> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.onesignal.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Flash sale Journey
> Build an automated flash sale campaign that drives conversions during a time-limited promotion, from a simple time-based flow to a fully personalized Journey with VIP early access and buyer suppression.
This tutorial walks through a complete flash sale Journey using **Black Friday** as the running example (40% off sitewide, midnight to midnight). The pattern applies to any time-limited promotion.
* **Case 1 – Basic:** Pure time-based, no tags. Everyone receives the same messages at scheduled times. Good for your first flash sale or teams without tag infrastructure.
* **Case 2 – Advanced:** Uses tags (`vip_customer`, `wishlist_count`, `last_purchase_date`) for VIP early access, wishlist personalization, and buyer suppression. Start with Case 1 and layer in Case 2 targeting as your data matures.
***
## At a glance
Setup is the same for both cases. The only difference is how targeting and branching are applied.
1. Define the [entry segment](#segments).
2. Build the [push, email, and in-app message templates](#templates).
3. Configure [Journey entry, exit, and re-entry rules](#journey-settings).
4. Wire up the Journey steps:
* **Case 1:** [Linear flow with Wait nodes](#case-1-basic-time-based-journey), everyone gets the same messages.
* **Case 2:** [Add VIP branch, wishlist branch, and buyer suppression](#case-2-advanced-tag-based-journey).
***
## Campaign goals
| Goal | How this campaign achieves it |
| ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Build pre-sale anticipation** | Email + in-app message before the sale |
| **Remind users the day before** | Push the day before to keep the sale top of mind |
| **Announce the sale launch** | Email + in-app message when the sale goes live |
| **Re-engage mid-sale** | Push a few hours after launch for non-visitors |
| **Final email reminder** | Email halfway through to recover non-purchasers |
| **Last-chance urgency** | Push 2 hours before the sale ends |
| **Personalize and protect trust** (Case 2) | VIP early access, wishlist push, and buyer suppression via tags |
***
## Prerequisites
* A OneSignal account with push notifications set up for your app or site
* Push permission enabled for your users
* Familiarity with [Journeys](./journeys-overview) concepts (entry/exit rules, message and action steps, etc.)
* Email channel set up if you want to send emails (see [Email setup](./email-setup))
* In-app messaging enabled if you want to show banners during the sale window (see [In-app messages setup](./in-app-messages-setup))
Case 2 also requires tags maintained by your backend. See [Case 2: Advanced tag-based Journey](#case-2-advanced-tag-based-journey).
## Segments
**Entry segment (both cases):**
* Name: "Total Subscriptions"
* Built-in, no setup needed. All push-subscribed users enter the Journey.
**VIP segment (Case 2 only):**
* Name: "VIP Customers"
* Filter: **User Tag** `vip_customer` · operator **is** · value `true`
**Wishlist segment (Case 2 only):**
* Name: "Wishlist Users"
* Filter: **User Tag** `wishlist_count` · operator **greater than** · value `0`
## Templates
These templates are starting points: clone, edit, and re-use them in your own Journey. They use [Liquid syntax](./using-liquid-syntax) for personalization.
| When | Name | Title | Message |
| ------------------------------------ | ---------------- | ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Day before sale | Sale tomorrow | 🛍️ Tomorrow only. 40% off sitewide. | Your Black Friday sale starts at midnight tonight. Don't miss it. |
| Mid-sale | Mid-sale nudge | ⏰ Still going, 40% off ends tonight | The Black Friday sale is still live. Don't leave your items behind. |
| 2 hours before close | Last chance | 🔥 2 hours left, last chance | The Black Friday sale closes at midnight. This is your last chance. |
| Sale launch, VIPs (Case 2) | VIP early access | 🎉 You're in early, \{\{first\_name}} | VIP early access is live. 40% off everything, shop before everyone else. |
| Sale launch + 1 hour (Case 2) | Sale launch | 🛍️ Black Friday is LIVE | 40% off sitewide, ends tonight at midnight. Shop now. |
| Sale launch, wishlist users (Case 2) | Wishlist on sale | 💜 Your saved items are 40% off | You have \{\{user.tags.wishlist\_count}} items on your wishlist. They're all on sale right now. |
Create and manage reusable message templates.
