I’m running into a confusing issue with Automation Path Builder and hoping someone can clarify or has experienced the same.
I’m attempting to use a custom-coded email within an automation path, which — based on Constant Contact’s documentation and UI — appears to be supported (including the option to “Build with HTML” when adding an email step).
However, when I try to activate the path, I receive the following error: “One or more product blocks in this email are missing a product selection.”
The issue is... there are no product blocks in my email.
To be clear, the email is extremely baseline and compliant with standard email coding best practices:
Fully inline CSS (no
<style>blocks)No external scripts or dependencies
Images are hosted with absolute URLs
No personalization logic or dynamic content
No ecommerce or product-related elements whatsoever
It’s essentially a very simple, lightweight HTML email.
I’ve also tested this by:
Rebuilding the email from scratch in the custom code editor
Removing any potential legacy/template elements
Ensuring the email is not based on a pre-built ecommerce template
Despite this, the error persists which makes me think this may be:
A limitation tied to specific automation types
A hidden template/product block dependency in the path
Or a backend/account-level restriction on custom HTML emails in automations
Has anyone successfully used custom-coded emails in automation paths recently?
Or is there a known limitation that’s not clearly documented?
Would appreciate clarification here, especially since this functionality is actively promoted across Constant Contact’s documentation and automation setup experience.
