It's a good practice to test your Automation live in your store before enabling it for your entire audience. Your store settings may not align perfectly with standard triggers, or you may want to try something new. Use a test segment to safely trigger your workflow for only a few chosen email addresses.
💡 Why test with a live segment?
The Send test button in the email editor sends a quick preview, but images and dynamic content may not display correctly. Testing with a live segment shows you how your automation will actually look, with real personalization, product data, and images.
Before You Begin
Segments update every 1–2 minutes after a contact meets filter criteria. If you use the test segment as an Audience Filter at the trigger level, the workflow checks segment membership instantly before the segment updates. This can cause your test contact to be excluded.
Solution: Add a 1–2 minute delay after the trigger, then use a Conditional Split to check segment membership instead of an audience filter. Alternatively, ensure your test contact is already in the segment before performing the trigger action.
Create a Test Segment
Step 1. Identify test contacts with a tag.
Go to Audience → Contacts → select the checkbox next to the contact → Actions → Add a tag (e.g., "test-contacts").
Step 2. Create a segment with the tag.
Go to Audience → Segments → Create segment → Create from scratch.
Add filter: Tag → is → test-contacts → Save the segment.
Recommendations for Test Contacts
Add a few email addresses on different domains (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) to test deliverability.
Use the + symbol for variations: [email protected] and [email protected] both deliver to [email protected].
Include your corporate domain email if needed, but also add popular domain emails (Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook).
Do not use role-based email addresses (admin@, info@, support@, sales@, etc.). Omnisend blocks sending to these addresses for compliance and deliverability. Use a personal email like [email protected] instead. See the full list of role-based email addresses.
Add Test Segment to Automation
Add the test segment as an Audience Filter:
Open your Automation.
Click the Trigger block (the first block at the top of your workflow).
In the trigger settings panel, scroll to Audience Filters.
Click Add filter → Segment → is → select your test segment name.
The audience filter restricts your workflow to only trigger for contacts in your test segment. After adding the filter, you can change message delays to immediate without worrying that real customers will receive the message during testing.
Trigger the Automation
Perform the trigger action that starts your automation:
Welcome Automation: Subscribe to your Signup Form using your test email address.
Abandoned Cart: Add products to your cart and leave the site without purchasing.
Order Confirmation: Place a test order in your store using the test email address.
Product Abandonment: View a product without adding it to the cart.
💡 Tip: Use the Trigger Preview Tool to verify contacts are entering your workflow as expected before triggering live.
Troubleshooting
My test contact isn't entering the workflow
Check these common issues:
Segment timing lag: Segments update every 1–2 minutes. If you use a segment-based audience filter at the trigger level, your contact may fail the check before the segment updates.
Fix: Add a 1–2 minute delay after the trigger, then use a Conditional Split to check segment membership instead of an audience filter.
Exit conditions: Rules like "Subscribed to Email" or "Started Checkout" may exclude your test contact immediately if they already meet those conditions.
Fix: Temporarily remove exit conditions while testing.
Role-based email address: If you're using admin@, info@, or support@ email addresses, Omnisend blocks sending.
Fix: Use a personal email address instead.
Subscription status: Depending on your automation type, your test contact may need to be subscribed to the channel (email, SMS, or push) that your automation uses.
Fix: Check Audience → Contacts → [your test contact] → verify subscription status. Learn more about Subscription Statuses.
FAQ
Can I use admin@ or info@ email addresses to test my automation?
No. Omnisend blocks sending to role-based email addresses like admin@, info@, support@, sales@ for compliance and deliverability. Use a personal email address ([email protected]) or a test variation with the + symbol ([email protected]).
Why did my test automation stop working after I added exit conditions?
Exit conditions are checked instantly. If your test contact meets an exit condition (e.g., they're subscribed or have started checkout), they'll exit the workflow immediately and never receive any emails.
Fix: Temporarily remove or adjust exit conditions while testing. Make sure your test contact doesn't already meet the exit criteria.
If you didn't find the answer to your question, reach out to our Support Team through the in-app chat or at [email protected].