> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vexioncards.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sending a notification

> Compose a one-off push, personalise it, and send it now or on a schedule.

On the **Manual** tab of [Notifications](https://vexioncards.mintlify.site/knowledge-base/notifications.md), you write a message and send it to your customers. This is the tab to use for promotions, events, and one-off announcements.

![The Compose Notification panel: a live preview of the message, the message field with a character count, the recipients (All Customers, all locations), the Schedule toggle, and the Send Notification button.](https://mintcdn.com/vexioncards/jyoFo5IjMFdGfJql/images/compose-notification.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=jyoFo5IjMFdGfJql\&q=85\&s=1c43765245e9794feb07f02481bb6b65)

Composing a notification

## Compose

**1. Write the message**

Type your message in the **Message** box. As you type, the **live preview** at the top shows exactly how it will look on a phone (your business name as the title, your card icon, and the text).

Two tools sit in the message box: **First Name** personalisation (below) and an **emoji** picker to make the message pop on the lock screen.

Messages can be up to **200 characters**; the counter shows how many you have used.

**2. Check the recipients**

Under **Recipients** you see who will get it:

* On the Chat page: **All Customers**, with the total count. A small warning icon reminds you this reaches everyone.
* On a card's Push tab: everyone who holds **that card**, with the count.
* On a customer's profile: just **that one customer**, by name.

**3. Send now or schedule**

Leave **Schedule** off to send immediately. Turn it on to pick a **date and time** to send later (you cannot pick a time in the past). The button then reads **Schedule Notification** instead of **Send Notification**. Scheduling is not available when you write to a single customer.

**4. Send**

Click **Send Notification**. When sending to all customers (or a single customer) a quick **confirmation** appears first, since it goes to real people's phones. Confirm, and it is on its way.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Sending to **all customers** reaches everyone who holds any of your cards. Double-check the message and the recipient count before you confirm, there is no recall once a push is sent.

## Personalising with First Name

Click the **First Name** button in the message box to drop in a `First Name` tag. It shows up as a small highlighted tag right in your text, like this:

> Hi `First Name`, your coffee is waiting ☕

When the notification is sent, that tag becomes each customer's real first name, so the example above arrives as "Hi Adam, your coffee is waiting ☕". Customers with no first name on file simply receive the rest of the message. The live preview shows a sample name so you can see how it reads.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Insert the tag with the **First Name** button rather than typing it, that is what turns it into the highlighted tag you see in the box and the preview.

## After sending

The message drops into the **History** list below, where you can watch it deliver in real time and open its full delivery breakdown. See [Delivery & history](https://vexioncards.mintlify.site/knowledge-base/notification-delivery.md).

## What makes a message work

The best-performing notifications share three things: a **name**, a **specific offer**, and a **deadline**. "Fresh croissants until noon today, `First Name` 🥐" beats "We have new products." Vague messages get ignored; timely, personal ones bring people in.

## Campaign ideas by business type

Ideas for a one-off promotion or announcement. **Hover over an example and click the copy icon**, then paste it into the message box and make it yours. `{firstName}` becomes each customer's name on send (see [above](#personalising-with-first-name)).

### Café & bakery

```text Café theme={null}
Rainy afternoon, {firstName}? ☕ Any coffee + pastry combo is 20% off today only. Show your card at the till.
```

```text Café theme={null}
Weekend treat 🥐 Fresh cinnamon rolls all Saturday, {firstName}, and double stamps on every box.
```

### Restaurant & bar

```text Restaurant theme={null}
New autumn menu is live, {firstName} 🍂 Book a table this week and collect double stamps on every dish.
```

```text Restaurant theme={null}
Happy hour is back 🍻 2-for-1 on all drinks Thursday from 5pm. See you there, {firstName}!
```

### Salon & beauty

```text Salon theme={null}
Members-only Friday, {firstName} 💅 15% off any treatment this Friday. Reply or call to grab your spot.
```

```text Salon theme={null}
New season, new look ✨ Book a colour this month, {firstName}, and your next blow-dry is on us.
```

### Gym & fitness

```text Gym theme={null}
New class just dropped, {firstName} 🔥 Sunrise yoga every Tuesday at 7am. Save your spot!
```

```text Gym theme={null}
Bring-a-friend week 💪 Train together free all week, {firstName}. Grab someone and come in.
```

### Retail & shop

```text Retail theme={null}
Private members' sale, {firstName} 🛍️ 20% off the whole store this weekend. Show your card at the till.
```

```text Retail theme={null}
New arrivals are in ✨ Be first to see them, {firstName}, and earn double points on anything today.
```

> [!TIP]
>
> Want messages that send themselves on birthdays, reviews, and win-backs? Set up [automatic notifications](https://vexioncards.mintlify.site/knowledge-base/notification-automations.md).


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