Top
New to MailBeez? Start learning the basics
Advanced Module - Version 4.929 updated 02. Dec. 2024

Newsletter Advanced


Get this Module as part of following plans:

Start Up

S M L

Business

S M L

Enterprise

S M L

The Mailbeez Newsletter module represents a completely new approach to an integrated eCommerce newsletter function, offering store owners exciting new enhancements, and the ability to create personalized, intelligent email campaigns right from the shopping-cart's admin area.

Responsive Emails

responsive EmailsIn combination with the responsive template manager you are able to select a responsive email template for this module and adopt it to your design.
You can edit the text without any knowledge of html thanks to the visual editor. What are responsive Emails?

Sending an email newsletter from a standard install of any system variant of OScommerce is a very unappetizing task, which is why there has, in recent years, been a proliferation of 3rd party email newsletter subscribers who have provided the tools that most merchants wished their online shopping-cart system could provide. With the introduction of the Mailbeez Newsletter module, store owners finally have the tools to create email campaigns directly from their admin panel; campaigns that match those of feature rich 3rd party systems.

As a seamless integrated module, the MailBeez Newsletter Advanced Module has direct access to your customer's newsletter subscription setting. This allows you to send a newsletter campaign to all your subscribed customers without exporting or importing any data!

The process of creating and editing a newsletter is very easy: the intuitive visual editor allows you to create professional newsletters that display in the best possible manner across different email clients. In combination with the Responsive Template Manager you will also be able to create mobil-friendly responsive newsletters which will look great e.g. on your customers iPhone.

Free choice of Email-Server

The open and conversion rates of your bulk mailings are strongly dependent on the sending email server. MailBeez allows you to either send the generated emails through your shopping-cart's host server's email function, an SMTP server of your choice, or the certfied email servers of our partner Newsletter2Go.

Powerful segmentation rules

Thanks to the seamless integration of MailBeez with your shopping-cart system, the Newsletter Advanced module has access to all existing data. The built-in segmentation engine allows you to build customer segments based on purchase behaviour and other parameters, (geographic, demographic) to personalize your bulk mailings!

The powerful segmentation rules allow you to create a virtually endless number of targeted newsletter campaigns:

Examples:

Upsell / Cross-Sell

  • segmentation: customers, who purchased product x, but not product y
  • coupon: free shipping within 7 days.

Last year's 1-time holiday shoppers

  • segmentation: 1 purchase between 1st of october 2012 and 31st of december 2012
  • coupon: 10% off, valid for 14 days

season newsletters to all customers

  • pre-program your season newsletters
  • no segementation

welcome newsletter series

  • segmentation: customer since x days, but less than y day

Product recall / warning email

  • segmentation: customers, who purchased product x, regardless of their newsletter subscription status

Features

Unified Contact Management for customers and prospects

  • Capture customer opt-ins and prospect contacts with SiteBeez Newsletter Registration
  • Target customers and prospects individually
  • Automatic handling of customer and prospects contacts
  • Prospects are moved to customers once they sign up

Topics

  • Manage unlimited Topic Areas
  • configure Topic Areas as public/private
  • Topic Areas can be assigned through the subscription form / API
  • Customers can manage public Topic Areas, just place a link with href="[[$config_url]]"

Lists

  • create, edit and delete lists for recipients
  • unlimited number of lists
  • segmentation of lists
  • test of segmentation
  • export lists e.g.e for Facebook Custom Audiences

Segmentation features

Customers

  • geographic: country, state, zip-code
  • customer: gender, customer since min/max days, customer groups: requires Customer Group-Filter
  • products: purchased / must not have purchased (whitelist/blacklist)
  • categories: purchased / must not have purchased (whitelist/blacklist)
  • orders: max. number of orders, last order before / after date
  • configure countries to ignore customer subscription status for
  • Topic Areas

Prospects

  • Topic Areas

Campaigns

  • create, edit and delete campaigns
  • unlimited number of campaigns
  • a campaign can hold unlimited number of newsletters
  • assign default list for campaigns (can be overridden on newsletter level)

Newsletters

  • active from / to date
  • select list or you campaign default
  • select coupon template

Coupons

  • utilising the MailBeez coupon engine
  • create coupon templates utilising all available options
  • automatically generate personalised coupons
  • configure the length and number of days being valid

Reports

  • fully integrated with MailBeez Analytics and Google Analytics
  • analyse open, click, order

More Information

Sending process

Newsletter can be sent either manually or automatically. With each run, the sending process will send the number of emails you configured as "chunk size". So you will need to run the sending process until the complete list has been sent.

