Available on the Awesome plan for Early user program participants
The Optimize email timing tool lets you test different review request delays to find the timing that collects the most reviews. Judge.me splits your outgoing emails across three delay variants and identifies a winner based on which timing drives the highest review collection rate.
This feature is separate from Optimizing your review request email content, which tests the email's subject, title, and body text. You can run one optimization at a time — either email content or email timing.
Delay recommendation
Before running a test, Judge.me shows a delay recommendation on your Settings > Request scheduling page. If your current delay is longer than the recommended range, you'll see a message like:
"Shops like yours collect more reviews sending after ~5 days. You currently send after 14 days."
Click the Use 5 days link to apply the recommended delay instantly. The recommendation appears next to each order type's delay field (domestic, international, and POS orders) and is available on all plans.
For most stores, applying the recommended delay is enough to improve review collection. The email timing test below is mainly useful for high-volume stores that want to fine-tune their exact delay.
Considerations
Only one optimization can run at a time. You cannot run an email timing test and an email content test at the same time.
Each test runs on one order type at a time: domestic orders, international orders, or POS orders.
While a timing test is running, the delay and trigger settings for the tested order type are locked on the Request scheduling page. You can still change settings for other order types.
Optimizations test your initial review request email timing (not reminders).
If you send review requests through a third-party integration like Klaviyo, Shopify Flow, or Mailchimp, the email timing test is not available.
Judge.me creates three delay variants evenly spaced between the shortest and longest delay you set. Each variant receives an equal share of your outgoing emails.
Higher-volume stores will see results faster. At typical order volumes, a test may take around 6 weeks to reach a confident result.
If you downgrade from the Awesome plan while a test is running, the test is paused. It resumes automatically when you upgrade again.
How it works
When you start an email timing optimization, Judge.me creates three delay variants evenly spaced between the shortest and longest values you set. For example, if you set a range of 3 to 18 days, the three variants would be approximately 3, 10, and 18 days.
Judge.me then splits your outgoing review request emails evenly across the three variants. As orders come in and emails are sent, the tool tracks how many reviews each variant collects. When one variant is statistically better, it's flagged as the Winner.
You can then apply the winning variant to make it your permanent delay setting, or end the test at any time.
How to set it up
Start a new email timing optimization
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Optimize collection.
Under Start a new optimization, click Email timing.
In the Select timing to test dropdown, choose the order type you want to optimize: Domestic orders, International orders, or POS orders.
In the Shortest review request delay field, enter the lowest delay you want to test.
In the Longest review request delay field, enter the highest delay you want to test.
Choose a delay unit: Days or Hours.
Click Next.
Under Optimization confidence, select one of the following options:
Fast learning (80% confidence)
Balanced (90% confidence) — recommended
High accuracy (95% confidence)
Under Test results, select one of the following options:
Apply the winning optimization as the new default — recommended. Judge.me automatically applies the winning delay once a winner is found.
Inform me of the winning optimization — Judge.me flags the winner but waits for you to apply it manually.
Click Start optimization.
Monitor your optimization
While an optimization is running, the Optimize email timing card shows:
Variant — the delay for each arm (e.g. "3 days", "10 days", "18 days").
Split — the percentage of emails each variant is receiving.
Reviews collected — how many reviews each variant has collected so far.
When one variant is statistically better, a Winner: {confidence level} confidence badge appears next to it.
If the test runs for 6 weeks without reaching a confident result, a banner will suggest that you can end it early or leave it running.
Apply or end
You can end an optimization in two ways:
Apply — click Apply next to any variant to make its delay your permanent setting. The optimization moves to your archive. Only future emails are affected — emails already scheduled are not rescheduled.
End without applying — click the ⋮ menu and select End optimization. This ends the test without changing your delay setting. Your current delay continues as before.
If both the auto-apply setting is on and a winner is found, Judge.me automatically applies the winning delay and sends you an email notification.
Email notifications
Judge.me sends you email updates about your email timing optimization:
Weekly progress emails — while the optimization is running, you'll receive a summary of each variant's performance (delay, emails sent, reviews collected, review rate). These emails are sent weekly for the first 4 weeks, then monthly.
Completion email — when a winner is identified or the test ends, you'll receive a summary of the results and which variant was applied (if any).
Archive
Past optimizations appear in the Archive section at the bottom of the Optimize collection page. Each entry shows whether the optimization was completed or ended early, the date it ended, and which delay was applied.
Resources
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