Mastering Automated Birthday and Anniversary Emails in WooCommerce: A Step-by-Step Guide

Acquiring a customer for a single purchase is a good start, but transforming them into a loyal repeat buyer is essential for your store’s growth.

If you’ve noticed that new customers seem to disappear after their initial purchase, you’re not alone in this experience.

One of the most effective strategies we’ve observed among store owners for fostering lasting connections is the practice of sending personalized messages, such as birthday and anniversary emails.

These thoughtful gestures help customers feel valued, often resulting in increased repeat purchases.

In this guide, we will provide you with a simple method to set up automated birthday and anniversary emails using WooCommerce.

WhySend Automated Birthday & Anniversary Emails?

If you operate an eCommerce store, having an email list enables you to market your products and services to individuals who have already expressed interest in your brand.

Once you’ve established an email list, it’s crucial to keep your subscribers engaged and interested in your content. One effective strategy is to implement automated birthday and anniversary emails.

This approach makes customers feel appreciated and valued, which can enhance brand loyalty. Additionally, you can increase engagement and sales by providing incentives like discounts, coupon codes, and complimentary gifts.

These email marketing campaigns are highly favored by customers. According to Omnisend, birthday emails achieve an impressive 45% open rate, a 12% click-through rate, and a 3% conversion rate, significantly surpassing the national average.

Now, let’s explore how to set up automated birthday and anniversary emails in WooCommerce.

Guide to Sending Automated Birthday & Anniversary Emails

The simplest method for sending automated birthday and anniversary emails in WooCommerce is by using FunnelKit Automations Pro. After extensive testing across various demo stores, we have determined it to be the top automation tool for WooCommerce websites.

This tool enables you to personalize your WooCommerce emails with a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder and to create automated email and SMS marketing campaigns.

Interested in learning more? Read our comprehensive review of FunnelKit Automations to discover how it functions and why we endorse it.

To get started, you will need to install and activate the FunnelKit Automations Pro plugin. For detailed instructions, refer to our guide on installing a WordPress plugin.

To get started, you’ll need the free FunnelKit Automations plugin, as the premium version builds upon this for enhanced features.

After activating the plugin, navigate to FunnelKit Automations » Settings and enter your license key in the ‘FunnelKit Automations Pro’ field.

You can locate this key in your account on the FunnelKit website. Once you input the key, simply click the ‘Activate’ button.

You are now set to create automated birthday and anniversary reminder emails. Use the quick links below to go directly to the email campaign you wish to develop.

• How to Send Automated Birthday Emails in WooCommerce
• How to Send Automated Anniversary Emails in WooCommerce
• Bonus: How to Build a Successful Email List
• FAQs: Birthday and Anniversary Emails in WooCommerce

How to Send Automated Birthday Emails in WooCommerce

Customized birthday greetings can strengthen your relationship with customers and foster brand loyalty.

Additionally, consider including a gift with your birthday messages, such as a personalized coupon code, a free upgrade, or a complimentary digital download like an ebook. These thoughtful gifts can enhance engagement, encourage website visits, and potentially increase your sales.

Now, let’s explore how to send automated birthday emails using the FunnelKit Automations plugin.

Step 1: Collect the Customer’s Date of Birth

To send automated birthday emails, you need to gather the customer’s date of birth. This information can be collected during the WooCommerce checkout process, on the My Account page, or on the thank you page.

To begin, navigate to FunnelKit Automations » Settings in your WordPress dashboard.

From the left-hand menu, click on ‘Birthday Reminders.’

You can now select where to include the date of birth field.

The first option is to collect this information during the checkout process.

By incorporating this field into the checkout, you ensure that you receive the information. However, this may add an additional step to the purchasing process, potentially leading to increased cart abandonment.

To include a field on the WooCommerce checkout page, simply check the box labeled: ‘Enable Date of Birth field on WooCommerce checkout.’

By default, FunnelKit uses the label ‘Date of Birth,’ but you can customize this to something like ‘Birthday’ by entering your preferred text in the ‘Field Label’ section.

You can customize the position of the field on the WooCommerce checkout page by selecting an option from the ‘Field Position’ dropdown menu.

Choose from options such as After Billing Details, Before Order Notes, or After Order Notes.

Alternatively, you can add the field to the ‘Account details’ section on the My Account page in WooCommerce.

This method allows you to gather customers’ birth dates without complicating the checkout experience. However, keep in mind that not all customers may visit the My Account page to provide their date of birth.

To include this field on the My Account page, simply tick the box next to ‘Enable Date of Birth field on My Account’ option.

