This article covers how to set up the Purchase When trigger in the Keap™ Advanced Automation Builder, including how to configure the purchase option, select the product or category that satisfies the trigger, and choose the payment type. The Purchase When trigger fires when a contact makes a first payment on an order placed through a manual order, order form, shopping cart, or the Keap API. The trigger fires only on the first payment for an order. For automations that need to trigger on every payment, see how to set up billing automations in Keap.

Why Using the Purchase When Trigger Automates Post-Purchase Follow-Up

Following up after a purchase manually — sending confirmation messages, onboarding sequences, or upsell communications — is time-consuming and easy to miss. The Purchase When trigger connects a purchase event directly to an automation sequence, so the right follow-up starts automatically the moment a contact completes a purchase. The trigger can be scoped to any purchase, a specific product, or a product category, giving full control over which purchases start which automations.

How the Purchase When trigger behaves in an automation:

• The Purchase When trigger fires only on the first payment for an order — not on recurring payments. For recurring payment triggers, use billing automations.

• When placed before a sequence, the trigger moves the contact forward into the sequence when a qualifying purchase is made.

• When placed after a sequence, the trigger removes the contact from the sequence when a qualifying purchase is made — useful for stopping a nurture sequence once a contact converts.

• By default, only contacts already in the automation can satisfy the trigger. Change the trigger setting to Any Contact to allow contacts not already in the automation to enter when a purchase is made.

How to Set Up the Purchase When Trigger

1. Drag the Purchase When trigger block onto the automation canvas.

   

   The screenshot above shows the Keap Advanced Automation canvas with the Purchase When trigger block placed. The Purchase When trigger typically appears at the end of a nurture sequence so that the nurture stops and a post-purchase sequence begins when the purchase is made. In this example the trigger is placed at the beginning for simplicity.

2. Select the Purchase When trigger block to open the configuration panel. Select the purchase option that satisfies the trigger. Multiple options can be selected. The available purchase options are:

   • Order Form — Triggers the automation when a purchase is made through a selected order form. This option is available in Keap Ultimate only.

   • Any Purchase — Triggers the automation when the contact makes any purchase. Use this option for generic post-purchase follow-up that is not tied to a specific product or category.

   • Specific Product Purchase — Triggers the automation when the contact purchases a specific product. Use this option to send product-specific follow-up communications or upsell messages.

   • Product in a Specific Category Purchase — Triggers the automation when the contact purchases any product in a selected category. Use this option to send communications based on a category of interest — for example, triggering live event follow-up for contacts who purchase any seminar product.

   

   The screenshot above shows the Keap Purchase When trigger configuration panel with the four purchase options. Select one or more options to define which type of purchase satisfies the trigger.

3. Select the payment type that satisfies the trigger, or select Any Payment Types to trigger the automation regardless of payment method.

   

   The screenshot above shows the payment type selection in the Keap Purchase When trigger configuration panel. Select the specific payment types that should satisfy the trigger, or select Any Payment Types to trigger the automation for all payment methods.

4. Select Save to apply the trigger configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this article cover?

This article covers how to configure the Purchase When trigger in the Keap Advanced Automation Builder. For automations that trigger on every payment rather than only the first payment, see how to set up billing automations in Keap.

Does the Purchase When trigger fire on every payment for a recurring order?

No. The Purchase When trigger fires only on the first payment for an order. For automations that need to trigger on every payment — including recurring charges — use billing automations instead.

Can a contact trigger the Purchase When trigger if they are not already in the automation?

By default, only contacts already in the automation can satisfy the Purchase When trigger. To allow contacts not already in the automation to enter when a qualifying purchase is made, change the trigger setting to Any Contact in the trigger configuration panel.

Is the Order Form purchase option available in all Keap versions?

No. The Order Form purchase option in the Purchase When trigger is available for Keap Ultimate accounts only.