Scheduling campaigns in advance ensures your messages reach subscribers at the most effective time, without manual sends.
In Omnisend, you can schedule campaigns based on your store's time zone or each subscriber's local time zone for maximum engagement.
Before You Begin
Ensure your time zone is set correctly: Go to Store Settings → Store information.
Scheduling based on the subscriber's time zone is available for Email campaigns only (not SMS or Push Notification).
💬 Setting up your first campaign? See:
What is a TZO-Optimized Campaign?
Time Zone Optimization (TZO) sends your Email Campaign at the same local time for each subscriber. This is especially useful when you have a global audience and want to align with your subscribers' local schedules.
Note: TZO is only available for Email campaigns. SMS and Push Notification campaigns always send based on your store's time zone.
How Does TZO Work?
IP Address Identification - TZO determines your subscribers’ time zones using their IP addresses. These IP addresses are collected automatically when contacts subscribe through Omnisend signup forms.
Limitations - If you import a Country property for your contacts or add location data manually, TZO won’t work because it requires an IP address. Subscribers without IP addresses receive campaigns based on your store's time zone.
Pro Tip 💡 Use Omnisend Signup Forms to automatically collect IP addresses. This ensures TZO works for your entire list.
Verify the Time Zone
Before scheduling, confirm your store's time zone is accurate:
Navigate to Store Settings → Store information.
Scroll to the Timezone field and update if needed.
Accurate settings ensure your campaigns send at the intended time.
Schedule Your Campaigns
Scheduling options appear in the Review step of campaign setup (after completing Content and Audience steps).
Email Campaigns
Step 1. In the Review step of your Email campaign, click Schedule for later and choose from two scheduling options:
Based on your time zone: Deliver the campaign at a specific time in your store's time zone (all subscribers receive it at the same moment).
Based on the subscribers time zone: Deliver the campaign at the same local time for each subscriber (e.g., 9 AM in New York and 9 AM in London).
Note: If a subscriber's local time has already passed your scheduled send time, the email delivers within 5 minutes. Otherwise, it sends at the scheduled time in their time zone.
Example: If you schedule a TZO campaign for 8:00 AM at 8:30 AM your time, subscribers in time zones where 8:00 AM has already passed (e.g., Eastern Time if you're in Central) will receive the email immediately (within 5 minutes). Other subscribers receive it at their local 8:00 AM.
Step 2. Click the Select date field to set when the email should be sent. Choose a date and enter any time you want (e.g., 9:33 AM, 2:47 PM).
Step 3. Click Schedule Campaign.
💡 Reminder: Scheduled campaigns sent to selected segments automatically update the recipient list 1 minute before the send time. If new subscribers meet the segment criteria at that moment, they will be included in the campaign.
SMS and Push Notification Campaigns
Step 1. Under the Review step of your SMS or Push Notification campaign, navigate to Send and select Schedule for later.
Note: SMS and Push campaigns can only be scheduled using your store's time zone.
Step 2. Click the Select Date field and choose a date, and enter any time you want (e.g., 9:33 AM, 2:47 PM).
SMS Quiet Hours: If you schedule SMS campaigns during quiet hours, messages may be postponed to the next allowed delivery window (default: 8 PM–8 AM). This does not apply to Email or Push campaigns.
Step 3. Click Schedule Campaign.
💡 Once scheduled, the campaign will appear under the Campaigns tab with a Scheduled status.
Edit or Cancel a Scheduled Campaign
To make changes or cancel a scheduled campaign before it starts sending:
In the Campaigns tab, click on the three-dot menu (⋮) next to your scheduled campaign.
Click Restore to drafts.
Update the campaign content or settings in the campaign draft editor.
Reschedule the campaign.
Important Notes:
Only campaigns with the Scheduled status can be restored to drafts.
If an Email campaign has already moved to Started or Sending status, it can still be canceled. Find more details below.
If a "Sending" campaign is canceled from the Campaigns tab, it will move to Canceled status. It will not be restored to draft.
💡 When does the Campaign status change to "Started"?
For campaigns based on your time zone, status changes to "Started" as soon as the first message begins sending.
For TZO campaigns, status changes to "Started" when the first batch of emails begins sending.
Cancel a Campaign that Started Sending
If your Email campaign has the "Started" or "Sending" status, you can cancel it even after the sending process has begun. This applies to all Email campaign types, including regular campaigns, A/B tests, boosters, and TZO (Time Zone Optimized) campaigns.
To stop a Campaign that has started:
Go to the Campaigns tab and locate the campaign with the Started or Sending status.
Click on the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the campaign name.
Select Cancel.
How the Cancellation Window Works
Cancellation stops unsent emails immediately. Once you click Cancel, any emails still in the queue will not be sent. However, emails that have already been handed off to the delivery system cannot be stopped.
The cancellation window depends on the size of your recipient list. The larger the list, the longer you have to act. For smaller lists, the window may only last a few seconds. For larger sends, it could be several minutes.
What Happens After Cancellation
The campaign moves to Canceled status.
Emails that were already delivered will still appear in your reports. All metrics (open rate, click rate, sales) for those recipients are preserved.
You can still see how many of your planned recipients actually received the message.
Important Notes:
Canceled Email campaigns might not be refunded automatically. Contact our Support Team if you need assistance with credits.
SMS and Push campaigns cannot be canceled once sending has started. This cancellation capability applies to Email campaigns only.
FAQ
Why did my TZO campaign send immediately?
If you schedule a TZO campaign and some subscribers' local time is already past the scheduled time, those subscribers receive the email immediately (within 5 minutes). For example, if you schedule for 8:00 AM at 8:30 AM your time, subscribers in time zones where 8:00 AM has already passed will receive it right away, while others receive it at their local 8:00 AM.
Why can't I schedule for a time that seems to be in the future?
The schedule picker validates times against your account's time zone (Store Settings → Store information), not your physical location.
What happens to contacts without IP addresses when I use TZO?
Contacts without IP addresses (imported from CSV, migrated from another platform, or manually added) receive emails based on your store's time zone instead of their local time, even if you enable TZO. Only subscribers with IP addresses collected can receive emails based on their time zone.
Why did my SMS campaign get postponed?
If you schedule an SMS campaign during quiet hours (default: 8 PM–8 AM), messages are automatically postponed to the next allowed delivery window. This is a compliance feature that prevents SMS from being sent during nighttime hours. Quiet hours do not apply to Email or Push campaigns.
Can I cancel a campaign once it starts sending?
Email Campaigns (all types: regular, A/B test, booster, TZO): Yes, you can cancel by clicking the three-dot menu (⋮) → Cancel.
SMS and Push Campaigns: No, once "Started" or "Sending," they cannot be canceled.
Will I get a refund if I cancel a started campaign?
Canceled Email campaigns might not be refunded automatically. Contact our Support Team via in-app chat or at [email protected] if you need assistance with credits.
Still have questions? Feel free to contact us via in-app chat or at [email protected]. We are here 24/7 for you!