To modify the label, just enter your preferred text in the ‘Field Label’ section.

You can also add the birthday field to the thank you page by using a shortcode.

This approach allows you to collect birth dates without increasing the steps in the checkout process. Customers will see the thank you page after every purchase, giving them multiple opportunities to submit their birth date.

To create a shortcode, tick the box labeled ‘Enable Date of Birth collection form shortcode on the Thank you page.’

By default, FunnelKit displays the message: Thank you for providing your birthdate!

To customize this message, simply enter your desired text in the ‘Success Message’ field.

Afterward, FunnelKit will generate the shortcode for you.

Click the ‘Copy’ button to save the code to your computer’s clipboard.

You can now insert the shortcode into your WooCommerce thank you page. If you haven’t created a custom page yet, refer to our guide on how to easily set up custom WooCommerce thank you pages.

For detailed instructions on adding the shortcode to the thank you page, check out our guide on how to insert a shortcode in WordPress.

Once you’re satisfied with the field configuration, click ‘Save Settings’ to activate it.

Step 2: Set Up a Birthday Email Automation for WooCommerce

Now that you’re collecting customers’ birth dates, it’s time to establish an automated birthday greeting workflow.

To begin, navigate to FunnelKit Automations » Automations (Next-Gen) and click the ‘Add New Automation’ button.

Here, you will find a variety of pre-made email campaigns designed to recover abandoned carts, promote online courses, and more.

To initiate automated birthday emails, click on ‘Start from Scratch.’

You can now enter a name for the automation. This is for your reference, so feel free to choose any name you like.

Once that’s done, click on ‘Create.’

This opens FunnelKit’s intuitive email automation builder, ready for you to design your WooCommerce workflow.

To begin, click on ‘Select Trigger.’

Now you can choose the action that will activate the automated workflow in WordPress.

In the popup that appears, select ‘Birthday Reminder.’

Then, click ‘Done’ to add the trigger to your workflow.

The next step is to configure the trigger, so click on ‘Birthday Reminder.’

In the popup, you can decide whether to run the automation on the contact’s birthday or before it.

In this guide, we’ll demonstrate how to create follow-up emails. For instance, you might send a personalized coupon code to the customer 7 days before their birthday, followed by a reminder email about the coupon’s expiration.

With that in mind, you may want to select ‘Before contact’s birthday’ and enter the number of days.

Alternatively, you can choose ‘On contact’s birthday.’

This is an excellent option for sending a simple birthday greeting or offering a complimentary gift coupon that has no expiration date.

Next, you need to specify when FunnelKit should send the birthday email. Generally, it’s best to choose a time when your customers are most active online.

It’s beneficial to gather as much information about your customers as possible. If you haven’t done so yet, we recommend installing Google Analytics on your WordPress site. This tool will provide insights into your customers’ demographics, including their location and time zone.

By regularly monitoring and optimizing your custom WooCommerce emails, you can enhance both your open rates and conversion rates.

To schedule the automated birthday email for a specific time, simply enter the desired hour in the ‘HH’ field and the minute in the ‘MM’ field, which are set by default.

A customer can be part of the same workflow multiple times at the same time.

This approach may work well for certain automated workflows, like upselling or cross-selling campaigns where multiple initiatives can run concurrently. However, it is not suitable for an automated birthday campaign, so be sure to select ‘Once.’

Once you are satisfied with the trigger setup, just click the ‘Save’ button.

Step 3: Create a Custom Birthday Coupon (Optional)

Many businesses offer customers a special coupon code on their birthday, enhancing customer appreciation while boosting engagement and sales.

With this in mind, consider creating a personalized coupon to include in the birthday email. To do this, click the ‘+’ icon and select ‘Action.’

In the popup window that appears, click on the ‘WooCommerce’ tab.

Next, select ‘Create Coupon.’

Finally, click ‘Done’ to incorporate the action into your workflow.

Back in the main FunnelKit editor, click on the action you just added. This will open a popup where you can customize the ‘Create Coupon’ action.

To begin, enter a name for the coupon in the ‘Coupon Title’ field. This is for your reference, so you can choose any name you prefer.

Then, select the type of coupon you wish to create from the ‘Discount Type’ dropdown menu.

FunnelKit allows for percentage discounts, fixed cart discounts, and fixed product discounts.

After making your choice, enter the discount amount in the ‘Amount’ field.

FunnelKit generates a unique coupon code for each customer automatically. You can also add a prefix to the coupon code, which can be either plain text or dynamic merge tags.

