SAP Emarsys identifies a contact as a customer, target audience, or anyone interacting with a brand. The system assigns a unique external contact identifier provided by clients to guarantee only one instance of each contact in the account. It categorizes them as leads or customers according to their purchasing history.
Let’s discover the contact identification methods in SAP Emarsys.
Contact Identification in SAP Emarsys
SAP Emarsys improves contact identification by using contact, product, sales, and website information datasets. Contacts engage through registrations, purchases, website visits, and other activities. The system captures this data and organizes it to keep a complete database. Marketing teams use and integrate this information for customized communications, for example, by including first names and personalized recommendations in email campaigns.
Improve personalization, segmentation, and data-driven marketing strategies by effectively managing these datasets in SAP Emarsys.
Contact Data
SAP Emarsys enables efficient contact management by using essential contact data fields. While clients have the option to add various custom fields, these essentials guarantee smooth platform operation and maximized engagement.
Basic field requirements for contact data include:
Unique Contact Identifier – External Contact ID
Opt-in Status (needed system field)
Fields for Personalization include First Name, Date of Birth, and others.
Fields for Segmentation, such as Country/Region and Date of First Purchase.
Method of first contact data import:
CSV through manual import (Recommended)
CSV through WebDAV or SFTP
API
Regular contact data update:
CSV through WebDAV or SFTP with auto-import setup
API (Recommended)
Website Data and Web Extend
Web Extend is the SAP Emarsys data collection module, which tracks website visitors' interactions using cookies and explicit identifiers, such as external contact IDs. It ensures privacy with hashing and integrates with the contact database. This method of visitor tracking improves personalization while keeping data secure.
Contact identification using Web Extend also operates through several key processes:
When a website user successfully matches a contact, data collection scripts update the behavior fields. They link pseudonymized cookie information to that specific contact in SAP Emarsys.
When the contact engages with the website, the system logs and syncs all future interactions with the SAP Emarsys contact database. This process happens even if the user doesn't log in. Browser cookies identify the user and infer explicit identification.
Web Extend identifies users on several devices, such as desktops and mobile devices. It links cookies to a single identifier when a contact logs in, registers, or clicks through an email, allowing scripts to track and log all future visits.
Other Web Extend benefits:
Sends data to SAP Emarsys, which allows web behavior-based segmentation.
Triggers SAP Emarsys Interactions programs based on Web Extend events.
Allows relevant website recommendations.
Website tracking JavaScript commands:
External Contact ID (highly recommended)/Email address (unless necessary).
Product view
Category
Cart
Purchase
Tag (Miscellaneous tracking)
Website tracking can use a tag management system, such as Google Tag Manager.
Product Data
SAP Emarsys uses client-defined product identifiers to link products on the website with products on the platform. It enables Web Extend to track product views, purchases, and cart abandonments. The system matches identifiers from items the contact purchases, or adds to the cart, with identifiers in the product catalog. This enables personalized recommendations based on browsing history and product categories. Marketers use Predict to customize campaigns in Email, Web Channel, and Mobile Engage (apps). The product catalog also helps Smart Insight by linking sales data to prominent purchases.
Basic field requirements for product data include:
Unique Product/ Item Identifier- Product ID
Product Title
Product Image URL
Product URL
Product Category
Availability
Fields to describe each product used in content personalization, such as brand, and others
Current (available) and historical products (for example, the item temporarily sells out, but it becomes available again in the future)
Format and transfer method:
Google Product Feed
CSV (the SAP Emarsys customer hosts the CSV file on their URL)
Note
When setting up a new product feed for SAP Emarsys, leave fields empty when they don't have a value, and include the field names in the first row.
To add a custom field in CSV format, include c_ at the start of the field name (for example, c_colour).
Add up to five custom labels in Google Product Feed format. Without renaming, number them 0–4 (for example, custom_label_0, custom_label_1).
Multi-locale requirements for product data:
All shops and products must be roughly the same
The product ID is consistent across all domains
The category structure is also consistent
All products are listed in one catalog with default/fallback values
Add localized columns per country/shop
Localized columns handle the stock status
The default stock status must be true
Web Extend commands/content must match default values (price, category, item)
Sales Data
SAP Emarsys uses sales data to employ dynamic lifecycle segmentations. These segmentations aim to boost acquisition, purchasing frequency, average order value, and retention. The platform offers a strategic overview of marketing performance through industry-specific analytics and built-in use cases. This method enables quick implementation of customer experiences, leading to measurable success.
Basic field requirements for sales data include:
External Contact ID (highly recommended)/Email address (unless necessary)
Order ID
Item ID (same as the used Product ID for product data)
Timestamp
Price
Quantity
Extra fields for segmentation/filtering include size, color, voucher code, and others
Extra considerations:
Historical sales data (2-5 years)
One row per item bought in a specific order, with quantity
Base currency if you have various regions
Initial and regular upload and data load:
- CSV or API
Note
These requirements apply to clients NOT using Standard Sales Data, also known as Batch Sales Data Loads.
Requirement fields for Standard Sales Data (Sales Data Batch Loads) include:
TransactionType
TransactionId
ReferencedOrderId
Account_currency
Transaction_currency
TransactionCreatedDateTime
TransactionLastChangedDateTime
ProductId
Quantity
Quantity_in_account_currency
Quantity_in_transaction_currency
ExternalContactIdType
ExternalContactId
Note
For more information about standard sales data CSV file requirements, visit the Help Portal.
Lesson Summary
Web Extend data collection scripts: The lesson explains the functionality of Web Extend data collection scripts in tracking website interactions and processing data for SAP Emarsys applications. It highlights the importance of keeping a clean, compliant database and outlines key steps to consider before implementing these scripts.
E-commerce commands: Follow the instructions to implement e-commerce JavaScript commands that track visitor behavior, identify contacts, and manage data uploads. It includes adding commands to various website pages to report visitor actions such as viewing products, browsing categories, and completing purchases.
Data collection and contact identification: The lesson emphasizes the importance of discussing data collection and contact identification policies with the SAP Emarsys experts before implementing Web Extend scripts. It also details the use of cookies to identify known visitors and link them with contacts in the database.
Integration and verification: The lesson offers instructions for confirming the integration of data collection systems and regularly checking the integration health on the Predict Data Sources page. It also suggests using tools like JSFiddle to test commands and the Live Events viewer to verify implementation.