In Liveclicker it is possible to use external data, other than the ESP data, to personalize Liveclicker elements and set targeting rules. This will help you to create content that is in line with an opener's preferences, reward past interactions and create brand loyalty as well as suggest relevant offers for example based on membership levels. Using external data in addition to ESP data takes personalization to a different level.
External data can be made available in 2 ways:
You can have more than one data source. The data that is made available in this way will be accessible in a Liveclicker element in the form of a Dynamic Value. There is no limit on the number of Dynamic Values as well as on the number of data sources.
Uploading a CSV file
Note: Before uploading the CSV file, check the following:
- file size does not exceed 10 MB.
- number of rows is not higher than 100.000.
- there is at least one column in the file that can be matched to a Custom Field of your choice. This allows Liveclicker to fetch the correct data from the CSV by mapping the configured Custom Field to the Lookup column in the CSV file.
1. To upload a CSV file, go to the Liveclicker home page and click the following icon:
2. All current integrations and data sources are listed. Click Add a data source:
3. You can choose to upload a CSV file or connect a custom API. Select the first. The following is displayed:
4. Enter a name for the data source and drop your CSV file or browse for it. When done, a preview of the CSV file is displayed:
5. If the CSV file has column headers, tick the corresponding box. If not, leave the box unchecked and add labels for each of the columns.
6. Next, you need to select the column in the CSV file that will be used as a lookup column. The values in the selected column should match the values in the Custom field of your choice (this is configured later on).
7. Click Complete and Save. The data source configuration overview is displayed and further configuration of the data source is done in here.
8. First thing to check is that the lookup column in the CSV file is mapped to the correct Custom field. Select the Custom field of your choice from the drop-down.
9. Map the other columns from the CSV file to a Dynamic value. Click Add mapping to start:
10. A row is added. Select a CSV column from the drop-down and enter a name for the Dynamic value. This Dynamic value is how the data in the CSV column will be made available in Liveclicker.
9. Do this for all the columns in the CSV file you would want to use in Liveclicker. Use the button Add another mapping to add additional rows.
10. Save your changes. Your external data is now ready to use as Dynamic values in personalization and targeting.
Using a Custom API
When using an API datasource to personalize a Liveclicker element, Liveclicker will fetch the latest information from the API once the email has been opened.
Note:
Following requirements need to be fulfilled to be able to use the API method
- Only REST API calls are supported using the GET method.
- JSON is the only supported response format.
- Supported authorization methods are API key as a parameter, API key as a header and Bearer tokens.
Following information needs to be provided:
- API request details such as the endpoint URL.
- Authorization details.
1. To use a custom API, go to the Liveclicker home page and click the following icon:
2. All current integrations and data sources are listed. Click Add a data source:
3. You can choose to upload a CSV file or Connect a custom API. Select the second option. The following is displayed:
4. Enter a Request URL. For example: https://datausa.io/api/data?drilldowns=Nation&measures=Population
Note: You can personalize the Request URL with Custom Fields.
Let's say you have a loyalty points API that is available to use. Loyalty points are specific to a customer, which means you will need a way to let the API know which customer's points to get.
To personalize your request, on your request settings URL, you can use the notation {Custom field name} to replace any bit of the URL for the value of a custom field. To input a custom field, you can either select text to replace with a field or start typing { to show the drop-down menu.
After successfully adding your Custom field, you'll need to provide a test value for us to make the first call and get a response from the API. In the Test Values section, add a value that we can use to get a correct response from the API.
5. Once you've added the request URL, you're good to go. If needed you can add additional settings such as Authorization and Query parameters.
If your API requires authorization, you will need to find out which type of authorization your API requires. Bear in mind that Liveclicker currently supports the following Authorization methods: API Key as a header, API Key as a Query Param, Bearer token.
If you need to work with additional Query Parameters, there are two ways to add them to your request on Liveclicker: Include them directly in the request URL or add them through the query parameters section. You can also use the Query params section on the request settings modal to easily add them to your URL.
6. Save your settings and send the request. Make sure you've got all the information required to get a successful response from your API.
7. When the request returns a result, the API properties are listed.
8. You can now indicate what properties in the API will be used in Liveclicker and map these to a Dynamic value.
8. Click Save. You have now set up your Custom API as a data source. A summary of the data source configuration is displayed:
