Shortcodes

Shortcodes personalize your emails. Write {{ contact.firstName }} once, and every recipient sees their own name.

Hi {{ contact.firstName | default: 'there' }}, thanks for shopping with {{ shop_name }}!

Renders as: Hi Ada, thanks for shopping with Acme Supply Co! This page is the full syntax reference. To insert a tag from the editor toolbar instead of writing it by hand, see Personalization.

Where each group works

Not every shortcode works in every email. Using one outside its context leaves it blank rather than raising an error.

Group	Broadcasts	Automations
Customer details	Yes	Yes
Store	Body only, not subject lines	Yes
Abandoned cart	No	Abandoned-cart flows only
Coupon	No	Flows with a coupon step only
Summary block	No	Yes
Unsubscribe	Yes	Yes

Customer details

Works in every email — broadcasts and automations.

Shortcode	Shows	Example
`{{ contact.firstName }}`	First name	`Ada`
`{{ contact.lastName }}`	Last name	`Lovelace`
`{{ contact.fullName }}`	Full name	`Ada Lovelace`
`{{ contact.email }}`	Email address	`ada@example.com`
`{{ contact.phone }}`	Phone number	`+1 (555) 123-4567`
`{{ contact.address1 }}`	Address line 1	`123 Market St`
`{{ contact.address2 }}`	Address line 2	`Apt 4B`
`{{ contact.city }}`	City	`London`
`{{ contact.state }}`	State / province	`Greater London`
`{{ contact.postalCode }}`	ZIP / postal code	`12345`
`{{ contact.country }}`	Country	`United Kingdom`

Hi {{ contact.firstName | default: 'there' }},

Renders as Hi Ada, — or Hi there, for a contact with no first name.

Always add | default:. Most contacts have only an email address, so without a fallback your email opens Hi ,.
Always write contact. in front. {{ firstName }} on its own silently fails in broadcast emails.
{{ contact.fullName }} shows the email address when both names are blank. For greetings, {{ contact.firstName | default: 'there' }} is safer.

Store

Works in every email.

Shortcode	Shows	Example
`{{ shop_name }}`	Your store name	`Acme Supply Co`
`{{ shop_email }}`	Your store email	`orders@acme.com`
`{{ shop_address }}`	Your store address	`123 Market St`
`{{ retainful_shop_url }}`	Link to your store	`https://acme.com`
`{{ retainful_shop_url_with_coupon_code }}`	Store link, coupon auto-applied	`https://acme.com/discount/SAVE10`

Thanks for shopping with {{ shop_name }}!
<a href="{{ retainful_shop_url }}">Visit our store</a>

In broadcasts these work in the email body but not in the subject line. In automations they work in both.
{{ retainful_shop_url_with_coupon_code }} requires a coupon step in the workflow. In a broadcast it drops the coupon silently and links to your store.

Abandoned cart

Abandoned-cart automations only. In any other email these render blank.

Shortcode	Shows
`{{ abandoned_checkout_url }}`	Link back to their cart
`{{ abandoned_checkout_url_with_coupon_code }}`	Cart link, coupon auto-applied

{% if abandoned_checkout_url.size > 0 %}
  <a href="{{ abandoned_checkout_url }}">Complete your order</a>
{% endif %}

Keep the .size > 0 check. Without it, an email with no cart still shows the button, linking nowhere. See Hide empty values correctly.
The coupon version also requires a coupon step in the workflow.

Coupon

Automations with a coupon step only. These never work in broadcasts.

Shortcode	Shows	Example
`{{ coupon.code }}`	The discount code	`SAVE10XYZAB`
`{{ retainful_coupon_expiry_date }}`	When it expires	Use with the `date` filter, below
`{{ coupon.expiration_text }}`	How long it is valid	`7 days`
`{{ coupon.expiration_days }}`	Days until expiry	`7`

{% if coupon.code.size > 0 %}
  Your code: <strong>{{ coupon.code }}</strong>
  Valid for {{ coupon.expiration_text }}.
  Expires {{ retainful_coupon_expiry_date | date: "%B %d, %Y" }}
{% endif %}

Renders as: Your code: SAVE10XYZAB. Valid for 7 days. Expires March 05, 2026

Each contact receives their own unique code.
Always apply | date: to {{ retainful_coupon_expiry_date }}. On its own it prints a raw timestamp.
The expiry clock starts when the coupon is created, so every email in a sequence shows the same date.
Keep the .size > 0 check. With no coupon step, {{ coupon.expiration_days }} prints 0 and the rest print blank, so the email reads “Valid for . (0 days)”.

