Section 4: Journeys
Journeys are containers that coordinate multiple treatments toward a common goal. This section covers everything about creating, managing, and optimizing journeys.
4.1 What is a Journey?
A journey is a coordinated set of treatments working toward a common goal.
Journey Purpose
Journeys help you:
- Group related treatments working toward the same goal
- Coordinate timing across multiple touchpoints
- Measure collective impact of related efforts
- Manage lifecycle (start, pause, end)
Journey vs Treatment
| Concept | What It Is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Journey | Container | "New User Onboarding Journey" |
| Treatment | Individual message | "Welcome Email Day 1" |
One journey contains multiple treatments, all working toward the same goal.
4.2 Journey Types
Auxia Console supports two types of journeys:
Evergreen Journeys
Definition: Always-on journeys with no end date.
Use Cases:
- Ongoing engagement
- Welcome/onboarding flows
- Lifecycle marketing
- Retention journeys
Characteristics:
| Aspect | Evergreen Journey |
|---|---|
| Duration | Indefinite (no end date) |
| Start | When activated |
| End | When manually paused/stopped |
| Treatments | Can run continuously |
Burst Journeys
Definition: Time-limited journeys with specific start and end dates.
Use Cases:
- Seasonal promotions (Holiday, Black Friday)
- Product launches
- Limited-time offers
- Event-based promotions
Characteristics:
| Aspect | Burst Journey |
|---|---|
| Duration | Fixed (start to end date) |
| Start | Scheduled or immediate |
| End | Automatic at end date |
| Treatments | Stop when journey ends |
Choosing Between Evergreen and Burst
| Scenario | Recommended Type |
|---|---|
| Year-round engagement | Evergreen |
| Always-on personalization | Evergreen |
| Holiday promotion | Burst |
| New feature announcement | Burst |
| Re-engagement | Evergreen (usually) |
| Flash sale | Burst |
4.3 Journey Portfolio
The Journey Portfolio is your central hub for managing all journeys.
Accessing Journey Portfolio
- Click Treatments & Journeys in the sidebar
- Select Journey Portfolio
Portfolio View
The portfolio displays:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Journey name |
| Type | Evergreen or Burst |
| Status | Active, Paused, Scheduled, Ended |
| Treatments | Number of treatments |
| Start Date | When journey started/will start |
| End Date | End date (Burst only) |
| Created | Creation date |
Filtering Journeys
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Type | Evergreen, Burst, All |
| Status | Active, Paused, Scheduled, Ended |
| Search | Search by name |
Quick Actions
From the portfolio:
- Click a journey to view details
- Edit using the edit icon
- Pause/Activate using status toggle
- View treatments in the journey
4.4 Creating a Journey
Starting Creation
- Navigate to Journey Portfolio
- Click + Create Journey
Journey Creation Fields
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Journey name | Yes |
| Description | Purpose and details | Recommended |
| Type | Evergreen or Burst | Yes |
| Goal | Business goal | Yes |
| Start Date | When to start (Burst) | Burst only |
| End Date | When to end (Burst) | Burst only |
Naming Best Practices
Use descriptive names that communicate:
- Purpose: "New User Onboarding"
- Timing (if relevant): "Q1 2026 Spring Sale"
- Audience (if relevant): "Premium Users Engagement"
Examples:
- "Welcome Journey - New Signups"
- "Cart Abandonment Recovery"
- "Holiday 2026 - Gift Guide"
- "Loyalty Rewards Engagement"
Setting Goals
Link your journey to a business goal:
- Increase purchases
- Boost engagement
- Reduce churn
- Drive signups
This connection enables proper analytics and attribution.