FunnelKit replaces merge tags with actual text whenever it generates a code, making it an excellent way to create personalized coupons.

Since you are crafting a birthday email, including the customer’s name in the coupon is a smart move. This personalization can grab their attention and make the code more memorable.

You can insert the customer’s name using a merge tag by clicking on the ‘{{.}}’ icon.

Important Note:Some platforms refer to merge tags by different names. For example, WPForms calls them smart tags.

This action will open a popup where you can browse through all the available merge tags.

Once you find a tag you want to use, you may see either a ‘Copy’ or ‘Settings’ icon. If you see the ‘Copy’ icon, just click it to copy the merge tag.

After copying, you can paste the tag into the ‘Coupon Code Prefix’ field.

As shown in the image below, you can combine both plain text and tags.

While browsing the tags, you may encounter a ‘Settings’ icon instead of a ‘Copy’ icon.

For instance, the image below displays a ‘Settings’ icon next to the Contact First Name merge tag.

This icon enables you to establish a fallback option that FunnelKit will utilize if it cannot access the actual value.

If you notice a ‘Settings’ icon, click on it and enter some text in the ‘Fallback’ field.

Once you create a fallback, click ‘Copy.’ After that, simply paste the merge tag into the ‘Coupon Code Prefix’ field.

By default, the coupon will not expire. To create urgency and encourage usage, consider selecting either ‘Expire after Specific Days’ or ‘Expire on Specific Date.’

You can then use the options to schedule the coupon within WooCommerce.

Lastly, you can decide if the coupon should offer customers a free shipping discount.

Customers appreciate free shipping, so you might want to select the ‘Yes’ option under ‘Allow Free Shipping.’

When you are satisfied with the coupon setup, be sure to copy the code found under the ‘Coupon Title.’

You will need to include this code in the birthday email, so keep it in a safe place.

Once completed, click ‘Save’ to apply your changes.

Step 4: Create the Automated Birthday Email in WooCommerce

It’s time to create the WooCommerce email that you’ll send to your customers.

To begin, click on the ‘+’ button and select ‘Action.’

In the popup window, choose ‘Send Email.’

Next, click on ‘Done.’

Now you can create your email by entering a subject and previewing it.

You can incorporate both plain text and merge tags. To add a merge tag, click on the ‘{{.}}’ icon next to the field where you want to insert the tag.

You can add more merge tags by following the same steps mentioned earlier.

Once you’re satisfied with the subject and preview, scroll down to the small text editor.

In this editor, you can compose the email body by typing directly. You can also include dynamic tags by selecting ‘Merge Tags’ and following the earlier instructions.

To insert your coupon code, simply paste or type it in the{{wc_dynamic_coupon id='6'}}code you copied from the previous step. Make sure to verify the ID number for the discount you’re sending to the user.

The text editor includes all standard formatting options, allowing you to add links, adjust text size, change fonts, and more.

To see how the email will appear to customers, just click the ‘Show Preview’ button.

Once you are satisfied with the setup of the birthday email, remember to click the ‘Save & Close’ button.

Step 5: Incorporate Follow-up Emails into the Birthday Campaign

At this stage, you may want to include one or more follow-up emails in the campaign. For instance, you could send the customer’s birthday coupon ahead of time, followed by a friendly greeting on their actual birthday.

When designing follow-up emails, it’s crucial to introduce a delay so that the customer doesn’t receive all the messages simultaneously.

To accomplish this, click on the ‘+’ icon and then choose ‘Delay.’

On this screen, open the dropdown that defaults to ‘Minutes’ and select a value from the options available. When setting up a birthday email sequence, you will generally want to choose either ‘Days’ or ‘Weeks.’

Next, enter the value you wish to use, such as 1 Week or 3 Days.

After that, you can specify the time when FunnelKit will dispatch the follow-up email.

It’s typically advisable to send emails at times when the customer is most likely to be online or when you usually experience the highest open rates.

To do this, simply check the box labeled ‘Delay until a specific time of day.’

You can now set a specific time using the new options that appear.

By default, FunnelKit uses the timezone settings from your WordPress. If you prefer to schedule messages according to your customer’s timezone, simply check the ‘In Contact Timezone’ option.

Once you are satisfied with the delay settings, click on ‘Save.’

Now it’s time to set up the follow-up email. Click on the ‘+’ icon and select ‘Action.’

In the popup that appears, choose ‘Send Email.’

After that, click ‘Done.’