Configuration example for automata sending:

Set up a cronjob (e.g. all 5 minutes), which exclusively will work on the newsletter modules::

wget -O - -q -t 1 <cronurl>\&module=mb_newsletter

chunk size:

100 emails

Simple throttling (additional module):

3600 emails per hour

The sending process will send out 100 emails per run, approx. one email per second. The Cronjob starts the sending process every 5 minutes (12 times per hour), so it will send out 1200 emails per hour.

Depending on your mailserver you can increase the sending throughput or you can decrease it.

Thanks to throttling and limiting the number of emails sent per run (chunk size), you can stay within the limits given by your hosting service or email server. Also, this helps to reduce the risk of getting flagged as a spam sender.

Customize the export

By default the list export contains following columns:

'id', 'email','firstname', 'lastname', 'blocked'

To extend these columns place a php file e.g. my_nl_export.php in mailhive/common/local/ with following functions - you just need to implement the functions to add the required information for each recipient.

<?php

function mh_nl_export_addon_fields()
{
    // define columns
    return array('gender', 'zipcode');
}

function mh_nl_export_addon_content($recipient_id)
{
    // retrieve data by columns
    return array("g_$recipient_id", "z_$recipient_id");
}

Recommended modules

For best operations we recommend following modules, which will enhance the MailBeez platform. So all other MailBeez modules will be enhanced.

To create and send responsive Emails you need to install the Responsive Template Manager:

Future developments

  • additional Email-templates
  • additional content templates
  • Insert MailBeez Template-Tags with buttons (currently only firstname & lastname)
  • DONE: automatically create product content blocks
  • DONE: personalised contents
  • DONE: Support for "prospect": Visitors can sign-up for the newsletter. Once they convert into a customer the system will recognise it. That allows to sent different newsletters to prospects and customers.


Compatibility
This module is compatible with following shop systems

Gambio GX2/GX3/GX4

Modified-Shop 1.x/2.x/3.x

ZenCart 1.3.x/1.5.x/2.x

osCommerce 2.x coupon system required

MailBeez.io API V2


Changelog

v4.9.29

25.11.2024

    • unexpected error on some dialog navigation

v4.9.28

25.11.2024

    • added bounce column to list exports

v4.9.27

25.10.2024

    • PHP8.3 refactoring

v4.9.26

23.10.2024

    • PHP8.3 refactoring
    • SiteBeez Signup error on ZenCart

v4.9.25

10.09.2024

    • PHP8.3 refactoring

v4.9.24

09.09.2024

    • frontend improvements

v4.9.23

21.08.2024

    • PHP8.2 refactoring

v4.9.22

12.08.2024

    • PHP8.2 refactoring
    • wording

v4.9.21

15.01.2024

    • PHP8.2 refactoring

v4.9.20

28.11.2023

    • CRM pad search
    • refactoring
    • follow-up emails for prospect lists based on xtcommerce source does not work

v4.9.19

19.07.2023

    • automatically assign topic "fallback" to contacts without defined topic

v4.9.17

16.05.2023

    • incompatible SQL query

v4.9.16

15.05.2023

    • source "Abandoned Carts" - target cart abandonment with advanced segmentations
    • introducing setting to control smart list behaviour - check if recipient is part of the initial list

v4.9.15

02.05.2023

    • support segmentation by unknown gender
    • refactoring
    • update templates for product hero and new product with new layout elements

v4.9.14

24.03.2023

    • refactoring product segmentation builder
    • added missing translation strings for follow up delay help
    • contact search: include customers w/o customers_info entry

v4.9.13

22.03.2023

    • support for custom analytics url parameter

v4.9.12

16.03.2023

    • prospects assigned to multiple topics are not unique when segmentation is using multiple topics

