Create a Webhook for Customer Journey Builder or Campaign Manager
At a glance
Webhooks are a helpful tool that you can use to trigger actions in your third-party applications through our customer journey map. By sending a FormData object or JSON payload to a valid URL that’s set up to accept HTTP POST requests, you can automatically send updates to applications you work with outside of Mailchimp based on your customers’ progress through a customer journey map or as part of a campaign you’re working with in Campaign Manager.
You can use webhooks to:
Text a coupon code to a customer using a third-party app if the customer abandons their cart.
Cancel an event in a scheduling app when a customer opts out of the event in Mailchimp.
Mail a catalog to a repeat customer using a direct mail application.
Send a reminder text as part of a coordinated marketing campaign.
For this guide, we'll walk through an example for Customer Journey builder and one for Campaign Manager. For these examples, we run an online store for a chain of cafes called You Win Some, You Brew Some.
For the Customer Journey builder, we want to add a trigger to our customer journey map that will let us text a coupon code using our account at SimpleTexting when a customer abandons their cart. We’ll create a webhook that sends a POST request with the necessary information about the customer and the text message to the destination URL at SimpleTexting.
For Campaign Manager, we want to add a touchpoint to our campaign that sends a text to announce a special sale for friends and family. We’ll create a webhook that sends a POST request with the necessary information about the customer and the text message to the destination URL at SimpleTexting.
Note: By creating webhooks with the Customer Journey builder or Campaign Manager, you are connecting a third-party application to Mailchimp. Mailchimp is not a party to, or responsible for, compliance with any third-party application’s terms and Mailchimp does not guarantee any third-party application is adequate for your own needs. By using webhooks, you authorize the third-party application to access your Mailchimp data. Mailchimp is not responsible for any access, use, transfer or security of data or information by third-party applications. You are solely responsible for your decision to permit any third-party application to access your data.
What you’ll need
A Standard or higher Mailchimp plan. Learn more about our pricing plans.
The authorization credentials for the third-party app you want to work with. Typically, this is your user ID and password, or your API key and API secret, or a bearer token.
The URL for the third-party app that accepts HTTP POST requests.
Note: Currently, Customer Journey Builder or Campaign Manager webhooks only support the following:
POST requests. GET or DELETE are not currently supported with Customer Journey Builder or Campaign Manager.
Basic or bearer token authentication
JSON or form data content
Create a Customer Journey builder webhook
To add a webhook to a customer journey map, you’ll need to launch the Customer Journey builder and add a webhook action.
Once you’ve added a webhook action to your customer journey map, you’ll see a pop-up modal where you’ll enter the details specific to the webhook you’re creating.
For our example, we’re sending a text message using the SimpleTexting API to customers who’ve abandoned their cart.
On the pop-up modal, we'd enter the following information.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
URL Destination |
|
Authorization | Click the Type drop-down and choose Token. Enter your SimpleTexting API token. |
Payload | Copy and paste the body of your webhook request. This payload can contain Mailchimp merge tags in the field values. Your request might look something like:
|
Once you’ve entered the webhook details, click Close and continue working with your customer journey map.
Create a Campaign Manager webhook
To add a webhook touchpoint to a campaign, you’ll need to launch Campaign Manager and add a webhook or an SMS webhook.
Once you’ve added either type of webhook touchpoint to your campaign, you’ll see a pop-up modal where you’ll enter the details specific to the webhook you’re creating.
For our example, we’re sending a text message using the SimpleTexting API to customers as part of a coordinated marketing campaign to announce our Friends and Family sale. We’ll add an SMS webhook touchpoint, and on the pop-up modal, we'd enter the following information.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
SMS Webhook Name | F&F Sale SMS |
URL Destination |
|
Authorization | Click the Type drop-down and choose Token. Enter your SimpleTexting API token. |
Payload | Copy and paste the body of your webhook request. This payload can contain Mailchimp merge tags in the field values. Your request might look something like:
|
Once you’ve entered the SMS webhook details, click Schedule SMS webhook and continue working with your campaign.
Troubleshooting
Keep in mind the following:
You won’t be able to view the response body for the request.
The request only supports 5 redirects.
Currently, you’ll need to test the webhook by executing the customer journey or the dated campaign manager action.
The webhook won’t retry if it fails.