Overview of all personalization options available in OneSignal.
Emails carry the long-form moments of the Journey. Three emails fire: pre-sale excitement, sale launch, and a halfway reminder.
**Pre-sale excitement (2 days before)**
*Purpose:* Build anticipation and drive wishlist adds before the sale opens.
*Suggested subject:* Black Friday is almost here 🛍️
*Content outline:*
* A teaser of what's coming (40% off everything)
* Preview of featured products or categories
* CTA to browse and add items to wishlist
* Countdown to sale start
**Sale is live (sale day)**
*Purpose:* Announce the sale launch and drive immediate traffic.
*Suggested subject:* Black Friday is LIVE, 40% off everything
*Content outline:*
* Bold announcement that the sale has started
* Featured deals and product highlights
* Clear CTA to shop now
* Sale end time prominently displayed
**Final reminder (halfway through sale)**
*Purpose:* Recover users who haven't purchased yet.
*Suggested subject:* Don't miss out, sale ends tonight
*Content outline:*
* Reminder that time is running out
* Highlight top-selling or low-stock items
* Urgency messaging with countdown
* CTA to complete purchase
Create and send email campaigns.
Overview of all personalization options available in OneSignal.
In-app messages fire when users open your app. Two are included: a pre-sale teaser and a sale-day banner.
**Pre-sale excitement (2 days before)**
Use a banner or modal to build anticipation:
* Headline: "Black Friday is coming!"
* Body: "40% off everything starts Friday at midnight. Add items to your wishlist now."
* CTA: Deep link to wishlist or sale preview page
**Sale is live banner (sale day)**
Show a banner when users open the app during the sale:
* Headline: "Black Friday is LIVE"
* Body: "40% off sitewide, ends at midnight"
* CTA: Deep link to sale page
Full reference for the in-app message editor.
Route users to the correct page.
## Journey configuration
Both cases share the same Journey settings. Define them once and use them for either case.
### Journey settings
| Setting | Value |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Entry** | Audience Segment: "Total Subscriptions" |
| **Exit** | User reaches the end of the flow |
| **Re-entry** | No, users receive this Journey only once per sale |
***
## Case 1: Basic time-based Journey
This Journey runs entirely on time-based **Wait** nodes. No tags, no targeting. Everyone receives the same messages at scheduled times. Set it live 2 days before the sale opens.
### Journey timing
The campaign progresses through anticipation (2 days before through the day before), launch (sale day), and urgency (afternoon through close):
| Step | When | Channel | Purpose |
| ---- | ----------------------------- | ----------- | -------------------- |
| 1 | 2 days before sale (on entry) | Email + IAM | Build excitement |
| 2 | Day before sale | Push | Sale starts tomorrow |
| 3 | Sale launch | Email + IAM | Sale is live |
| 4 | A few hours after launch | Push | Mid-sale nudge |
| 5 | Halfway through sale | Email | Final email reminder |
| 6 | 2 hours before close | Push | Last chance |
### Basic Journey steps
**Goal:** Build anticipation a few days before the sale.
Add an **Email** node as the first step, then an **In-App Message** node immediately after.
The email lands when the user enters the Journey. The IAM is queued and displays the next time they open your app.
**Goal:** Advance to the day before the sale.
Add a **Wait** node set to **1 day**.
**Goal:** Reminder the day before.
Add a **Push Notification** node.
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `Tomorrow only. 40% off sitewide.` |
| **Body** | `Your Black Friday sale starts at midnight tonight. Don't miss it.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale landing page |
**Goal:** Advance to sale day.
Add a **Wait** node set to **1 day**.
**Goal:** Announce the sale launch.
Add an **Email** node, then an **In-App Message** node.
The email announces the sale is live. The IAM displays a sale banner when users open the app.
**Goal:** Give users time to see the launch messages before the mid-sale nudge.
Add a **Wait** node set to **3–4 hours** (adjust based on your sale duration).
**Goal:** Re-engage users who haven't visited yet.
Add a **Push Notification** node.
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `Still going, 40% off ends tonight` |
| **Body** | `The Black Friday sale is still live. Don't leave your items behind.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale page |
**Goal:** Advance to the halfway point.
Add a **Wait** node. For a 24-hour sale that started at midnight, set this to **6–8 hours** to land around midday/afternoon.