This will open a popup where you can create a subject line, preview the email, and enter the body text using the same method described earlier.

When you are pleased with the follow-up email, remember to click ‘Save & Close.’

To add additional delays and follow-ups, simply repeat these steps.

When you’re ready to activate the automation on your WordPress site, toggle the ‘Inactive’ slider to turn it ‘Active.’

That’s all! FunnelKit will now automatically send birthday emails to your customers.

How to Send Automated Anniversary Emails in WooCommerce

Purchase anniversaries provide a great opportunity to connect with customers and remind them about your online store.

Utilize anniversary emails to boost your sales. For instance, if you offer physical products, consider incentivizing customers to reorder by providing a buy one, get one free coupon or offering free shipping.

If you provide subscriptions through a plugin like WooCommerce Subscriptions, you can motivate customers to renew their annual subscription by offering a complimentary upgrade.

Enhance customer loyalty by presenting these coupons and special offers as exclusive rewards for loyal customers. This approach helps customers feel appreciated and encourages them to redeem their rewards.

Step 1: Set Up an Anniversary Email Automation in WooCommerce

Begin by creating a new WooCommerce automation. Navigate to FunnelKit Automations » Automations (Next Gen).

Select ‘Add New Automation’ from the options.

You will now see a variety of pre-made automation templates available for use.

To initiate an anniversary email, click on ‘Start from Scratch’.

You can now enter a name for the automation. This name is for your reference, so feel free to choose anything you like.

Once you have named it, click on ‘Create.’

Step 2: Add a Trigger for Order Creation

Start by adding the workflow trigger by clicking on ‘Select Trigger.’

In the popup window, navigate to the ‘WooCommerce’ tab.

Next, select ‘Order Created.’

Then, click ‘Done’ to incorporate the trigger into your workflow.

Now, configure the trigger by clicking on ‘Order Created.’

You can now specify the order status to be used in the trigger.

Since you’re sending a purchase anniversary email, you’ll usually want to select ‘Completed.’

However, if orders take time to complete, you might consider selecting ‘Draft’ or ‘Processing.’ For instance, if you manually approve orders, it may be more logical to use the order creation date instead of the completion date.

By default, FunnelKit will execute this automation workflow for every product purchased by the customer. This is ideal if your online store has a limited number of products or if you offer high-end items.

On the other hand, if your customers frequently buy many small items, triggering this workflow for each purchase could lead to an overwhelming number of anniversary emails, which may frustrate your customers.

If you want to run the automated anniversary workflow for specific products, select the ‘Specific Products’ option and enter each product name in the ‘Search by name’ field.

Next, decide if customers can enter this workflow multiple times at the same time. The default option is ‘Once,’ so let’s explore how this works on your WordPress website.

For instance, if a customer purchases Item 1, FunnelKit will add them to the anniversary automation for that item. However, if they later buy Item 2, they won’t be added to the anniversary workflow for Item 2, as they are already in the workflow.

This prevents FunnelKit from sending multiple anniversary emails to the same customer within a short period.

Alternatively, you can add the customer to the workflow every time they make a purchase. This is a great option if you sell higher-end or luxury items. For example, if you operate an online boutique, celebrating every purchase anniversary could be beneficial.

To enable this option, select the button next to ‘Multiple Times.’ Then, toggle the setting to allow currently active contacts in this automation to re-enter.

Once you are satisfied with the trigger setup, click ‘Save.’

Step 3: Set Up a Delay

Next, you need to configure a delay. This determines how long the system will wait before sending the anniversary email to your customers.

To begin, click on the ‘+’ icon and select ‘Delay’ from the options.

In the popup window, open the dropdown menu that defaults to ‘Minutes’ and choose an appropriate time frame. For anniversary emails, you’ll usually want to select ‘Months’ or ‘Days.’

Then, enter the desired value. For instance, if you wish to celebrate the customer’s 1-year purchase anniversary, set the delay to 12 months or 365 days.

It’s generally a good idea to send the anniversary email while the customer is online.

With this in mind, you might want to specify a time in the ‘Delay until a specific time of day’ field.

By default, FunnelKit will follow the timezone settings from your WordPress configuration.

Alternatively, you can opt to use the customer’s timezone by checking the ‘In Contact Timezone’ option.

Once you’ve made your selections, click ‘Save’ to apply your settings.

Step 4: Create a Customized Coupon Code (Optional)

Consider enhancing customer loyalty by sending a personalized coupon code.

This is an excellent option for notifying customers whose subscriptions are about to expire. Instead of just reminding them of the expiration date, congratulate them on their loyalty and offer a discount for renewing their subscription in WooCommerce.

