Wait
The Wait action delays the next action or condition in a workflow until a set amount of time passes. When the workflow reaches the Wait action, all of the following steps in the workflow are delayed until the wait period expires. When the wait period is over, the workflow proceeds to the next step.
On this page
Considerations
Maximum wait duration
The Wait action delays actions or conditions for a maximum of 90 days per workflow. If you enter a wait period longer than 90 days, then the workflow can't be activated. If you need a workflow to wait longer than 90 days, then you should consider using a scheduled workflow instead with a "Get data" action. The latter approach allows any changes you make to immediately take effect.
Changing an active workflow
Changing an active workflow that uses the Wait action might have unexpected results. Before you make changes to a workflow using this action, determine whether you have active runs of the workflow in waiting status by referring to the Activity page. If a workflow with the Wait action has triggered and has active runs in waiting status, then the following occurs:
- If you edit the workflow to change conditions or actions after the wait period, then when the active run resumes it uses the updated version of the workflow instead of the original version.
- If you deactivate or delete the workflow, then active runs in waiting status are stopped. The workflow is marked as canceled.
Data refresh
If a workflow contains a Get, Sum, or Count action before a Wait step, then the returned data isn't available after the Wait step. To get access to that data, add an additional step of the same type after the Wait step.
After a wait period is over, data related to the workflow is refreshed. Information that is retrieved from your store is updated to be accurate at the time that the wait period ends. If information retrieved from your store changes during the wait period, then the new information is used when the workflow resumes, not the information that was retrieved when the trigger first started the workflow.
For example, you have a workflow that starts when an order is created. The workflow checks the total amount that the customer has spent in your store and adds a customer tag if the total is equal to or above 750 USD. However, you decide to add a Wait action between the trigger and the condition and specify a delay of 7 days.
A customer with a total spend amount of 700 USD places an order for 100 USD. The workflow is triggered and the new order brings their total spend amount to 800 USD. The total spend amount isn't checked until the wait period is over. The next day, the customer cancels the order and receives a refund. After the wait period is over, information is retrieved from your store. The customer's total spend amount is now 700 USD and the customer tag isn't applied.
Fields
The Wait action contains the following fields.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| How long to wait | The amount of time to delay before the workflow proceeds to the next step. By default, the delay is set to 0 seconds. To set the time delay, do the following:
|
Triggers
The Wait action can be used in any workflow.
Templates
Cancel inactive returns
Automatically cancel a return that has not been refunded or restocked within a certain period of time. View template
Celebrate customer birthday
Build customer loyalty by offering customers a special discount on their birthday.
This automation requires:
- A segment of customers with a birthday today
- A birth date customer metafield. View template
Convert abandoned product browse
Send a marketing email to customers who viewed a product but didn’t add it to their cart. It excludes customers who received an abandoned checkout, cart, or product browse email in the last 14 days. View template
Delete product variants that have been out of stock for a week
Automatically deletes product variants that have been out of stock for seven days. View template
Drive online customers to nearby retail locations
Send an email inviting online customers to visit your retail locations after each purchase. This automation is triggered when an order is paid and requires:
- A retail location with a valid address in the Point of Sale sales channel
- A customers near retail locations segment. View template
Kick off a post-purchase upsell campaign
Kick off a post-purchase upsell campaign with an SMS or browser push notification. View template
Notify your customer service team if a chargeback has been submitted within 7 days
This workflow waits until 7 days after an order is created to see if a chargeback is in progress. If so, it sends an email to notify your customer service team. Note that if a chargeback occurs after 7 days, this approach will not work. View template
Payment Reminder sent after due date
Send a payment reminder to your customer after the order's due date. View template
Recover abandoned cart
Send a marketing email when a customer adds at least one product to their cart but doesn’t proceed to checkout. It excludes customers who received an abandoned checkout, cart, or product browse email in the last 14 days. View template
Recover abandoned checkout
Send an email 10 hours after a customer gets to checkout but doesn’t place an order to encourage them to complete their purchase. By default, this automation will send to customers subscribed to marketing. View template
Remove D2C customer if not added to company after 3 days
When a customer is created and has not been added to a company within 3 days, the customer is deleted. View template
Remove products from collections and remove product tags after a set period of time
Remove products from collections and remove product tags after a set period of time. View template
Share your brand story with new subscribers
Introduce new subscribers to your brand with 4 emails when they subscribe through a form on your online store:
- Welcome them to your store
- Invite them to follow your social media channels
- Highlight your best selling products
- Share a discount if no order has been placed
Customers who subscribed at checkout will be excluded to prevent sending a welcome email with a discount right after a purchase was made. View template
Shop Reviews Custom Notification Flow
This template allows reflects the default logic for sending review request notifications with the Shop app, it can be further customized with additional triggers and actions for more complex functionality. View template
Tag customer when they purchase a product subscription
When a subscription contract is created, wait 5 minutes for the subscription app to finish adding any tags, and then Add Customer Tags based on the subscription frequency (e.g., 1 MONTH). View template
Tag orders where the first visit landing page includes a certain URL path
Adds order tags when an order is created and the customer's landing page URL includes a certain string ("fr"). The automation makes use of the Wait step to give time for the firstVisit data to be available. View template
Tag orders with associated UTM campaign
Adds tags to orders that contain the names of any associated UTM campaigns. View template
Tag products that are created with no image
When a product is added to the store, the workflow will check if the product has an image (after a delay to wait for any initial edits). If the product does not have an image, the template will tag the product. View template
Thank customers after they purchase
Send a different thank you email to customers after their first and second purchases. 1 day after a customer places an order, this automation checks the number of orders the customer has made.
If it’s their first order, a marketing email will be sent to welcome and thank them for their purchase. If it’s their second order, a different marketing email will be sent to express appreciation for their continued support. View template
Track and send a message if an order isn't shipped within 2 days
Track an order in Google sheets and send a Slack message if it isn't shipped within 2 days. View template
Upsell customers after their first purchase
Send a marketing email showcasing featured products after a customer makes their first purchase. 14 days after an order is placed, this automation will send first-time customers an email, encouraging them to make another purchase. View template
Upsell customers after they place an order
Send an email or SMS 14 days after a customer places an order. If the customer has opted into SMS marketing, they will receive an SMS message encouraging them to return to your store.
If the customer has not subscribed to SMS marketing but has subscribed to email marketing, they will receive a marketing email that showcases your featured products. View template
Welcome new subscribers with a discount series
Send new subscribers a welcome series with 4 emails when they subscribe through a form on your online store:
- Welcome them to your store with a discount
- Invite them to follow your social media channels
- Highlight your best selling products
- Discount reminder if no order has been placed
Customers who subscribed at checkout will be excluded to prevent sending a welcome email with a discount right after a purchase was made. View template