A journey is a step-based flow that moves profiles through a sequence of decisions and actions over time. Use journeys when the order of steps matters, when timing matters, or when different outcomes should happen based on what the profile does next.
A journey has these components:
Entry condition: The rule that determines when a profile enters the journey.
Steps: Actions or checks that happen in sequence (waits, destinations, branches).
Exit conditions: Rules that stop the journey when the outcome happens.
Profiles progress through the journey one step at a time. The journey evaluates conditions at each step to determine what happens next.
Common journey configurations
Abandoned cart recovery
Step | Configuration |
|---|---|
Entry | Cart started |
Wait | 2 hours |
Check | Purchase completed? If yes, exit |
Destination | Email reminder |
Wait | 24 hours |
Check | Purchase completed? If yes, exit |
Destination | Retargeting audience |
Onboarding flow
Step | Configuration |
|---|---|
Entry | Account created |
Destination | Welcome email |
Wait | 3 days |
Check | Activated? If yes, exit |
Destination | Guidance email |
Wait | 5 days |
Check | Activated? If yes, exit |
Destination | Re-engagement offer |
Before you begin
Confirm the following details in your setup before building a journey:
The entry event or condition is being reliably ingested.
The exit event (conversion, completion) is being ingested.
You know which destinations will receive actions from the journey.
You have test profiles to validate the flow. See the instructions to creating audiences.
Instructions
Step 1: Create a new journey
On the Data Activation platform, go to Orchestration.
Click Create, and select Journey.
Enter a name that describes the use case (for example, "Abandoned cart recovery").
Step 2: Define the entry condition
Entry conditions determine when a profile enters the journey. Journey entry conditions are framed as trigger moments rather than ongoing states. See Entry and exit conditions.
Click Set entry condition.
Give your entry condition a name.
Under Rules, click Add first rule, and select the event or attribute that triggers entry.
Set the operator and value.
Step 3: Add journey steps
Add steps to define what happens after entry.
Destination step:
Click Add step and select Destination.
Choose the destination (email, ad platform, CRM).
Configure any destination-specific settings. If no destination is connected yet, you will be prompted to create one at this step.
Condition step (branching):
Click Add step and select Condition.
Define the condition to evaluate.
Configure what happens for each branch (yes/no).
Step 4: Define exit conditions
Exit conditions remove profiles from the journey when the goal is achieved. Without exit conditions, profiles may receive messages after they've already converted. See Entry and exit conditions.
In the navigation bar on the right, click Add exit condition.
Define the event or state change that should trigger the exit.
Step 5: Test with sample profiles
Before publishing a journey:
Identify test profiles that should enter the journey.
Trigger the entry event for a test profile.
Verify the profile enters and progresses through the steps.
Trigger the exit event and confirm the profile exits.
Step 6: Publishing the journey
Review the journey configuration.
Click Publish to start syncing profiles to destinations.
Verify the setup works
After activating the journey:
Check that test profiles are entered and progressed as expected.
If profiles aren't entering, the entry event is likely not arriving. Check that the event ingestion is set correctly.
If the destination isn’t receiving the profiles, the identifier may be missing. Verify that the profiles have the required identifiers.
Verify that destination steps are triggered correctly.
If profiles get stuck at a step, the conditions aren't met. Review the step conditions and timing.
Trigger the exit event on a test profile and confirm it exits the journey.
If the profiles aren't exiting the journey, the exit event may not be sent. Check that the exit event is being ingested.
Monitor journey metrics for unexpected drop-offs or stuck profiles.
If there is repeated processing, the re-entry logic is likely misconfigured. Check the re-entry settings.