Overview

Event data is a core component of B2C marketing because it allows us to understand the customer, their preferences, and their behaviors. You can import event data by uploading historical data and syncing real-time data.

Here are some helpful links:

• Events fields reference – Review your existing default and custom order fields.
• Create custom fields – Create and review custom events fields.
• Standard events – Learn about the standard Event Type and Action pairs.

Understanding event data

An event has two parts, an Event Type and an Action. The Event Type is a categorical name associated with the event. An Action is an activity a customer did. For example, 'order' and 'product' are Event Types while 'purchase', 'return', and 'add_to_cart' are actions. You provide both parts when you send event data to Optimizely Data Platform (ODP).

ODP supports many standard Event Type and Action pairs as described in the Standard Events guide.

Upload historical event data

You can import historical order information with a CSV file with the following steps:

1. Go to Account Settings > Integrations > Upload CSV.
2. Drag and drop a CSV file onto the Drag & Drop area or select Browse to locate the file elsewhere. Follow the file formatting guidelines outlined below to ensure the information is imported correctly.

Format your data correctly

Begin the file name with zaius_orders and use the CSV UTF-8 format with a header row of field names. Use an identifier field, such as order ID, to to properly associate the event with a customer profile.

Importing custom information

You will need to create custom fields if your import contains information that does not align with existing ODP fields. Once you have created a suitable field, import the associated information by including the field name as a header in your import.

Integrate real-time events data

To sync real-time events data with your account, you can use the Optimizely Data Platform HTTP API or JavaScript. 

HTTP API

Send event data using the Events API.

JavaScript

Send events data using the JS method shown here:

 zaius.event("product", {
     action: "remove_from_cart",
     product_id: "product-2143",
   }
 );