Quick summary
Smart filters are the ready-made filters in the Filters you might want section at the top of the filter in an automation.
Each smart filter adds a regular filter condition plus a smart tag – and the smart tag is what ties the condition to the order, event or booking that triggered the automation.
Without a smart tag, the filter looks at the contact's entire purchase history instead.
Smart filters are available in order, event and booking automations – both when you select recipients and in the display filters inside the message.
Every smart tag can also be added manually in the filter.
What a smart filter does
A smart filter does two things at once. It adds a filter condition you asked for, and it adds a smart tag that points the condition at the order, event or booking that triggered the automation.
The smart tag is the important half. These are the ones you will see:
Smart tag | Automation | What it points at |
their order ID | Order | The order that triggered the automation |
after their order | Order | Orders placed after the one that triggered the automation |
in the future | Order/Event/Booking | Events or bookings that have not happened yet |
their event | Event | The event that triggered the automation |
between their (ticket) purchase and their event/booking starts | Event/Booking | The window from the (ticket) purchase up to the start of that event/booking |
during their booking | Booking | The stay itself, with an adjustable window around it |
between their purchase and their booking starts / ends | Booking | The window from the purchase up to the start, or the end, of that booking |
after their booking ends | Booking | The time once the stay is over |
Why smart filters matter
The audience filter is built to look at everything you know about a contact. That is exactly what you want when you build a segment – and rarely what you want in an automation.
An automation is triggered by one specific thing: this order, this event, this booking. Without a smart tag, the filter answers a much wider question: has this contact ever bought this?
💭 Example: You want everyone who buys a cycling map to get an email about bike routes. You add the product to the Include block and start the automation.
With a smart tag, the email goes to contacts whose new order contains a cycling map. Without it, the email goes to everyone who places any order and has bought a cycling map at some point – even three years ago.
Where you find smart filters
Open an automation and click the Add a filter block. The Filters you might want section sits at the top of the filter:
Click one of them, and the filter is updated with both the condition and the smart tag. You can then adjust it – for example to pick a specific ticket type, add-on product or rate code.
You can also use Filters you might want in display filters in an automation email as well. That way the content inside the message can also be filtered in relation to the triggering order, event or booking.
ℹ️ Note: Smart filters exist in automations only. You will not find them in segments or when selecting recipients for a regular email or SMS, since those have no triggering order, event or booking to point at.
Smart filters in order automations
Every smart filter comes in two versions – one that includes and one that excludes – so the tables below list them as pairs.
Smart filter | What it adds to your filter |
Item in their order / Item not in their order | Includes or excludes order → the item type you choose – booking, event ticket, product or ticket bundle – of any kind, plus order ID is their order ID |
Have re-ordered / Have not re-ordered | Includes or excludes order → order date is after their order |
Have an upcoming event / Have no upcoming event | Includes or excludes order → ticket → event date is in the future |
Have an upcoming booking / Have no upcoming booking | Includes or excludes order → booking → start date is in the future |
💭 Example 1: You want to welcome ticket bundle buyers with an email about everything their bundle includes. Select Item in their order → Ticket bundle.
The their order ID smart tag ties the filter to the order that just came in, so the email goes out when someone actually buys a bundle – not every time a past bundle buyer places an order of any kind.
Have not re-ordered works by exclusion, and allows you to create a winback automation. It checks whether the contact has placed another order after the one that triggered the automation, and excludes them if they have.
💭 Example 2: You want to remind ticket bundle buyers to renew, 11 months after their purchase. Add Item in their order → Ticket bundle to reach the right buyers, and Have not re-ordered and specify ticket bundle, to leave out anyone who has already renewed.
The after their order smart tag only counts orders placed after the bundle purchase, so a buyer who renewed early is left out.
Smart filters in event automations
Smart filter | What it adds to your filter |
What ticket they have / What ticket they do not have | Includes or excludes order → ticket → event is their event |
Bought an add-on product / Did not buy an add-on product | Includes or excludes order date is between their ticket purchase and their event starts |
Have an upcoming event / Have no upcoming event | Includes or excludes order → ticket → event date is in the future |
Have an upcoming booking / Have no upcoming booking | Includes or excludes order → booking → start date is in the future |
💭 Example 1: You are sending a pre-event email to VIP ticket holders only. Select What ticket they have, click Add ticket filter and choose the VIP ticket type.
The their event smart tag keeps the check on this event, so someone who had a VIP ticket to a different show last season is not included.
💭 Example 2: Two days before the show, you want to offer parking to everyone who has not booked it. Select Did not buy an add-on product and pick parking.
The smart tag limits the check to the window between the ticket purchase and the start of this event, so someone who parked at a concert last spring is still offered parking now.
Smart filters in booking automations
Smart filter | What it adds to your filter |
What they have booked / What they have not booked | Includes or excludes the booking type you choose – accommodation, activity or transport – plus start date is during their booking |
Bought an add-on product / Did not buy an add-on product | Includes or excludes order date is between their purchase and their booking starts |
Have re-ordered / Have not re-ordered | Includes or excludes order → order date is after their booking ends |
Have an upcoming booking / Have no upcoming booking | Includes or excludes order → booking → start date is in the future |
Accommodation and transport come with a window of seven days before and after the stay. You can adjust the interval.
💭 Example 1: A week before arrival, you want to offer a table at the restaurant to guests who have not booked one yet. Select Did not buy an add-on product and pick the dinner package.
The smart tag only counts add-ons ordered between the booking and the start of the stay, so a guest who booked dinner on an earlier visit is offered a table again.
💭 Example 2: In your post-stay email you want a thank-you section that only guests who joined an activity see. Add a display filter in the email design and select What they have booked → Activity.
The smart tag keeps the check on the stay they just finished, so the section is shown for the activity they actually joined this time.
Add smart tags manually
Every smart tag can be added manually in the filter. The tags live as options on the date or event field they belong to, so you pick the field first and the smart tag second.
In order automations:
their order ID – Orders made → Order ID → is their order ID
after their order – Orders made → Order date → is after their order
in the future, events – Orders made → Ticket → Event start date → is in the future
in the future, bookings – Orders made → Bookings → Start date → is in the future