Wait activity
- Topics:
- Journeys
- Activities
CREATED FOR:
- Intermediate
- User
You can use a Wait activity to define a duration before executing the next activity. The maximum wait duration is 90 days.
You can set two types of Wait activity:
- A wait based on a relative duration. Learn more
- A custom date, using functions to calculate it. Learn more
Recommendations
Multiple Wait activities
When using multiple Wait activities in a journey, be aware that the global timeout for journeys is 91 days, meaning that profiles are always drop out of the journey maximum 91 days after they entered it. Learn more on this page.
An individual can enter a Wait activity only if they have enough time left in the journey to complete the wait duration before the 91 days journey timeout.
Wait and reentrance
A best practice to not use Wait activities to block reentrance. Instead, use the Allow reentrance option at the journey properties level. Learn more on this page.
Wait and test mode
In test mode, the Wait time in test parameter allows you to define the time that each Wait activity will last. The default time is 10 seconds. This will ensure that you get the test results quickly. Learn more on this page.
Wait and mobile channels
If you want to show an in-app message shortly after sending a push notification, use a Wait activity to allow the in-app message payload time to propagate. Typically a 5–15 minute wait is recommended, but exact times can vary depending on payload complexity and personalization needs.
Configuration
Duration wait
Select the Duration type to set the relative duration of the wait before the execution of the next activity. The maximum duration is 90 days.
Custom wait
Select the Custom type to define a custom date, using an advanced expression based on a field coming from an event or a custom action response. You cannot define a relative duration directly, for example, 7 days, but you can use functions to calculate it if needed (eg: 2 days after purchase).
The expression in the editor should provide a dateTimeOnly format. Refer to this page. For more information on dateTimeOnly format, refer to this page.
Best practice is to use custom dates that are specific to your profiles, and avoid using the same date for all. For example, do not define toDateTimeOnly('2024-01-01T01:11:00Z') but rather toDateTimeOnly(@event{Event.productDeliveryDate}) which is specific to each profile. Be aware that using fixed dates can cause issues on your journey execution.
NOTEdateTimeOnly expression or use a function to convert to a dateTimeOnly. For example: toDateTimeOnly(@event{Event.offerOpened.activity.endTime}), the field in the event being of the form 2023-08-12T09:46:06Z.To validate that the wait activity works as expected, you can use step events. Learn more.
Automatic wait node
Each inbound message activity (In-app message, Code-based experience, or Card) comes with a 3-days Wait activity. As inbound messages automatically end when a profile reach out the end of the journey, we assume that you want your users to see it at least for 3 days. You can remove this Wait activity, or change its configuration if needed.