How does the 'Wait for Trigger' element in Customer Journeys work, and why might my event not be triggering it for users?

The "Wait for Trigger" element in a Customer Journey pauses a user at that step until a specific event (associated with a Tag) is recorded for that user.

For the trigger to successfully move a user along the 'event occurred' path (often blue), the following conditions must be met:

1. User Reaches the Element: The user must first arrive at the "Wait for Trigger" step in the Journey flow.
2. Event Occurs During Wait: The specified event (Tag) must be triggered for that user while they are actively waiting at this particular element.
3. Within Configured Duration: The event must occur within the "Wait for..." time duration that you have configured for the element (e.g., 1 hour, 24 hours, 1 day, etc.).

Common reasons why a trigger might not fire as expected:

• Event Timing: If the event fires before the user reaches the "Wait for Trigger" element, or after the configured waiting duration has expired, it will not count for that specific wait. In such cases, the user will typically proceed down the alternative 'timeout' path (often yellow or red).
• Waiting Duration Too Short: A very common issue is setting a waiting duration that is too brief for the user to realistically perform the action that triggers the event. For example, if you set the wait time to "1 minute," the user has only 60 seconds after reaching that step to complete the action. If they do it later, the trigger at that step will have timed out.

Recommendation: Review the "Wait for..." duration in your "Wait for Trigger" element. Ensure it provides a realistic timeframe for users to perform the desired action. For instance, if you're waiting for a user to claim a daily bonus, a waiting period of several hours or even up to 24 hours might be more appropriate than a few minutes, depending on your engagement strategy.