Amazon automations
Amazon-specific automations are different from regular email automations because they go through Amazon’s communication system, not direct email. Hilal uses the Request a Review API and Buyer-Seller Messaging API so every send is compliant with Amazon’s policy.
In this guide:
- Set up review-request automation
- Set up post-purchase automation
- See compliance status
- Pause / resume safely
Prerequisites
- Amazon Seller account connected.
- Customer Hub access.
Step 1: Set up review-request automation
Go to Customer Hub → Amazon automations → Review requests and click Enable.
Configure:
- Trigger window — how many days after delivery to fire. Amazon’s window is 5–30 days; Hilal defaults to day 7.
- Marketplace scope — which marketplaces to run this on.
- SKU exclusions — SKUs you don’t want to ask reviews for (e.g., low-margin items where a 1-star review would do more harm than good).
- Buyer exclusions — repeat low-rating buyers, or buyers who’ve already reviewed this product.
Hilal sends the review request through Amazon’s requestReview API, which uses Amazon’s standard “Did your order arrive?” template — exactly what Amazon would send if the buyer asked you to.
Step 2: Set up post-purchase automation
Post-purchase messages use the Buyer-Seller Messaging API. Go to Customer Hub → Amazon automations → Post-purchase → Enable.
This is more flexible than review requests but bounded by Amazon policy:
- No promotional content. No discounts, no “buy more” pitches.
- Purpose-driven. Acknowledge the order, share usage instructions, ask if there’s a problem.
- One message per order. Hilal enforces this automatically.
Pick a template (Hilal ships with three policy-compliant defaults), set the trigger delay, and enable.
Step 3: See compliance status
The Amazon automations page shows compliance metrics:
| Metric | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Send rate | Hilal warns if your daily volume exceeds Amazon’s typical seller pattern. |
| Opt-out rate | Buyers can opt out of seller messaging. Hilal tracks the rate and pauses automations if it crosses 1%. |
| Policy review log | Every send is logged with the API endpoint used and the buyer’s marketplace. |
Step 4: Pause and resume safely
Click Pause on either automation to halt new sends. In-flight sends complete; new triggers stop firing. Resume any time.
If Amazon flags your account for messaging policy violations, Hilal pauses everything automatically and surfaces the warning. Resolve with Amazon Seller Support before re-enabling.
Troubleshooting
- Review requests not firing. Check the trigger delay (Hilal won’t fire before day 5). Check the SKU exclusion list. Check that the order’s marketplace is in scope.
- Opt-out rate climbed. Buyers are tired of post-purchase messaging. Reduce frequency or rewrite the template to be more clearly helpful.
- “Amazon API rate-limited” errors. Amazon caps API calls per hour. Hilal back-pressures and retries automatically; if errors persist, lower the daily send rate.