# Customers Query Selector The Customer Query selector is a powerful tool that helps you target specific customers for your campaigns. This guide will show you how to create queries to find exactly the right customers at the right time.
### What is a Customer Query? A Customer Query is a search filter that automatically finds customers based on specific criteria when your campaign runs. It combines two powerful features: 1. **Shopify's search syntax** - The same search language used throughout Shopify 2. **Liquid templating** - Dynamic values that change based on when the campaign runs (like dates) ### How to Use the Customer Query Field #### 1. Testing Your Query Before saving your campaign, always use the **Test Query** button. This shows you: * How many customers currently match your query * If there are any errors in your query syntax **Important:** The test runs with today's date and time, so results may differ when your campaign actually executes. #### 2. Query Structure A basic query looks like this: ``` tag:birthday-06-15 ``` A dynamic query with Liquid looks like this: ``` tag:*{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} ``` ### Common Use Cases & Examples #### Birthday Campaigns **Find customers with birthdays today:** ``` tag:*{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} ``` * `tag:*` searches for tags containing the pattern * `{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }}` generates today's date in month-day format (e.g., "06-15") * Requires customers to have tags like `birthday-06-15` for June 15th birthdays **Find customers with birthdays this month:** ``` tag:*{{ "now" | date: "%m" }} ``` * Uses only the month (e.g., "06" for June) * Works with tags like `birthday-month-06` #### Anniversary Campaigns **Find customers who joined exactly 1 year ago:** ``` tag:*{{ "now" | date: "%Y" | minus: 1 }}-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} ``` * Calculates last year's date dynamically * Works with tags like `joined-2024-06-15` #### Tag-Based Targeting **Find VIP customers:** ``` tag:vip ``` **Find customers with multiple tags:** ``` tag:vip AND tag:email-subscriber ``` **Find customers with any of several tags:** ``` tag:gold OR tag:platinum OR tag:diamond ``` #### Location-Based Targeting **Find customers in specific city:** ``` city:London ``` **Find customers in specific country:** ``` country:Canada ``` **Combine location with tags:** ``` country:USA AND tag:vip ``` #### Email Subscription Status **Find customers who accept marketing:** ``` email_marketing_consent:subscribed ``` **Find customers who don't accept marketing:** ``` email_marketing_consent:unsubscribed ``` ### Understanding Liquid Templating Liquid is the templating language that makes your queries dynamic. It's enclosed in double curly braces: `{{ }}` #### Date Formatting The most common use is formatting dates: | Format | Output | Example | | ------ | ----------------------------- | ------- | | `%Y` | Year (4 digits) | 2025 | | `%y` | Year (2 digits) | 25 | | `%m` | Month (01-12) | 06 | | `%-m` | Month (1-12, no leading zero) | 6 | | `%d` | Day (01-31) | 15 | | `%-d` | Day (1-31, no leading zero) | 5 | | `%B` | Full month name | June | | `%b` | Short month name | Jun | #### Date Filters **Get current date/time:** ```liquid {{ "now" | date: "%Y-%m-%d" }} ``` **Get tomorrow's date:** ```liquid {{ "now" | date: "%s" | plus: 86400 | date: "%m-%d" }} ``` (86400 is the number of seconds in a day) **Get date from 7 days ago:** ```liquid {{ "now" | date: "%s" | minus: 604800 | date: "%m-%d" }} ``` (604800 is the number of seconds in 7 days) ### Advanced Query Examples #### Seasonal Campaigns **Summer birthday customers (June-August):** ``` tag:birthday-06* OR tag:birthday-07* OR tag:birthday-08* ``` **Holiday season customers:** ``` tag:*12-* AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed ``` #### Customer Engagement **Customers who haven't purchased in 90 days but are tagged:** ``` tag:at-risk AND orders_count:>0 ``` **High-value customers:** ``` tag:high-value AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed ``` #### Dynamic Monthly Campaigns **First day of current month:** ``` tag:*{{ "now" | date: "%m" }}-01 ``` **Last week of current month:** ``` tag:*{{ "now" | date: "%m" }}-2* OR tag:*{{ "now" | date: "%m" }}-3* ``` ### Query Operators #### AND Operator Customers must match **all** conditions: ``` tag:vip AND city:London ``` #### OR Operator Customers must match **at least one** condition: ``` tag:gold OR tag:platinum ``` #### NOT Operator Exclude customers matching a condition: ``` tag:customer NOT tag:exclude-from-campaigns ``` #### Wildcards (\*) Match partial patterns: ``` tag:birthday-* ``` Finds all tags starting with "birthday-" ### Setting Up Customer Tags For date-based campaigns (like birthdays), you need to tag your customers in Shopify first: #### Birthday Tag Format Recommended format: `birthday-MM-DD` Examples: * `birthday-01-15` (January 15) * `birthday-06-30` (June 30) * `birthday-12-25` (December 25) #### How to Tag Customers 1. Go to Shopify Admin → Customers 2. Select a customer 3. In the Tags field, add: `birthday-MM-DD` (replace with actual date) 4. Save the customer **Tip:** You can bulk tag customers by: * Importing a CSV with tags * Using Shopify Flow * Using a third-party app ### Best Practices #### 1. Always Test Your Query Click the **Test Query** button before saving. This prevents errors and shows you how many customers will be targeted. #### 2. Start Simple Begin with basic queries and add complexity gradually: * Start: `tag:birthday` * Add date: `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }}` * Add consent: `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed` #### 3. Use Consistent Tag Formats Stick to one format for similar tags: * ✅ Good: `birthday-01-15`, `birthday-02-20` * ❌ Bad: `birthday-01-15`, `bday-2-20`, `birthday_march_10` #### 4. Consider Email Consent Always consider adding email consent to avoid sending to customers who opted out: ``` your-query AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed ``` #### 5. Watch Your Customer Count If your test shows more than 250 customers, consider: * Narrowing your query with additional filters * Checking if your tag format is too broad * Splitting into multiple campaigns ### Troubleshooting #### "Query returned an error" * **Problem:** Syntax error in your query * **Solution:** Check for: * Typos in operators (AND, OR, NOT) * Missing or extra curly braces `{{ }}` * Incorrect date format codes #### "Found 0 customers" * **Problem:** No customers match your criteria * **Solution:** * Verify your customers have the required tags * Test without Liquid first: replace dynamic dates with fixed dates * Check for typos in tag names #### "Found more than 250 customers" This is a safety limit. If you see this: * **Your query might be too broad** * **Check for wildcards** that match too many tags * **Add more specific filters** to narrow results Example fix: ``` ❌ tag:customer ✅ tag:customer AND tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} ``` #### Query works in test but not during campaign * **Problem:** Time-based queries may differ between test and execution * **Solution:** * Remember that `{{ "now" }}` uses the campaign's execution time * Test queries will use the current moment * Scheduled campaigns run at specific times, affecting date-based filters ### Examples by Campaign Type #### Birthday Gift Cards Campaign **Daily birthday campaign:** ``` tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed ``` **Birthday month campaign:** ``` tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m" }}* AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed ``` #### Anniversary Campaign **Customer join anniversary:** ``` tag:joined-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND orders_count:>0 ``` #### VIP Customer Campaign **VIP customers in specific region:** ``` tag:vip AND country:United States AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed ``` #### Re-engagement Campaign **Customers tagged for re-engagement this month:** ``` tag:reengage-{{ "now" | date: "%Y-%m" }} ``` ### Getting Help If you need assistance creating the right query for your campaign: * **Email Support:** When contacting support, include: 1. What you're trying to achieve 2. Your current query 3. The error message or unexpected result 4. How many customers you expect vs. actual results *** {% hint style="info" %} **Pro Tip:** Save successful queries in a document for future reference. You can reuse and adapt them for different campaigns! {% endhint %}