Evergreen Journey Creation
- Select Evergreen type
- Enter name and description
- Select goal
- Click Create
- Journey is created in Draft status
Burst Journey Creation
- Select Burst type
- Enter name and description
- Select goal
- Set Start Date (when journey begins)
- Set End Date (when journey stops)
- Click Create
Date Considerations:
- Start date can be immediate or scheduled future
- End date must be after start date
- All treatments stop automatically at end date
4.5 Managing Journey Status
Status Definitions
| Status | Meaning | Can Treatments Deliver? |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Created, not activated | No |
| Active | Running, delivering | Yes |
| Paused | Temporarily stopped | No |
| Scheduled | Will start at future date (Burst) | No (not yet) |
| Ended | Past end date (Burst) | No |
Status Transitions
Draft → Active → Paused → Active (can toggle)
↓
Archived
Scheduled → Active → Ended (automatic at end date)
Activating a Journey
- Open journey from portfolio
- Ensure at least one treatment exists
- Change status to Active
- Confirm activation
Requirements for Activation:
- All required fields completed
- At least one treatment (recommended)
- For Burst: valid date range
Pausing a Journey
- Open active journey
- Change status to Paused
- All treatments stop delivering immediately
When to Pause:
- Need to make bulk changes
- External factors require stopping
- Performance issues need investigation
Reactivating a Journey
- Open paused journey
- Change status to Active
- Treatments resume delivering
4.6 Journey-Treatment Relationship
Adding Treatments to Journeys
Treatments are added to journeys during treatment creation:
- Create a new treatment
- In Step 1, select the journey(s)
- Treatment becomes part of that journey
Viewing Journey Treatments
- Open journey from portfolio
- Navigate to Treatments tab/section
- See all treatments in the journey
Treatment Status Dependencies
For a treatment to deliver:
| Requirement | Must Be |
|---|---|
| Treatment status | Active |
| Journey status | Active |
| User eligibility | Met |
| Surface availability | Available |
Key Point: If the journey is paused, ALL treatments in it stop delivering, regardless of individual treatment status.
Moving Treatments Between Journeys
- Edit the treatment
- In Step 1, change the journey selection
- Save the treatment
- Treatment now belongs to new journey
4.7 Journey Analytics
Accessing Journey Analytics
- Click Analytics in the sidebar
- Select Journey Analytics
- Choose a journey to analyze
Journey-Level Metrics
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Impressions | All treatment impressions |
| Total Clicks | All treatment clicks |
| Aggregate CTR | Overall click-through rate |
| Conversions | Goal completions attributed |
| Uplift | Impact vs. control group |
Treatment Comparison
Within Journey Analytics, compare treatments:
- Which treatment performs best?
- Which surface drives most engagement?
- Which content resonates?
Time-Based Analysis
View performance over time:
- Daily trends
- Weekly patterns
- Journey duration (Burst)
4.8 Journey Best Practices
Organizing Journeys
By Goal:
- One journey per business goal
- Makes measurement cleaner
By Audience:
- Separate journeys for different segments
- Enables targeted strategies
By Lifecycle:
- Acquisition journeys
- Activation journeys
- Retention journeys
- Win-back journeys
Naming Conventions
Establish consistent naming:
[Lifecycle Stage] - [Goal] - [Audience]
Examples:
- "Onboarding - App Adoption - New Users"
- "Retention - Re-engagement - Dormant 30d"
- "Burst - Holiday 2026 - Premium Members"
Documentation
For each journey, document:
- Business goal and success criteria
- Target audience definition
- Treatment strategy
- Expected timing/frequency
- Measurement plan
4.9 Burst Journey Considerations
Planning Burst Journeys
- Define timeline - Clear start and end
- Prepare treatments before start date
- Test with QA before launch
- Monitor closely during journey
- Analyze results after end
Pre-Launch Checklist
- All treatments created and tested
- QA verification complete
- Correct date range set
- Content approved
- Analytics tracking configured
During Journey
- Monitor daily performance
- Be ready to adjust if needed
- Track against goals
Post-Journey
- Analyze full journey results
- Document learnings
- Plan for next journey
4.10 Common Journey Issues
Treatment Not Delivering
Check:
- Journey status is Active
- Treatment status is Active
- User meets guardrails
- For Burst: current date within date range
Wrong Treatments Showing
Check:
- Correct journey assigned
- Guardrails are correct
- Surface configuration is right
Journey Performance Below Expectations
Actions:
- Review individual treatment performance
- Check guardrail reach
- Verify content relevance
- Analyze timing/frequency
Burst Journey Ended Prematurely
Possible Causes:
- End date was set incorrectly
- Journey was manually paused
- System issue (contact support)
4.11 Journey Archival
When to Archive
- Journey is complete
- Journey is no longer needed
- Cleaning up old journeys
How to Archive
- Ensure journey is paused
- Select Archive option
- Confirm archival
What Happens
- Journey moves to archived state
- Treatments remain but don't deliver
- Historical data preserved
- Journey no longer appears in active list
Viewing Archived Journeys
Use the "Include Archived" filter to see archived journeys.
Next Section
Continue to Section 5: Treatments for detailed treatment management documentation.