To generate a personalized coupon code, click the ‘+’ icon in the FunnelKit editor, then select ‘Action.’

In the popup window that appears, choose the ‘WooCommerce’ tab.

Next, click on ‘Create Coupon.’

Finally, click ‘Done’ to finalize the action in your workflow.

You can now click on the ‘Create Coupon’ action.

This will open a popup where you can create and customize the coupon using FunnelKit merge tags.

For detailed instructions, simply follow the same steps outlined above.

Once you’re satisfied with the coupon setup, copy the short code displayed under the ‘Coupon Title.’

In the next step, you will include this code in the anniversary email, so make sure to keep it secure.

When you are done, click ‘Save’ to incorporate the coupon code into your workflow.

Step 5: Design the WooCommerce Anniversary Email

Now it’s time to create the anniversary email that FunnelKit will send to customers. Click the ‘+’ button to get started.

Next, choose ‘Action.’

In the popup window, select ‘Send Email.’

Then, click on ‘Done.’

You can now compose your email by entering a subject, preview, and body text.

Additionally, you can customize the email by including merge tags. For instance, you can add the customer’s name, your store name, and other relevant details.

For detailed guidance on using merge tags, simply follow the same steps outlined above.

If you’ve created an anniversary coupon, you can include it using the code you copied earlier.

Once you are satisfied with the anniversary email, click on ‘Save & Close.’

Step 6: Incorporate Follow-Up Emails into the Anniversary Email Workflow

At this stage, you may want to include one or more follow-up emails in the campaign. For example, you could remind customers when their anniversary coupon is about to expire.

When setting up follow-up emails, it’s essential to add a delay to prevent customers from receiving all your messages simultaneously.

To establish a schedule, click on the ‘+’ icon and then choose ‘Delay.’

In the popup window, configure the delay by following the same steps mentioned earlier. Once you are satisfied with the delay, click on ‘Save.’

Now it’s time to set up the follow-up email. Add a ‘Send Email’ action to your workflow by following the same steps outlined earlier.

You can now enter the subject line, preview the email, and write the body text.

Once you’re satisfied with the follow-up email, simply click the ‘Save & Close’ button.

To add more delays and follow-up emails, just repeat the same steps.

Step 7: Publish Your Anniversary Emails in WooCommerce

When you’re ready to activate the automation on your WordPress site, toggle the ‘Inactive’ slider to ‘Active’.

FunnelKit will automatically send anniversary emails to all your customers and subscribers.

Bonus: How to Build a Successful Email List

Creating automated birthday and anniversary workflows is a great start, but to achieve the best results, it’s essential to focus on growing your email list as well.

This is where OptinMonster comes into play.

OptinMonster is one of the top email capture plugins for WordPress, utilized by over 1.2 million websites. It provides all the tools you need to convert visitors into email subscribers.

OptinMonster enables you to design attractive email signup forms, including popups, floating bars, full-screen welcome mats, slide-in scroll boxes, inline personalized lead forms, gamified spin-to-win opt-ins, and more.

OptinMonster offers over 400 professionally designed templates that you can easily customize with a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder.

For additional details, please refer to our comprehensive guide on building your email list in WordPress using OptinMonster.

Frequently Asked Questions: Birthday and Anniversary Emails in WooCommerce

Here are some common questions from our readers regarding the automation of birthday and anniversary emails in WooCommerce.

Why are birthday and anniversary emails beneficial for my WooCommerce store?

These emails foster a strong connection with your customers, making them feel valued and appreciated. Personalized messages can enhance customer loyalty, encouraging repeat visits and potential purchases through incentives like discounts or gifts.

What common pitfalls should I avoid when sending automated birthday emails?

Avoid sending emails that lack personalization, as they may come across as generic and uninviting.

Don’t overlook the testing phase for your automated emails. It’s essential to ensure they appear exactly as you intend and are delivered to the appropriate recipients at the right moments.

What strategies can I use to boost the open rates of my anniversary emails?

To enhance open rates, craft engaging subject lines and include personalized greetings in your emails.

Consider testing various sending times to identify when your audience is most responsive. Utilizing analytics tools like Google Analytics can provide valuable insights into customer behavior, helping you optimize your email scheduling.

We hope this guide has equipped you with the knowledge to send automated birthday and reminder emails through WooCommerce. Additionally, check out our tutorial on creating a WooCommerce popup to boost sales and discover the top WooCommerce plugins for your online store.

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