**Goal:** Last email push to recover non-purchasers.
Add an **Email** node with urgency messaging and countdown.
**Goal:** Advance to the final urgency window.
Add a **Wait** node to land **2 hours before the sale ends**. For a midnight-to-midnight sale, this is around 10 PM.
**Goal:** Final urgency push.
Add a **Push Notification** node.
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `2 hours left, last chance` |
| **Body** | `The Black Friday sale closes at midnight. This is your last chance.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale page or cart |
### Best practices for Case 1
* **Set the Journey live 2 days before the sale.** The pre-sale email fires immediately for users who enter.
* **Respect quiet hours.** Avoid sending pushes between 10 PM and 7 AM in the user's timezone. Adjust Wait nodes if needed.
* **Pause the Journey if the sale ends early.** From the dashboard, pause stops remaining Wait nodes and prevents any remaining messages from firing.
* **[Deep-link](./deep-linking) every message to the right page.** Tapping a push should land users on the sale page, not the app home.
***
## Case 2: Advanced tag-based Journey
Case 2 builds on Case 1 by adding targeting with tags. The timing is the same, but you add:
* **VIP early access:** VIPs get a 1-hour head start at sale launch
* **Wishlist personalization:** Users with wishlist items get a personalized push
* **Buyer suppression:** Filter out buyers from urgency messages
### Required tags
| Tag | Type | Description |
| -------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `vip_customer` | Boolean | `true` if the user is a VIP customer |
| `wishlist_count` | Number | Count of items in the user's wishlist |
| `last_purchase_date` | Unix timestamp (seconds) | Time of the user's most recent purchase, stored as a Unix timestamp in seconds (10 digits) |
These tags must be maintained by your backend and synced to OneSignal. See [Tags](./add-user-data-tags) for setup.
The `time elapsed greater than` operator compares the current time to a Unix timestamp stored on the tag. Store `last_purchase_date` as a **Unix timestamp in seconds** (10 digits), not milliseconds or a formatted date. See [Tags: Time Operators](./time-operators) for details.
### Advanced Journey steps
Case 2 follows the same overall timing as Case 1, but adds a VIP branch at launch, a wishlist branch right after, and a buyer-suppression filter on every urgency message.
**Goal:** Build anticipation a few days before the sale.
Add an **Email** node as the first step, then an **In-App Message** node immediately after.
The email lands when the user enters the Journey. The IAM is queued and displays the next time they open your app.
**Goal:** Advance to the day before the sale.
Add a **Wait** node set to **1 day**.
**Goal:** Reminder the day before.
Add a **Push Notification** node.
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `Tomorrow only. 40% off sitewide.` |
| **Body** | `Your Black Friday sale starts at midnight tonight. Don't miss it.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale landing page |
**Goal:** Advance to sale day.
Add a **Wait** node set to **1 day**.
**Goal:** Give VIPs a 1-hour head start.
Add a **Yes/No Branch** node:
* **Condition:** **User Tag** `vip_customer` · operator **is** · value `true`
**Yes branch (VIP):** Add a **Push Notification** node immediately:
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `You're in early, {{first_name}} 🎉` |
| **Body** | `VIP early access is live. 40% off everything, shop before everyone else.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale page |
**No branch (general):** Add a **Wait** node set to **1 hour**, then a **Push Notification** node:
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `Black Friday is LIVE 🛍️` |
| **Body** | `40% off sitewide, ends tonight at midnight. Shop now.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale page |
**Goal:** Announce the sale to everyone.
Connect both branches into the same next node. Add an **Email** node, then an **In-App Message** node. The email announces the sale is live and the IAM displays a sale banner when users open the app.
**Goal:** Send a personalized push to wishlist users.
Add a **Yes/No Branch** node:
* **Condition:** **User Tag** `wishlist_count` · operator **greater than** · value `0`
**Yes branch (wishlist users):** Add a **Push Notification** node:
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `Your saved items are 40% off` |
| **Body** | `You have {{user.tags.wishlist_count}} items on your wishlist. They're all on sale right now.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your wishlist page |
**No branch (no wishlist):** Continue with no message.
Connect both branches into the next step.
