Reach the Right Customers and Consignors with SimpleConnect

SimpleConnect lets you email and text your customers, consignors, and vendors without leaving SimpleConsign. This article starts with the setup to do on your first day, then walks through six of the most common tasks from start to finish: messaging one person, setting up automatic win-back emails for shoppers and consignors, and sending targeted email or text campaigns based on what people have bought or consigned.

Each walkthrough is a complete set of steps. For more detail on any screen, see the related articles at the bottom of this page.

In this article

• Day 1: Set up SimpleConnect
• Message an individual customer, consignor, or vendor
• Automatically win back inactive shoppers
• Automatically reactivate inactive consignors
• Target shoppers based on purchase history (email and text)
• Target consignors based on consignment history (email and text)
• Who receives your messages

Day 1: Set up SimpleConnect

Work through these steps in order on your first day. If you plan to send email from your own domain, allow extra time for the DNS step.

Step 1: Add SimpleConnect to your subscription

You'll need to be a Back Office user with Admin access for this step.

1. In the Back Office, select your name in the top right corner, then select Manage Billing.
2. On the Manage Subscriptions page, select your subscription. If you have more than one location, check the SimpleConsign Location name on the next screen to make sure you're on the right one.
3. Click Edit Subscription.
4. Click Add Addons and select the SimpleConnect plan that fits your store.
5. Select Update Subscription.

SimpleConnect is billed with the rest of your subscription. Before you update, check that your card under Payment Methods is current.

Not sure which plan to pick? All three plans include every tool. They differ only in how many emails and text segments you get each month. See SimpleConnect Billing and Top-ups for details.

Step 2: Give your team access

Do this right away. While you set up permissions, SimpleConnect is syncing your customer and consignor data in the background, so it's ready by the time you open it.

1. On the SimpleConsign Dashboard, select Users on the far right.
2. Admin users have access automatically. Managers with Back Office access don't have access by default. To give a manager access, open their user profile and turn on the SimpleConnect permission.

Cashiers can't be given access. Billing is Admin-only, so a manager with SimpleConnect access can send messages but can't buy top-ups or change your plan.

Step 3: Add your logo

1. Return to the Dashboard and select SimpleConnect. It opens in a new tab.
2. Select the image icon in the top left corner and upload your store's logo.

If you see a message that your data is still syncing, that's expected. Give it a few minutes and try again.

Step 4: Set up your email address

Choose how your marketing emails will show up in your customers' inboxes.

• Default address: emails come from your store name @mysimpleconnect.com. Just enter a name and a reply-to address. Use this if your store email is a Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, or similar free address.
• Your own domain: emails come from an address like info@yourstore.com. This requires a website domain your business owns and access to its DNS settings.

Either way, start here:

1. Select Email Marketing in the sidebar.
2. Select Email Domain.

To use the default address:

3. In the Secondary From Email section, select Default.
4. Enter your store's name in the Email Name field. Your emails send from that name followed by @mysimpleconnect.com. For example, entering MyStore makes your from address MyStore@mysimpleconnect.com.
5. Under Reply-to Email, enter the email address your store checks, such as yourstore@gmail.com. When customers reply to your emails, the replies go straight there.
6. Click Save Email Settings.

To use your own domain:

You'll need a website domain your business owns and access to the account where it's managed (such as GoDaddy, Squarespace, Wix, or Cloudflare). If someone else manages your website, like an IT contact or web developer, have them handy. They'll add the records in step 7.

Not comfortable with DNS settings? Contact SimpleConsign Support and we'll walk you through each step. The records themselves are added in your domain account, by you or the person who manages your website.

3. In the Secondary From Email section, select Custom.
4. Scroll down to Email Domain Setup and enter the address you want to send from, such as info@yourstore.com.
5. Enter the address where you want customer replies to go in the Reply-to Email field.
6. Click Create Domain Authentication. Your DNS records appear in a panel on the right side of the page.
7. Click Copy all records and add them where your domain's DNS is managed. If someone else manages your website, send them the records.
8. Once the records are added, return to this screen and refresh the page. Check I've added these DNS records, then select Verify Domain.
9. When every Verification Result shows a green check mark, you're all set. If any fail, wait a little longer and verify again.
10. Send yourself a test email, and check your spam folder as well as your inbox.

New DNS records often take effect within a few minutes, but they can take several hours. Where you bought your domain isn't always where its DNS is managed, so if your records won't verify, that's the first thing to check. For a step-by-step guide, including how to look up where your DNS is managed, see Sending SimpleConnect Emails from Your Own Domain.

Step 5: Choose your texting numbers

Your store gets two numbers: a transactional number for one-to-one conversations, and a marketing number for promotional texts to groups.

