How it works

Follow these 4 simple steps to send personalized postcards to first-time customers automatically

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Order Created

App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This trigger activates the workflow every time a new order is placed, ensuring no first-time customer gets missed.

This step automatically monitors your Shopify store for new orders and captures all order details including customer information and shipping address. The trigger runs in real-time whenever an order is created, passing the order data to the next step for customer verification. No configuration is needed - it connects directly to your Shopify store and starts working immediately once the workflow is activated.

Retrieve Customer

App connector: Filter • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This step gets the customer's complete order history to determine if this is their first purchase with your store.

The workflow automatically looks up the customer's profile using their ID from the order to access their full purchase history. It retrieves important details like total number of previous orders, customer contact information, and account creation date. This customer data gets passed to the filtering step to check if they qualify as a first-time buyer. The step runs automatically using the customer ID from the triggering order.

Filter

App connector: Filter • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This filter ensures postcards only go to genuine first-time customers, preventing duplicate mailings and controlling costs.

The filter checks if the customer's total order count equals exactly 1, meaning this current order is their very first purchase. If the customer has made previous orders, the workflow stops here and no postcard gets sent. Only customers who pass this first-time buyer test continue to the postcard creation step. The filter uses the order count data retrieved from the previous customer lookup step.

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Send Postcard

App connector: Thanks.io • Time to complete: 3 minutes
Why this matters: This step creates and mails the personalized thank-you postcard using the customer's shipping address and your store details.

You'll need to configure several settings for your postcards including postcard size, front image design, handwriting style, and your return address information. The step automatically generates a personalized message using the customer's first name and your store name, then sends the postcard to their shipping address. You'll set up template fields for postcard size (4x6 recommended), upload your front image URL, choose a handwriting style, and confirm your store's return address details. The workflow uses Thanks.io's postcard service to handle printing and mailing automatically.

Make it your own

Customize this workflow even further:

Add order value conditions
Set minimum purchase thresholds so postcards only go to customers who spend above a certain amount, like $50 or more.
Create customer segments
Tag first-time customers in Shopify for future marketing campaigns or add them to specific email lists for targeted follow-up sequences.
Schedule follow-up actions
Connect additional steps to send follow-up emails or SMS messages 7-14 days after the postcard ships to maximize customer engagement.
Track postcard performance
Store postcard details in MESA Tables to monitor delivery rates, response rates, and calculate ROI on your postcard marketing spend.

Frequently asked questions

What information do I need from Thanks.io to set this up?
You'll need to create a Thanks.io account and get your API credentials, plus decide on postcard size, design your front image, and choose a handwriting style from their available options.
Will this work for international customers outside the US?
Thanks.io supports international postcard delivery to many countries, but shipping costs and delivery times vary by destination - check their supported countries list in your Thanks.io dashboard.
What happens if a customer's shipping address is incomplete or invalid?
The workflow will attempt to send the postcard with the provided address information, but Thanks.io may reject orders with insufficient address details - you'll receive an error notification if this occurs.
What is a template?
Templates are pre-made workflows by our team of experts. Instead of building a workflow from scratch, these have all the steps needed to complete the task.
Can I personalize a template?
Yes! Every step can be customized to meet your exact requirements. Additionally, you can even add more steps and make it more sophisticated.
Are templates free?
Yes! Our entire library containing hundreds of templates are free to use and customize to your exact needs.

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