer adds any winter clothes to their shopping cart.
Example 3: Registration incentive
Add Conditions based on events like customer signups. Select "Check for events" then select Customer Profile Registration to give a discount, free item or update a value (e.g. subscription) when a customer signs up for your service.
There are many other possibilities for creating Conditions, depending on the data you send Talon.One and your unique campaign goals. Check out more campaign ideas.
3. Effects
Every rule also needs Effects, which happen when ALL or SOME of the Conditions of a rule are validated and TRUE.
When you select +Add Effect a drop-down will appear with a list of possible effects.
You can build Effects using the following options:
- Set a discount
- Set an item discount
- Add an item to the cart
- Create a notification
- Redeem/Create a referral code*
- Create a coupon code*
- Add loyalty points*
- Change an attribute's value
- Show bundle metadata
- Webhooks*
*These effects will only appear in the menu when selected as features. Go to Settings to add Coupons, Referral or Loyalty features to your campaign.
You can learn more about using effects here.
Example 1:
The most common type of Effect is "Set a discount", this will apply a discount to the customer's session when all the conditions are validated and TRUE.
If you want to give a cash discount for 10€ off, simply type "10" in the 'discount value' field.
To give a percentage discount, the formula will be "Session Total * 10%".
You can customize the formula in the discount value field to make more specific calculations. Use the "+" button (add variables) on the right to add any variable or attribute you've saved in Talon.One.
Tip: Highlight your formula to show options allowing you to round the formula to the nearest whole number, to round up or round down.
Example 2:
If you want to apply a discount to a specific item in a customer's cart instead of the entire basket amount, select "Set a per item discount" from the drop-down. First, you need to save a Cart Item Filter, then select this filter. Read how to create a Per Item Discount here.
In the example below, the Cart Filter is "Customer's cart items " but it can be "Pizza" or "Jacket" or anything you sell. Once you add this in the first field, the formula you enter in the Discount Value field will only apply to items in the "category" you set.
Example 3:
To notify customers of special offers or rewards on your site, you can select the "Set notification" Effect and trigger a message. Read how to create a Notification As Effect here.
Remember these are just a few examples of what is possible with Effects, get in touch if you want to discuss more possibilities for your promotional campaigns.
4. Filter Cart Items
The Filter Cart Items feature is located on the top corner of your rule template (above conditions). Create filters to sort and manipulate the items (data) in your customer’s cart to build more dynamic rules, then use these filters in your Conditions and/or Effects.
For example, if you want to give a discount on a specific item category like "Jackets", instead of a general discount on the total cart value. Read more about Filtering Cart Items here.
Follow these steps to Filter Cart Items:
- Click Filter Cart Items
- Choose a filter ("Set a filter condition" is the most popular first step)
- Add more Filter Steps depending on your requirements
- Name your Filter something obvious (e.g., Jacket_CartItems)
- Click Save (it will appear as an available attribute in Conditions or Effects)
- Use your Filter in Conditions or Effects
There are many possibilities when creating Cart Item Filters, so be sure to read more here or get in touch if you have questions.
5. Saving And Editing Rules
When you are finished building your rule, be sure to click Save. If you make a mistake or want to make changes you can easily edit your rule. Keep the following in mind:
- Click the Save button on the top right to save the entire rule
- You can Activate your rule in the Campaign Dashboard once it is saved
- To save a specific Condition or Effect, click the check symbol next to the expression
- Click the garbage can to delete a Condition or Effect
- Click the arrows on the top right to go back to a previous setup or forward
- Reorder your Conditions or Effects by dragging the hamburger icon on the left
Remember, campaigns can only be Activated once you save your rules with valid conditions and effects.
Conclusion
In this article, you learnt the essentials for building rules in Talon.One and covered a very small part of what is possible with Conditions, Effects and Cart Item Filters.
The Talon.One Rule Builder is designed to offer you maximum flexibility when creating promotional campaigns. However, this is only a glimpse of the functionality available with the Rule Builder.
If you have questions about building more complex rules, please get in touch! We are happy to support in creating the right rules for your promotional campaigns.
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