1. Select SMS System in the sidebar.
2. A new tab opens with the texting provider's terms and conditions. Review them and select Accept at the bottom to continue.
3. Choose your transactional number: enter your area code, check for available numbers, and select one.
4. Choose your marketing number the same way: enter your area code, check for available numbers, and select one.

You can see both numbers anytime in the SMS System under Settings > General Information. To learn how the two numbers work, see SimpleConnect SMS Messaging.

Step 6: Set up Reputation Management

1. Select Reputation Management in the sidebar, then select Settings.
2. Review the default settings under AI Agent Configuration.
3. Under Required Settings, review the defaults. Then sign in to your business Google and Facebook accounts to connect them, and click Save Changes.
4. Review your Notification Settings at the bottom so you're emailed when new reviews come in.

To connect Google or Facebook, you need to be an admin of your business page on that platform. You don't have to connect both. Connect the ones that matter to your store. For more on each setting, see Reputation Management.

That's it for Day 1. You're ready to start messaging. The walkthroughs below cover the most common next steps.

Message an individual customer, consignor, or vendor

Use this when you want to send a quick email or text to one person, such as letting a consignor know their items are ready for pickup. You don't need to build a list or a campaign first.

1. In SimpleConsign, open the customer, consignor, or vendor profile.
2. Check that the person is opted in to transactional Email and/or Text. You'll find this on the detailed view of the profile, under Communication Preferences. Every consignor also has a matching customer account, so you'll see the same person in both places.
3. Under the contact info section of the profile, click their email address to send an email, or their first phone number to send a text. SimpleConnect opens in a new tab with a one-to-one email or text to that person, ready to write.
4. Write your message and send it.

Where replies go:

• Email: replies go to the reply-to address set under Email Marketing > Email Domain in SimpleConnect. Make sure that's an email your store checks.
• Text: one-to-one texts send from your transactional number, so the person can reply directly. Their replies appear under SMS System > Messages, in the conversation with that person's first and last name.

Automatically win back inactive shoppers

A Days Last Purchase automation emails customers when they reach a set number of days since their last purchase. Once it's active, SimpleConnect checks your data every day and emails anyone who newly reaches that point, so you don't have to rebuild a list each time.

1. On the Dashboard of the Back Office, click the SimpleConnect button.
2. Go to Email Marketing.
3. Select Automations from the sidebar.
4. Choose the Days Last Purchase automation trigger.
5. Give your automation a title, enter the Automation Subject (the email's subject line), and choose what time of day it should run.
6. Set the Status to Active if you want it to start at the next run time. Leave it inactive if you're not ready yet.
7. Enter the number of days since a customer's last purchase that should start the email. For example, enter 60 to reach customers who haven't bought anything in 60 days.
8. Select a template from the dropdown. We recommend the Days Since Last Purchase template.
9. Confirm your selections.

Good to know:

• One automation per trigger. After you create it, the Days Last Purchase tile is greyed out. To make changes, edit the automation you already have.
• It keeps sending until you turn it off. To pause it, click the pencil icon next to the automation, change Status to Inactive, and click Update. Check it now and then so an old sale or season doesn't keep going out.
• Want to know how many people it will reach? Build a list in Audience > Lists > List Builder using Last Transaction Date. The count is roughly how many customers the automation would email.
• See who received it by clicking the clock icon (View runs & statistics) next to the automation.

Automatically reactivate inactive consignors

A Days Last Consignment automation emails consignors when they reach a set number of days since they last brought in items. It's an easy way to keep fresh inventory coming in without remembering to reach out.

1. On the Dashboard of the Back Office, click the SimpleConnect button.
2. Go to Email Marketing.
3. Select Automations from the sidebar.
4. Choose the Days Last Consignment automation trigger.
5. Give your automation a title, enter the Automation Subject (the email's subject line), and choose what time of day it should run.
6. Set the Status to Active if you want it to start at the next run time.
7. Enter the number of days since a consignor's last batch of items was entered that should start the email.
8. Select a template from the dropdown. We recommend the Days Since Last Consignment template.
9. Confirm your selections.

The same rules apply as the shopper automation above: one automation per trigger, it runs until you set it to Inactive, and you can check who it emailed with the clock icon.

Target shoppers based on purchase history

Send a message to customers who have bought a particular brand or category, so you can promote new inventory to the people most likely to want it.

By email

Build the list:

1. On the Dashboard of the Back Office, click the SimpleConnect button.
2. Go to Email Marketing.
3. Select Audience, then Lists, from the sidebar.
4. Click List Builder in the top right corner.
5. Name your list, and filter your opted-in customers by Bought Brand or Bought Category. Then create your list.

Tip: to combine filters, such as a brand plus customers who haven't shopped in 30 days, use the Advanced tab in List Builder. The Quick List tab searches one filter at a time.

