Add Default Values to Merge Fields in Emails

When a contact is missing a detail, merge fields leave awkward gaps such as "Hi ,". A default value tells Vendi Today what to show instead.

How defaults behave

• The default appears only when the contact's field is empty. It never changes the saved contact record.
• If the field has data, the real value is always used.
• You can use defaults in subject lines, preview text and email bodies, across campaigns, Workflow emails, bulk emails and templates.
• Each place a merge field appears can have its own default. In one email, the first name might fall back to "there" in the greeting and "friend" in the closing.

Set a default in the editor

1. Open an email or template.
2. Click a merge field such as the first-name tag to open the Default Text Editor.
3. Enter the fallback text, for instance "there".
4. Click Save.

A merge field turns green when it has a default and stays grey when it does not. Hover over a green one to see the fallback.

Set a default with syntax

You can type it directly: {{default contact.firstname "there"}}. This shows the first name when available and "there" when blank.

Examples

"Hey {{contact.first_name}}, thanks for signing up!" with default "there" becomes "Hey there, thanks for signing up!" for contacts without a name. The same works in a subject such as "Hi friend, your appointment is confirmed".

Questions

• A single global default is not available, so set one per use.
• Without a default, empty fields may leave a blank.
• Click the field again whenever you want to edit its default.

Good to know: Choose warm, neutral fallbacks like "there" so the sentence reads well with or without a name.