**Goal:** Give users time before the mid-sale nudge.
Add a **Wait** node set to **3–4 hours**.
**Goal:** Nudge non-buyers only.
Add a **Yes/No Branch** node. Match **any** of these filters:
* **User Tag** `last_purchase_date` · operator **time elapsed greater than** · value `4 hours`
* **User Tag** `last_purchase_date` · operator **does not exist**
Adjust the `4 hours` value based on how long after sale launch this step fires in your Journey.
**Yes branch (non-buyers):** Add a **Push Notification** node:
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `Still going, 40% off ends tonight` |
| **Body** | `The Black Friday sale is still live. Don't leave your items behind.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale page |
**No branch (buyers):** Skip the push, route directly to the next step.
Add a **Wait** node to reach the halfway point.
**Goal:** Email non-buyers only.
Add a **Yes/No Branch** node. Match **any** of these filters:
* **User Tag** `last_purchase_date` · operator **time elapsed greater than** · value `12 hours` (halfway through a 24-hour sale)
* **User Tag** `last_purchase_date` · operator **does not exist**
**Yes branch (non-buyers):** Add an **Email** node with urgency messaging.
**No branch (buyers):** Skip the email.
Add a **Wait** node to reach the final urgency window.
**Goal:** Final push to non-buyers only.
Add a **Yes/No Branch** node. Match **any** of these filters:
* **User Tag** `last_purchase_date` · operator **time elapsed greater than** · value `22 hours` (two hours before a midnight close)
* **User Tag** `last_purchase_date` · operator **does not exist**
**Yes branch (non-buyers):** Add a **Push Notification** node:
| Field | Value |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title** | `2 hours left, last chance` |
| **Body** | `The Black Friday sale closes at midnight. This is your last chance.` |
| **Launch URL** | Your sale page or cart |
**No branch (buyers):** End of Journey.
The `last_purchase_date` filter only suppresses buyers if your backend updates the tag in **near-real-time**. If your stack updates the tag nightly, buyers in the early hours of the sale will still receive urgency messages later that day. Verify the sync cadence before launch.
### Best practices for Case 2
* **Apply buyer suppression to every urgency message.** Without it, users who bought early still receive "last chance" pushes, which is the most common cause of unsubscribes after a flash sale.
* **Verify tag freshness** before launch by simulating a purchase and confirming the `last_purchase_date` tag updates within minutes.
* **All Case 1 best practices still apply.** Quiet hours, deep linking, and pausing the Journey if the sale ends early.
* **Be aware of message volume.** A VIP wishlist user who never buys can receive up to 4 pushes and 3 emails across the full sequence. Make sure that volume feels appropriate for your audience before launch.
***
## Compare Case 1 and Case 2
Both cases share the same entry segment, Journey settings, and templates. Case 2 adds targeting.
| | Case 1: Basic | Case 2: Advanced |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Data required** | None | Tags: `vip_customer`, `wishlist_count`, `last_purchase_date` |
| **Setup effort** | Low, no tag infrastructure needed | Medium, requires backend tag sync |
| **VIP early access** | No, everyone gets sale launch at same time | Yes, VIPs get 1-hour head start |
| **Wishlist personalization** | No | Yes, "your saved items are on sale" push |
| **Buyer suppression** | No, everyone gets urgency messages | Yes, filter out buyers via `last_purchase_date` |
| **Best for** | First flash sale, no tag infrastructure | Teams with existing tags, better UX |
***
## Where to go from here
Start with Case 1 if you're running your first flash sale or don't have tag infrastructure in place. As you add tags to your data layer, upgrade to Case 2 by adding the VIP branch, wishlist branch, and buyer-suppression filters. The VIP early access alone is worth the effort: it rewards your best customers and creates social proof when they share their finds.
After this Journey is live, consider adding SMS for the final urgency push (see [SMS messaging](./sms-messaging)) or extending the pattern to other time-limited promotions like summer sales, anniversary events, or new product launches.
***
## Related pages
Learn how to build, branch, and manage automated message flows.
Use Liquid tags to personalize message copy with user data.
Build reusable audiences based on tags, behavior, and more.
Create banners and modals to reach users inside your app.
Configure email messaging for your campaigns.
Add custom data to user profiles for targeting and personalization.