Create the campaign:

6. Select Campaigns from the sidebar.
7. Create a new campaign.
8. Choose your new list from the mail list dropdown, and select Next.
9. Name your campaign and write your subject line. Use the subject line tools on this screen to check your spam score, and aim for green. Then select Next.
10. Select a template. We recommend the Specific Brand or Category template for Customers.
11. Edit the template for your brand or category if needed, then select Next.
12. Choose when your campaign will send, then confirm and send it.

Before you send, check the reply-to address on the final screen. It should be an email your store reads.

By text

Build the group:

1. On the Dashboard of the Back Office, click the SimpleConnect button.
2. Go to SMS System.
3. Select Contacts + Groups from the sidebar, choose Groups, then List Builder.
4. Filter your opted-in contacts by Bought Brand or Bought Category, name your list, and create it.
5. Make sure the Group Type is set to Marketing. If it isn't, change it and click Update.

Send the message:

6. Select Messages from the sidebar. Use the search box on the left side of the screen to find and select the group you just created.
7. Write your message, and save it as a template if you'd like to reuse it.
8. Send the message when you're ready.

Good to know:

• One filter at a time. The SMS List Builder searches by one filter. To combine filters, like a brand plus a date range, build the list in Email Marketing and send an email instead.
• Marketing groups are greyed out in the Search recipients box. That's expected. Select the group from the search box on the left, or click the message icon next to the group in Contacts + Groups. You can send to one marketing group at a time.
• "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" is added for you at the end of every text.
• Large groups take a few minutes. Texts send at about one segment per second, so 1,000 single-segment texts take about 17 minutes.
• Mind the clock. Texts send at the exact time you choose. A good rule is between 9 AM and 8 PM in your customers' local time.
• Replies to a marketing text appear under Marketing Replies. To answer someone, search for them in Messages and reply from their conversation.

Target consignors based on consignment history

Send a message to consignors who have brought in a particular brand or category before, so you can source the inventory your store needs.

By email

Build the list:

1. On the Dashboard of the Back Office, click the SimpleConnect button.
2. Go to Email Marketing.
3. Select Audience, then Lists, from the sidebar.
4. Click List Builder in the top right corner.
5. Name your list, and filter your opted-in consignors by Consigned Brand or Consigned Category. Then create your list.

Bought vs. Consigned: Bought Brand and Bought Category look at what someone purchased from you. Consigned Brand and Consigned Category look at what a consignor brought in to sell. For this walkthrough, use the Consigned filters.

Create the campaign:

6. Select Campaigns from the sidebar.
7. Create a new campaign.
8. Choose your new list from the mail list dropdown, and select Next.
9. Name your campaign and write your subject line. Check your spam score and aim for green. Then select Next.
10. Select a template. We recommend the Specific Brand or Category template for Consignors.
11. Edit the template for your brand or category if needed, then select Next.
12. Choose when your campaign will send, then confirm and send it.

By text

Build the group:

1. On the Dashboard of the Back Office, click the SimpleConnect button.
2. Go to SMS System.
3. Select Contacts + Groups from the sidebar, choose Groups, then List Builder.
4. Filter your opted-in contacts by Consigned Brand or Consigned Category, name your list, and create it.
5. Make sure the Group Type is set to Marketing. If it isn't, change it and click Update.

Send the message:

6. Select Messages from the sidebar. Use the search box on the left side of the screen to find and select the group you just created.
7. Write your message, and save it as a template if you'd like to reuse it.
8. Send the message when you're ready.

The same tips from the shopper text walkthrough apply here: one filter at a time, select marketing groups from the left search box, and send during reasonable hours.

Who receives your messages

Every list, group, and automation only includes people who can legally receive that message. Your count may be lower than you expect, and that's usually why:

• Email goes only to people with a valid email address on file who are opted in to marketing email.
• Text goes only to people with a valid mobile number on file who are opted in to marketing texts.
• Opt-in status comes from SimpleConsign. To change someone's preferences, update the Communication Preferences on their profile in SimpleConsign, and the change syncs to SimpleConnect.

Related articles

• SimpleConnect Overview
• SimpleConnect Email Marketing
• SimpleConnect SMS Messaging
• SimpleConnect FAQ: How do I...?
• SimpleConnect Billing and Top-ups
• Sending SimpleConnect Emails from Your Own Domain
• Reputation Management

Quick recap

On Day 1, add SimpleConnect to your subscription, give your team access, then set up your logo, email address, texting numbers, and Reputation Management. Click a profile's email or phone number to message one person. Use the Days Last Purchase and Days Last Consignment automations to win back shoppers and consignors on autopilot. To promote or source specific inventory, build a list (email) or a marketing group (text) using the Bought or Consigned brand and category filters, then send a campaign or message to it.