As we wrap up 2022, we can't help but feel stoked about all the new features and updates our teams have been able to pull off. And we wanna make sure you're not missing out on any of the goodness! That's why we've put together a quick breakdown of what our Dev team released in the last quarter of this year. So, keep on reading to stay in the loop about all the cool stuff we've got going on. 

Let's dive in!

What’s New in Q4 2022

Loyalty Widget Settings: Points or Cash

You now have the ability to easily switch between displaying either the Points or Cash value for Loyalty Earnings on the Loyalty Cash Widget visible to your customers. This provides flexibility in how you showcase your loyalty program rewards to best suit your business needs.

Resources:

Loyalty Cash Widget Overview

Loyalty Widget: Ways to Earn now supports User-Generated Content (UGC)

Now you can easily collect user-generated content (UGC) through your Rewards Widget and reward points to customers for their contributions. UGC has the potential to greatly enhance your brand's recognition and build trust with your audience, while also providing an authentic way to engage with them. With this feature, you can seamlessly integrate UGC into your loyalty program and incentivize your customers to share their experiences with your brand.

Resources:

Loyalty Program - Rewards Widget

Loyalty & Rewards Overview

Click-to-Text Buttons for Email Editor

You can now add buttons to your emails that, when clicked, will automatically trigger a text message to your contact. You can customize the message content you want your contact to send, and with a single click of the button, the message will pre-populate, making it simple and convenient for your customers to connect with you.

Resources:

How to Create a Click-to-Text Link with Message Content

URL Message Encoder: ​​https://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/dencoder/

Templates: Save as from Content Editors

You can now easily save any SMS or email as a template without needing to create a new template first. This allows for greater efficiency and flexibility in your communications, as you can quickly save and reuse messages that have proven to be effective without the extra step of creating a separate template.

Resources:

Save Email from Automations

Save SMS from Automations

Save Email from Blasts

Save SMS from Blasts

Email Editor: Tips & Tricks Tab inside the Email Editor

We’ve made it easier than ever to access helpful tips and resources for creating effective emails with the introduction of the Tips & Tricks tab in the new Email Editor. This feature provides quick and convenient access to Patch's best practices, tips, and other resources directly within the editor, helping you create engaging and effective emails that resonate with your audience.

Resources:

Email Editor Overview

Email Messaging

Data & Analytics: Data-driven Insights

Data-driven Insights that provide tailored recommendations to improve your customer retention and increase business growth. These insights are conveniently accessible from your dashboard, making it easy to stay on top of your customer engagement metrics and take action to improve your business outcomes. With these powerful recommendations, you can make informed decisions that are specific to your unique business needs and goals.

Resources:

Analytics & Insights

Recency, Frequency, Monetary (RFM) Analysis

Email Domains: Branded Sending Domains in Patch

Branded sending domain feature is now easier than ever to set up in your Patch account. This powerful new tool can be used to optimize your email marketing efforts and improve customer engagement. With this updated feature, users can expect to see improved email deliverability rates, enhanced brand reputation, and more effective customer communication.

Resources:

Email Settings

Shared vs Dedicated Sending Domain

Why you should use a Subdomain as your Sending Domain

How to add a Dedicated Sending Domain

Branded Email Address or Alias using your Branded Sending Domain

Marketing Consent: Opt-In Status Sync for Shopify Integration

When a customer chooses to receive SMS and/or email messages through Shopify, this preference will be automatically transferred to your Patch account. This can be done either during the checkout process or when a staff member manually updates the customer's status from their profile page.

Resources:

Marketing Consent from Shopify to Patch

Most Impactful Bug Fixes

1. Select Contacts Block: Select by Birthday Month value not giving relative or exact date option
2. Blasts: Selecting a Saved Filter from ‘Step 1: Recipients’ then populates the rules set for that filter on the next step in the flow
3. Groups: Total # of Contacts not reflecting Contacts added on Main View Page
4. Contacts: ‘Search by Tag’ returns an error
5. Messenger App: Mobile notification preview not displaying Contact information
6. SMS Content Editor: Content Not Saving
7. Loyalty Cash Widget: Invalid Redemption Amount Error
8. Contacts: Unable to Delete in Bulk
9. Brand Settings: Global Style Settings overriding Brand Settings when using Template within Account
10. Templates: SMS - ‘Send multiple messages’ setting does not save

Feature Updates & Improvements

1. Templates: Template Picker allows you to filter by template type when creating a new Email or SMS
2. Automation Blocks: UX updates to the unapproved state of blocks for better clarity
3. Email Snippets: Brand Settings not applying to Snippets by default
4. Contacts: Updates to merging functionality for ease of use
5. Email Editor: ‘INSERT’ SmartLink available for all Content Blocks (Button, Image, Social as well as Heading and Text)
6. Email Editor: Updates to Fonts and fallback values
7. Imports: Updates to the UX to help prevent duplicate contacts and keep your database clean
8. Templates: Updates to the Filter options for better clarity and ease of use
9. Blasts & Automations: Now able to ‘Archive’ Automations and Blasts  that have already been sent and then filter by Status > Archived to see all Archived and ability to ‘Unarchive’ if needed