> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voucherify.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Distribution overview

> Learn how Voucherify distributions work and what triggers and channels are available

The distribution manager automates communication with your customers. It helps you send messages or incentives automatically when specific events occur.

Distributions can send messages directly to customers or transfer data to external tools such as Braze, Mailchimp, or webhook endpoints.

## When to use distributions

Use distributions when you want Voucherify to automatically send a message or incentive after a specific event.

Common use cases include:

* Sending a welcome code when a customer enters a segment.
* Notifying customers when loyalty points are added.
* Sending reward details after a reward is redeemed.
* Delivering a promotion code after it is published to a customer.
* Sending event data to another system with webhooks.

## Key concepts

Distributions are built from four main elements.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Message">
    A message is the data Voucherify pushes to the end customer or another application.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Trigger">
    A trigger defines when Voucherify starts a distribution.

    For example, a distribution can start when:

    * Customer enters a segment
    * Voucher is redeemed
    * Loyalty points are added
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Audience">
    The audience defines who receives the message.

    Depending on the selected trigger, the audience can include:

    * Single customer
    * Customers in a segment
    * Customers affected by an event
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Action">
    The action defines what customers receive after the distribution is triggered.

    Depending on the selected action, the message can include:

    * Voucher code
    * Promotion details
    * Redeemed reward information
    * Plain message
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Channel">
    The channel defines how Voucherify delivers the message or transfers data.

    Common channels include:

    * Email: Sends messages directly from Voucherify.
    * SMS: Sends text messages through configured SMS providers.
    * Webhook: Sends event data to external systems.
    * External integrations: Transfer Voucherify data to tools like Braze or Mailchimp.

    Available channels depend on the selected trigger and action.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Distribution types

Voucherify supports manual and automatic distributions.

### Manual distribution

Use manual distributions when you want to send a one-time message or incentive without waiting for an event trigger.

Messages are delivered with a 10-minute delay. This delay gives you time to stop or edit the distribution before messages are sent.

Manual distributions can target:

* Single customer
* Customer segment

### Automatic distribution

Use automatic distributions when you want Voucherify to react automatically to customer activity or system events.

For example, automatic distributions can start when:

* Customer enters a segment
* Voucher is redeemed
* Loyalty points are added

## Distribution triggers

Triggers define when Voucherify starts a distribution.

In the distribution builder, you choose one trigger to start the workflow.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Segment related activity">
    Use these triggers to react to customers entering or leaving a segment:

    * **Customer entered segment**: Starts the distribution when a customer starts matching the segment rules, for example after a profile update, import, or tracked event. You can also include customers who are already in the selected segment when the distribution is activated.
    * **Customer left segment**: Starts the distribution when a customer no longer matches the segment rules.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Cart related activity">
    Use these triggers to react to order lifecycle changes:

    * **Order created**: Starts the distribution when a new order is created.
    * **Order updated**: Starts the distribution when an existing order changes.
    * **Order paid**: Starts the distribution when an order status becomes paid.
    * **Order canceled**: Starts the distribution when an order is canceled.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Voucher related activity">
    Use these triggers to react to gift card and loyalty point updates:

    * **Gift credits adjusted**: Starts the distribution when credits are added to or removed from a gift card.
    * **Loyalty points adjusted**: Starts the distribution when points are added to or removed from a loyalty card.
    * **Loyalty points expired**: Starts the distribution when loyalty points expire.
    * **Loyalty pending points adjusted**: Starts the distribution when pending points are added to or removed from a loyalty card.
    * **Loyalty pending points updated**: Starts the distribution when pending points change.
    * **Loyalty pending points activated**: Starts the distribution when pending points become active.
    * **Loyalty pending points canceled**: Starts the distribution when pending points are removed.
    * **Voucher redeemed**: Starts the distribution after a successful voucher redemption.
    * **Voucher redemption rolled back**: Starts the distribution when a voucher redemption is reversed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Customer rewards">
    Use these triggers to react to loyalty reward activity:

    * **Reward redeemed**: Starts the distribution when a customer redeems a loyalty or referral reward.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Manual message">
    Use this trigger when you want to send a one-time message without an event trigger:

    * **Manual message**: Sends a distribution manually after confirmation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Publishing codes">
    Use this trigger to react to code assignment events:

    * **Successfully published**: Starts the distribution when a code is published to a customer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Custom events">
    Use this trigger to react to custom events tracked in Voucherify:

    * **Custom event**: Starts the distribution when your system tracks a custom event in Voucherify.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Loyalty tier related activity">
    Use these triggers to react to customer activity in loyalty tiers:

    * **Customer entered loyalty tier structure**: Starts the distribution when a customer joins a tier structure.
    * **Customer left loyalty tier structure**: Starts the distribution when a customer leaves a tier structure.
    * **Customer loyalty tier upgraded**: Starts the distribution when a customer moves to a higher tier.
    * **Customer loyalty tier downgraded**: Starts the distribution when a customer moves to a lower tier.
    * **Customer loyalty tier prolonged**: Starts the distribution when tier validity is extended.
    * **Customer rewarded loyalty points**: Starts the distribution when loyalty points are granted.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Referral related activity">
    Use this trigger to react to referral events:

    * **Customer was referred**: Starts the distribution when a new customer is successfully referred.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Distribution actions

Use actions to define what customers receive after a distribution is triggered.

Common actions include:

* **Send and publish unique codes from campaign**: Voucherify selects a code from a campaign, publishes it to the customer, and sends it.
* **Notify customers about promotion**: Sends details of an in-cart promotion tier.
* **Send plain message to customers**: Sends a message without a voucher or reward.
* **Customer will get a message with amount of received credits**: Sends a message when a customer receives new credits on a gift card. The message includes the credited amount.
* **Customer will get a message with amount of received points**: Sends a message when a customer receives new loyalty points. The message shows how many points were added.
* **Customer will get a message with reward details**: Sends a message after a customer redeems a reward in a loyalty campaign. The message includes reward information.
* **Customer will get a promotion code from \[campaign]**: Sends a message when a code is successfully published to a customer from the selected campaign.
* **Customer will get a message**: Sends a configured message related to the selected action.

## Channels

Use channels to decide how customers receive messages or how Voucherify transfers data to external systems.

Voucherify offers:

* Built-in channels like email, SMS, webhooks.
* Integrated tools like Braze, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Intercom, and more.

<Note>
  Some integrations do not send messages directly to customers. Voucherify transfers the code or event data to the external platform, where the final message is sent.
</Note>

## Limits and anti-spam policy

To send messages through Voucherify, your account must follow the Voucherify [anti-spam policy](https://www.voucherify.io/legal/anti-spam-policy-v1-1):

* Trial accounts are limited to 10 total messages before verification.
* Verified trial accounts can send up to 10 messages per day and 100 per month.
* Email sending requires **Brand Details** in [Project settings](/manage/project-settings).

Large-scale distributions are governed by the Voucherify [Fair use policy](https://www.voucherify.io/legal/fair-use-policy-v2-3).

## Create distribution

Read the [Create distribution](/integrations/create-distribution) article to learn how to set up a distribution.

## Managing distributions

Go to **Engagement** > **Distributions** and click on a given distribution to monitor its activity and delivery status.

Each distribution includes:

* Dashboard summary with delivery statistics
* Performance metrics for sent messages
* Issue reporting for failed deliveries
* Activity log with distribution events

## Related features

Learn more about features related to distributions.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Code publication">
    Learn how Voucherify assigns unique codes to customer profiles and why [publications](/orchestrate/code-publication) are required for loyalty and referral campaigns.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Webhooks">
    Use [webhook](/api-reference/introduction-to-webhooks) channels to send Voucherify events and incentive data to external systems in real time.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Customer segments">
    Build [customer segments](/prepare/customer-segments) based on customer attributes, metadata, and tracked behavior.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>