Summary block

Lists the items your customer ordered or left in their cart. Drag the block in and the editor writes the loop for you — you only edit what is inside it.

Automation templates only. The Summary block is not available in broadcast campaigns.

Field	Shows	Example
`{{ item.name }}`	Product name	`Classic White T-Shirt`
`{{ item.quantity }}`	Quantity	`2`
`{{ item.price }}`	Line total (price × quantity)	`$59.98`
`{{ item.unitPrice }}`	Price for one	`$29.99`
`{{ item.imageUrl }}`	Product image	`https://.../shirt.jpg`

Stripped of its layout tables and Outlook-only comments, a default Summary block is:

<!-- htmlmin:ignore -->
{% for item in event.line_items limit:9999 %}
<!-- htmlmin:ignore -->

  <img src="{{item.imageUrl}}" width="230">
  <div>{{item.name}} × {{item.quantity}}</div>
  <div>{{item.price}}</div>

<!-- htmlmin:ignore -->
{% endfor %}
<!-- htmlmin:ignore -->

This produces one entry per item: an image, then Classic White T-Shirt × 2, then $59.98.

{{ item.price }} is already the line total — never multiply it. {{ item.price | times: item.quantity }} counts the quantity twice: a 2 × $29.99 line shows $119.96 instead of $59.98. For “unit × qty = total”, write {{ item.unitPrice }} × {{ item.quantity }} = {{ item.price }}.

Show or hide the name and price, and set their colour and size, in the block’s settings panel. You do not need to touch the shortcodes.
The Review block is the same thing with a button, but its loop variable is line, not item — write {{ line.name }} there.
If you edit the source: keep the htmlmin:ignore HTML comments shown above (they stop the loop tags being mangled), do not rename item, and do not change event.line_items. limit:9999 means no limit — lower it to cap how many items show.
In preview it shows placeholder text — Product Title, Quantity, $xx.xx, and a grey image. Real values appear on send.

Unsubscribe

Works in every email.

Shortcode	Shows
`{{ unsubscribe_shop_customer_url }}`	Personal unsubscribe link

<a href="{{ unsubscribe_shop_customer_url }}">Unsubscribe</a>

Unique per contact, and legally required in marketing email. If your email has no unsubscribe link, Retainful adds one automatically — but placing it yourself looks better. See Deliverability best practices.

Four rules worth knowing

Always add a fallback

Hi {{ contact.firstName | default: 'there' }},

default covers every “no value” case — blank, never set, or missing.

Contact’s first name	Output
`Ada`	Hi Ada,
(blank)	Hi there,
(never set)	Hi there,

Hide empty values correctly

To hide a block when a shortcode has no value, test .size > 0: Correct:

{% if coupon.code.size > 0 %}...{% endif %}

Incorrect — the block always shows:

{% if coupon.code %}...{% endif %}

The plain form looks right but does not work. An empty value is still “something” as far as Liquid is concerned, so the block renders anyway, with a blank inside it. That is what produces an anchor tag with an empty href — a real button that goes nowhere. .size > 0 is safe on every shortcode in this document.

Typos are invisible

{{ contact.frstName }} renders as empty space. No error, no warning. Proofread, and always send a test email.

A test proves your spelling is right, not that the data will be there. A test send fills in sample values even for shortcodes that come back blank on a real send.

Do not invent tags

Only use what is in this document. A made-up {% tag %} — such as {% current_year %} — breaks the whole email: every shortcode disappears and the raw tag is shown to your customer. For the current year, use {{ "now" | date: "%Y" }}.

Get started

Connect your store

Email setup

Campaigns

Automations

Audience

Signup forms

WhatsApp

Account & billing

Where each group works

Customer details

Store

Abandoned cart

Coupon

Summary block

Unsubscribe

Four rules worth knowing

Always add a fallback

Hide empty values correctly

Typos are invisible

Do not invent tags

​Where each group works

​Customer details

​Store

​Abandoned cart

​Coupon

​Summary block

​Unsubscribe

​Four rules worth knowing

​Always add a fallback

​Hide empty values correctly

​Typos are invisible

​Do not invent tags

Where each group works

Customer details

Store

Abandoned cart

Coupon

Summary block

Unsubscribe

Four rules worth knowing

Always add a fallback

Hide empty values correctly

Typos are invisible

Do not invent tags