v4.9.11

09.03.2023

    • table not created on installation

v4.9.10

08.03.2023

    • PHP8.2 compatiblity
    • GUI niceties
    • inherit list is no longer supported as this causes issues
    • when creating a newsletter the user is guided to the list selection
    • when creating a newsletter title and description are pre-filled

v4.9.9

06.02.2023

    • Automatically enable setting for enhanced sending if request with &module=mb_newsletter detected

v4.9.8

25.01.2023

    • can not run module manually

v4.9.7

24.01.2023

    • prospect list edit view: open customer insight
    • prospect list edit view: GUI improvements
    • logic to determine if module should run

v4.9.6

23.01.2023

    • source "non subsriber" - all customers without optin
    • re-import of prospect lists updates now confirmed status, gender, language
    • prospect list edit view: empty lists no longer show endless reload
    • layout

v4.9.5

17.01.2023

    • support for timing configuration and dedicated cronjob

v4.9.4

17.01.2023

    • admin language changed during editing of newsletter

v4.9.3

05.01.2023

    • allow to preset topic ids when opening signup form through url
    • more robust assignment of topic areas with prospect import

v4.9.2

28.11.2022

    • birthday range segmentation for birthday related campaigns
    • PHP8.1 refactoring

v4.9.1

25.11.2022

    • PHP8.1 refactoring
    • sending performance
    • CSV import error message

v4.9.0

14.10.2022

    • PHP8 refactoring

v4.8.10

15.09.2022

    • PHP8 refactoring

v4.8.9

03.12.2021

    • Copied Newsletter is empty

v4.8.8

03.12.2021

    • Gambio GX4.5 compatibility

v4.8.7

06.07.2021

    • Follow-up emails react do not respect simulation mode

v4.8.6

10.06.2021

    • Follow-up emails can now be sent regardless of open conversion - great for simple time delays

v4.8.5

25.05.2021

    • importing a customer email address will only update the status customers_newsletter when the confirmed status is set through the import

v4.8.4

17.05.2021

    • uninstall removes sourcebeez configuration

v4.8.3

17.05.2021

    • contact import shows number of invalid data rows
    • contact import does not require confirmed column to update topic areas

v4.8.2

29.03.2021

    • sitebeez signup widget utilizes configured url to privacy policy
    • sitebeez signup widget: removed focus border from consent toggle

v4.8.1

10.03.2021

    • refactoring

v4.8

12.01.2021

    • Gambio 4.2+ compatibility

v4.7.01

26.11.2020

    • php compatibility

v4.7.0

23.10.2020

    • enhanced handling and configuration of workers

v4.6.3

13.10.2020

    • ZenCart 1.5.7 compatibility

v4.6.2

22.06.2020

    • Creating follow-up Emails on Newsletter with "inherit from campaign" fails

v4.6.1

27.05.2020

    • PHP Warning when creating a newsletter

v4.6.0

19.05.2020

    • PHP7.4 refactoring
    • Support for 4.0 Core Framework

v4.51

22.11.2019

    • fix query error due to negative limit

v4.5

21.11.2019

    • support for workers to improve throughput rate

v4.47

30.04.2019

    • changed sort order of listing - latest items are now on top

v4.46

04.04.2019

    • segmentation engine SQL error

v4.45

01.04.2019

    • no april fool: when re-importing prospects into topic areas no additional entry is generated
    • more robust CSV importer

v4.44

11.03.2019

    • creating a new topic throws PHP7 compatibiliy warning

v4.43

04.02.2019

    • check against bounces

v4.42

17.01.2019

    • SiteBeez NL Signup Widget disabled for simulation mode - admin user can test

v4.41

20.12.2018

    • empty pattern in blacklist stops sending

v4.40

20.12.2018

    • campaign GUI
    • registration of customer with id=0

v4.39

19.12.2018

    • In a copied newsletter the list can be changed only within the same type

v4.38

18.12.2018

    • compatibility for patternbased blacklist filter
    • SQL error

v4.37

18.12.2018

    • move newsletter to different campaign
    • allow delete campaigns only for empty campaigns
    • query improvement

