How to Create a Custom Audience Campaign

Custom Audience Campaigns are one of the most powerful features in Growth Suite. They let you target specific groups of visitors with personalized offers based on their behavior, device, and visit history. This guide will show you exactly how to create these campaigns and why they’re so effective for your Shopify store.

What Are Custom Audience Campaigns?

Custom Audience Campaigns allow you to create highly targeted discount offers for specific visitor segments. Instead of showing the same offer to everyone, you can target:

• New visitors who need an incentive to make their first purchase
• Returning visitors who added items to cart but didn’t buy
• Mobile users who might need a different approach
• Visitors from specific traffic sources

The key advantage is that Growth Suite tracks every visitor individually, so you can create precise audience segments and deliver personalized experiences.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your Custom Audience Campaign

Step 1: Navigate to Campaigns

Start by clicking on “Campaigns” in the left menu of your Growth Suite dashboard.

Step 2: Create New Campaign

Click the “New Campaign” button located in the top-right corner of the page.

Step 3: Select Campaign Type

Choose “Custom Audience” from the available campaign options. This will open the campaign creation interface.

Step 4: Configure Campaign Details

Fill in the basic campaign information:

• Campaign Name: Choose a descriptive name (e.g., “Cart Abandoners – 3 Day Return”)
• Description: Add notes about the campaign purpose
• Start Date: When the campaign should begin
• End Date: When the campaign should stop
• Active Status: Toggle to activate or deactivate the campaign

Step 5: Set Campaign Trigger

Choose what action will trigger your campaign:

Trigger Type	Description	Best For
Session Start	Campaign triggers immediately when visitor arrives	Welcome offers, new visitor campaigns
Events	Add to Cart, Remove from Cart, Checkout Begin	Cart abandonment recovery, checkout incentives
Pageviews	Homepage, Product Pages, Collection Pages	Category-specific offers, product interest campaigns

Step 6: Configure Offer Settings

Set up the discount details:

• Discount Type: Choose between Percentage or Fixed Amount
• Email Collection: Enable if you want to collect emails as part of the offer
• Discount Amount: Set the discount value (e.g., 10% or $5)
• Offer Duration: Enter the time limit in minutes (e.g., 30 minutes, 1440 minutes = 24 hours)

Step 7: Set Targeting Rules (Most Important Step)

This is where the magic happens. You can create highly specific audience segments using these parameters:

User Type

• New Visitor: First-time visitors to your store
• Returning Visitor: Visitors who have been to your store before

Device Category

• Mobile: Target smartphone users
• Desktop: Target computer users

Operating System

Target specific platforms: Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows, etc.

Landing Page

Target visitors based on which page they first visited on your site.

Source/Medium

Target visitors from specific traffic sources (Google, Facebook, email campaigns, etc.).

Return Behavior (Most Powerful Option)

This is the most strategic targeting option. You can target visitors based on what they did in their previous session:

• Previous session: Added to Cart
• Previous session: Viewed Product
• Previous session: Started Checkout
• Time since last visit: 3 days or more

Step 8: Customize Creative Elements

Design how your offer will appear to visitors:

• Popup Design: Colors, text, and styling
• Product Page Element: How the offer appears on product pages
• Cart Page Element: How the offer displays in the shopping cart

Why Custom Audience Campaigns Are So Effective

1. Personalized Email Collection

Instead of generic “WELCOME10” popups that everyone sees, you can create targeted email campaigns:

• Target only New Visitors
• Offer a 24-hour limited discount
• Generate unique discount codes for each visitor
• Maintain the countdown timer across sessions

Example: A new visitor gets a popup saying “Get 10% off your first order – valid for the next 24 hours!” If they leave and return 10 hours later, they’ll see the same offer with “13 hours 55 minutes remaining” – creating real urgency.

2. Cart Abandonment Recovery

Returning visitors who added items to their cart are high-intent customers. They’re in the consideration phase and just need the right incentive.

Campaign Setup:

• User Type: Returning Visitor
• Return Behavior: Previous session – Added to Cart
• Time Filter: 3 days or more since last visit
• Trigger: Session Start
• Offer: 15% off, valid for 30 minutes

3. Mobile-Specific Campaigns

Mobile users often have different behavior patterns. You can create campaigns specifically for mobile visitors:

• Device Category: Mobile
• Offer: Free shipping (removing friction)
• Duration: 60 minutes

4. Traffic Source Optimization

Different traffic sources may need different approaches:

• Google Ads visitors: Already showed purchase intent – offer smaller discount
• Social media visitors: More browsing-focused – offer bigger incentive
• Email visitors: Already engaged – focus on urgency rather than discount size

Best Practices for Custom Audience Campaigns

Start Simple

Begin with basic segments like:

1. New Visitor Email Campaign: 10% off for 24 hours
2. Cart Abandoners: 15% off for returning visitors who added to cart
3. Mobile Users: Free shipping offer

Test and Optimize

Create multiple campaigns with different:

• Discount amounts (10% vs 15% vs $5 off)
• Time limits (30 minutes vs 2 hours vs 24 hours)
• Targeting criteria (immediate return vs 3-day delay)

Avoid Over-Discounting

Don’t create too many overlapping campaigns. Growth Suite’s tracking ensures visitors don’t get overwhelmed with offers, but you should still be strategic about your targeting.

Common Use Cases

Scenario 1: New Customer Acquisition

Goal: Convert first-time visitors into customers

Setup: New Visitors + Email Collection + 10% discount + 24-hour duration

Result: Higher email signup rates and first-purchase conversions

Scenario 2: Win-Back Campaign

Goal: Re-engage visitors who showed interest but didn’t buy

Setup: Returning Visitors + Previous session: Viewed Product + 7+ days since last visit + 20% discount

Result: Recover potentially lost customers

Scenario 3: Mobile Conversion Boost

Goal: Improve mobile conversion rates

Setup: Mobile Device + Returning Visitor + Free shipping offer + 45-minute duration

Result: Reduce mobile checkout friction

Why This Beats Generic Discounts

Traditional discount popups show the same offer to everyone. Custom Audience Campaigns give you:

• Precise targeting – only show offers to relevant visitors
• Personalized experience – each visitor gets a unique discount code
• Persistent urgency – countdown timers continue across sessions
• Strategic advantage – influence customers during their decision-making process
• Better ROI – avoid giving discounts to customers who would buy anyway

Getting Started

Custom Audience Campaigns are included in your Growth Suite subscription. Start with one simple campaign, test its performance, and then expand to more sophisticated targeting as you learn what works best for your store.

The key is to think about your customer journey and identify the specific moments where a targeted offer would make the difference between a sale and a lost visitor.

Remember: Growth Suite tracks every visitor individually, so you have the data to create these precise segments. Use this power to deliver the right offer to the right person at the right time.