What’s the difference between event-based and behavior-based automation?

Event-based and behavior-based automation are related but distinct approaches to triggering emails.

Event-based automation:

Triggered by discrete, defined events in your system.

Account created
Order placed
Subscription renewed
Password changed
Support ticket opened

Events are typically singular, timestamped occurrences recorded in your database or system logs.

Behavior-based automation:

Triggered by patterns of user activity, often aggregated or analyzed.

Browsed products but didn't purchase
Visited pricing page multiple times
Engagement declining over time
Spent time on specific content categories

Behaviors often require interpretation or tracking over time rather than single events.

Key differences:

Clarity: Events are binary (happened or didn't). Behaviors often have thresholds ("visited 3+ times").

Timing: Events trigger at a specific moment. Behaviors may accumulate before triggering.

Complexity: Events are simpler to implement. Behaviors require more tracking and analysis.

Examples comparison:

Event: "Customer made a purchase" → Send order confirmation.
Behavior: "Customer browsed hiking boots 3 times this week" → Send targeted product email.

Event: "Trial started" → Send welcome email.
Behavior: "Trial user hasn't logged in for 5 days" → Send re-engagement prompt.

Best programs use both:

Events for transactional and immediate responses. Behaviors for nurturing and personalization.

Events capture what happened. Behaviors reveal what it means. Both inform how to respond.