v4.36

18.12.2018

    • clean up campaign view
    • usability - click on campaign opens

v4.35

17.12.2018

    • SQL query optimization

v4.34

14.12.2018

    • lists: show where the list is used
    • only un-used list can get deleted
    • offer to copy newsletter in unlock warning

v4.33

14.12.2018

    • copy newsletter
    • follow-up emails for prospect newsletter
    • GUI enhancments
    • workflow
    • protection to change list types (customer / prospects) as this would cause issues with follow-up emails
    • warning when re-opening a newsletter

v4.32

07.12.2018

    • subscriber handling

v4.31

07.12.2018

    • enabled follow-up conditions

v4.30

07.12.2018

    • Major new feature: Introducing follow-up emails
    • query optimizations
    • layout of email listing

v4.29

23.11.2018

    • management of prospect data

v4.28

23.11.2018

    • re-import of prospect data performs update on firstname, lastname

v4.27

23.11.2018

    • PHP5.5 backwards compatibility

v4.26

22.11.2018

    • query optimization

v4.25

15.11.2018

    • minor improvments

v4.24

13.11.2018

    • CSV upload error handling

v4.23

07.11.2018

    • supporting new framework features

v4.22

06.11.2018

    • API entrypoint url generation
    • supporting new framework features

v4.21

23.10.2018

    • Segmentation for excluded categories works with OR

v4.2

23.10.2018

    • Segmentation by order status
    • Segmentation referencing orders option allows to repeat same email after each order
    • Segmentation Engine

v4.16

09.10.2018

    • sql error when updating prospects -> customers

v4.15

09.10.2018

    • supporting new framework features

v4.13

04.10.2018

    • compatibility issue with older MySql versions

v4.12

04.10.2018

    • number of configured coupon expire days for optin coupons are not accepted

v4.11

26.09.2018

    • number of configured coupon expire days are not accepted

v4.1

24.09.2018

    • PHP7.2 refactoring
    • Upgrade to 4.0 Pro Framework

v4.043

17.08.2018

    • allow prefill of email address on signup page

v4.042

09.07.2018

    • add subscriber api backwards compatibility for missing consent field

v4.041

06.07.2018

    • responsive signup form

v4.04

05.07.2018

    • Call to undefined method mb_newsletter_categories::_init_dialog()

v4.03

05.07.2018

    • GDPR Export causes SQL error when Newsletter module not installed

v4.02

01.07.2018

    • for new installations activate optin-modules by default

v4.01

28.06.2018

    • automatic redirect to core update if not required version

v4.0

28.06.2018

    • SiteBeez widget for lead generation
    • Signup form based on BS4 with consent text and toggle
    • GDPR Export modules
    • refactoring

v3.994

31.05.2018

    • smarty 2 compatibility

v3.993

28.05.2018

    • extension hook for list export

v3.992

28.05.2018

    • refactoring smarty update

v3.991

26.04.2018

    • absolute date range caused invalid segmentations

v3.99

20.03.2018

    • BS redesign segmentation dialog

v3.98

16.03.2018

    • product search in segementation rules failes

v3.97

20.02.2018

    • update of default template
    • new product hero template

v3.96

20.02.2018

    • prospect emails not sending

v3.95

13.02.2018

    • support for content_engine

v3.94

01.11.2017

    • export any list as CSV - e.g. for retargeting or targeted adwords
    • refactoring

v3.93

04.10.2017

    • list segmentation test marks blocked recipients
    • Smarty 3.1.31 refactoring to support Gambio 3.7

v3.92

01.04.2017

    • no april joke: sql error

v3.91

01.04.2017

    • date campaigns are active the day after the set date
    • general setting to only contact newsletter subscribers collides with list segmentation

v3.9

22.02.2017

    • Segmentation rule relative last order timeframe (e.g. last order between 5 and 10 days ago) allows automatic follow up on purchased products

v3.83

10.02.2017

    • new visual editor causes error

v3.82

10.02.2017

    • visual editor
    • PHP7.1 compatibility
    • include customers w/o purchase option generates SQL error in some cases

v3.81

05.12.2016

    • include customers w/o purchase option generates SQL error in some cases

v3.80

05.12.2016

    • smarty 2 support

v3.79

23.11.2016

    • option to include customers w/o purchase into resultset

v3.78

22.11.2016

    • click on newsletter item from list leads to an shadow newsletter

v3.77

18.10.2016

    • support for long email objects (changed fieldtype from text to longtext)

v3.76

14.10.2016

    • support for thumbnails

v3.75

11.10.2016

    • redesign of dialogs
    • auto install of filter with every update
    • security token zencart and modified-shop 2

v3.72

11.10.2016

    • public api for newsletter topics configuration webview
    • New template placeholder {$config_url} containing link to topics configuration webview
      example: {if $config_url}<a href="{$config_url}">Edit your Topic areas</a>{/if}
    • refactoring

v3.71

10.10.2016

    • upper limit of virtual customerid for prospects (id range between 10.000.000 to 11.000.000)
    • smarty 2.x compatibility issue

v3.70

10.10.2016

    • customer insight view for finding customers and prospects
    • admin gui for opt-out of
    • enduser gui for managing topic areas
    • admin gui for managing topic areas (Customer Insight)
    • progressive data collection for prospects (only email given? -> ask for name on double-opt-in confirmation page)
    • MailBeez Analytics Pro support
    • Newsletter topic areas / categories can be configured to be public or hidden for customers
    • webview refactoring to bootstrap

v3.69

26.09.2016

    • MailBeez Analytics Pro support

v3.68

18.09.2016

    • MailBeez Analytics Pro support

v3.67

13.09.2016

    • editor does not work on older modified-shop versions (jQuery version conflict)

v3.66

09.09.2016

    • auto-scroll feature in editor

v3.65

09.09.2016

    • Missing argument 1 for mh_objectInfo::__construct()
    • Search for products with special character in name failes

v3.64

01.09.2016

    • preview of coupon with values
    • support for complex editor
    • source module updates

v3.63

28.08.2016

    • compatibility with Gambion 3.1
    • sql error caused by prospects_subscriber source module update

v3.62

16.08.2016

    • save newsletter_categories

v3.61

15.08.2016

    • support for multiple main templates

v3.6

11.08.2016

    • source "all customers" - no check for subscription by default
    • newsletter topic areas / categories for customers and prospects
    • adopted naming of existing source

v3.52

05.07.2016

    • added missing language strings

v3.51

05.07.2016

    • added configuration option to enable submodules for optin/confirmation

v3.5

30.06.2016

    • coupon expire days can be set per newsletter
    • public api for adding subscriber
    • public api for confirmation of subscriber
    • submodules for subscriber opt-in (customers, prospects)
    • submodules for subscriber opt-in confirmation emails (customers, prospects) with coupons (optional)

v3.4

13.06.2016

    • preheader support
    • email preview from overview
    • PHP7 refactoring
    • fixed issue with multiple active newsletters during sending process: the coupon configuration for all newsletters is overwritten by the last newsletter

v3.3.3

25.04.2016

    • support for piwik and econda integration

v3.3.2

01.04.2016

    • fixed datepicker date format issue

v3.3.1

01.04.2016

    • fixed issue with datepicker on Gambio 2.5+

v3.3

16.03.2016

    • prospect dialog now opens in new window
    • prospect dialog works on Gambio 2.7

v3.25

02.03.2016

    • handling of uploadsize for CSV file (prospects)

v3.24

18.02.2016

    • fixed Link of item icon in list view and campaign view

v3.23

18.08.2015

    • PHP5.6 ready
    • refactoring of segmentation class

v3.22

28.04.2015

    • Gambio 2.3 ready

v3.21

23.03.2015

    • added save buttons to newsletter edit view

v3.20

12.02.2015

    • improved status badge in editor view

v3.13

06.02.2015

    • fixed issue with import file size,

v3.12

30.01.2015

    • fixed query issue

v3.11

30.01.2015

    • removed outdated templates
    • fixed query and data collection

v3.10

01.12.2014

    • prospect opt-in

v3.05

28.11.2014

    • improved prospect signup form
    • added signupform_modern
    • improved handling of prospects / customers
    • several minor bugs
    • file permissions

v3.0

03.11.2014

    • MailBeez 3.0 ready

Found errors? Think you can improve this documentation?   edit this page