Automated campaigns can support visitors at every stage, from their first sign-up to recovering an abandoned booking and keeping the relationship going after a visit.
Whether you already have some of these campaigns running or are still building them out, the biggest opportunity lies in the customer and behavioural data you already hold. Used well, it can make each campaign more relevant, better connected and ultimately more valuable.
That feels especially important right now. ALVA’s 409 member sites welcomed 165 million visits in 2025, up 2% on the previous year but still 7% below 2019.
ALVA’s director also expected that visitors might keep buying tickets but cut back on food, drink and retail once they arrive. With every visit and every additional purchase counting, it’s worth making sure your campaigns are doing as much as they can.
One of Spotler’s clients – Hertfordshire Zoo – is a great example of how using automated campaigns have helped them generate over £500,000 in revenue in their first year.
Here are five familiar campaigns, and some practical ways to help each one work harder.
1. Welcome and Nurture Campaign
Ask yourself: Is “new subscriber” really a useful audience?
Two new contacts can arrive in your database with completely different relationships with your attraction. One may have entered a competition. Another might have actively asked for updates. Another may have visited before but only recently opted in to marketing.
Use what you know
Rather than starting with the fact they’re new, look at how they found you. Acquisition source, previous visits, browsing behaviour and early engagement can all give you a helpful steer on what that person might want next
Make it work harder
You could start by splitting your welcome sequence by acquisition source. Someone who asked for updates may be ready for a gentle booking prompt early on, while a competition entrant might enjoy a little more inspiration first.
Over time, compare how each group behaves. Which go on to book quickly? Which need more encouragement? Those insights can help shape the right starting point, content and timing for each.
2. Browse Abandonment Campaign
Ask yourself: Are you treating every browsing signal as equal?
A visitor looking at weekend tickets, another repeatedly viewing annual membership and another exploring a Christmas event are all showing interest, but they may be at quite different stages.
Use what you know
The page viewed is only one part of the picture. How often and how recently someone has browsed, whether they’ve visited before and what they’ve bought in the past can all add valuable context.
Make it work harder
One idea is to set up separate follow-ups for your most valuable pages, such as membership or seasonal events, rather than a single “still thinking about it?” email. Someone who keeps coming back to the same page might welcome a slightly stronger nudge, and event follow-ups can be timed around how close the date is.
It’s also worth remembering that browse abandonment relies on recognising the visitor. Every newsletter sign-up, booking and account login helps extend its reach, which is why it works so well alongside your welcome campaign.
The opportunity is to move beyond “they looked at this page” and ask what their wider behaviour tells you about what they might need next.
3. Basket Abandonment Campaign
Ask yourself: Is one basket abandoned email enough?
Reaching the basket is a strong sign of intent. But a high-value family booking, a general admission ticket and a time-sensitive event booking might each benefit from a slightly different follow-up.
Use what you know
The basket itself tells you a lot: what they were planning to buy, the ticket type, their intended visit date, party size and any extras they’d selected. Combine that with what you already know about the customer, and you have much more to work with than simply “basket abandoned”.
Make it work harder
Rather than a single reminder, you could think of cart abandonment as a short sequence, with each message playing a slightly different role:
- A first reminder while the booking is still fresh in their mind.
- A follow-up that answers common questions or reminds them what’s included.
- For dated events, a final message linked to availability.
From there, it’s worth testing where the value sits. How quickly should the first message arrive? Does a second or third message help recover more bookings?
4. Post Purchase and Pre-Visit Campaign
Ask yourself: Does a booking actually change the campaign someone receives?
A booking is one of the richest signals a visitor can give you. You now know they’re coming, and often when, what they’ve booked and who with.
Use what you know
Ticket type, visit date, membership status and any additional purchases can all help shape what would be genuinely useful before they arrive.
Make it work harder
A simple way to structure this is across three stages:
- Inspire — build anticipation around their visit.
- Prepare — share useful information at the point they’ll need it.
- Enhance — introduce relevant experiences or extras based on what they haven’t already bought.
We explore this in more detail in the visitor journey shouldn’t end with the ticket purchase.
5. Post Visit Campaign
Ask yourself: Does your Post Visit campaign reflect the relationship you now have?
After a visit, you know something particularly valuable: this person has actually experienced your attraction. But a first-time visitor, a regular and an existing member will each leave with a slightly different relationship with you.
Use what you know
Was it their first or fifth visit? Are they already a member? Did they come for a seasonal event? What did they buy, and how recently did they visit?
Taken together, those signals can help determine what a sensible next step might be.
Make it work harder
You could give each group a natural next step. First-time visitors might be asked for feedback or a review while the day is still fresh. Regular day visitors could be shown how quickly a membership would pay for itself. Members could hear about what’s coming up next.
It’s also worth looking beyond email engagement to what the campaign is ultimately trying to influence. Are people returning? How long does it take them to book again? Are certain groups more likely to become members?
Bringing the data together
Each of these campaigns relies on the same foundation: having ticketing, membership, purchase and browsing data in one place, and being able to act on it automatically.
Spotler Activate helps bring that data together. Browsing behaviour is linked to a single customer profile once visitors identify themselves, making it easier to trigger campaigns from specific pages and tailor them by ticket type, visit history or membership.
Spotler Mail+ helps you run the campaigns. Email and SMS can be triggered by behaviour or by dates such as the visit date, with dynamic content tailoring each message to the visitor.
Make the campaigns you already have work harder
Across each campaign, keep coming back to three questions:
- What signal are they giving you?
Browsing, adding to basket, booking and visiting all tell you something different. - What else do you know?
Customer, purchase and behavioural data can provide the context that makes those signals more useful. - What can you learn from what happens next?
Use the results to refine your audience, timing, content and next action.
The goal isn’t simply more automation. It’s making the campaigns you already have more relevant, more connected and more effective by understanding more, acting on what you know and continually improving the result.
See how Spotler Activate and Mail+ can help your automated campaigns work harder: book a demo.
