Customer Data Platform (CDP) helps users to identify visitors by analyzing their session data and subsequently associate events with the identified visitors.

Capabilities

The following are the capabilities:

• Session identification: 

  CDP can associate all anonymous events with a known user if the website visitor is identified during the same session. A session is defined as a 30-minute window before or after identification.

• Cookie forward-stitching:

  Cookie forward-stitching allows the CDP to associate an anonymous session with a known user when they revisit the site without immediately logging in. This process links ongoing activities to an existing customer profile (glossary term, activate to view definition), enriching the profile with interaction data even without immediate user identification.

• Cookie back-stitching:

  Cookie backstitching allows CDP to associate anonymous events with a known user if the user is identified within a specific time window. This process helps in creating a more complete customer profile by connecting anonymous and identified interactions.

• Extend the backstitching window:

  Customers may request an extension of the backstitching window by contacting Acquia Support. The request must specify the desired duration for the backstitching window. For example, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, or 30 days.

Important considerations

The following are the important considerations:

• Extending the backstitching window can capture more interactions and associate them with known users. However, it might have performance implications.
• Acquia's Professional Services team can assist in evaluating the impact and implementing the change.

Use case

CDP can capture visitor behavior when they consent to anonymous tracking of their sessions and cookies. CDP has mechanisms to detect and merge these session cookies, linking activities to a unified profile.

Using identification cookies for accurate user identification

If you have integrated CDP WebTag, use an identification cookie and send SourceCustomerNumber or Email even if the user is currently not authenticated on the website. Identification cookies are set to any known user and can be used on subsequent visits to the website. The cookies work similar to cart cookies that save the items that are currently in your cart even if you leave the page and return after some time.

Scenario 1: Creating an account on website - No stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome from their laptop and logs in to the website for the first time.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker checks the payload with the anonymous tables for stitching.
2. The system does not find a match.
3. The system creates new customer records with event activity type: Login.

Outcome:

The initial login of the visitor is accurately recorded and new customer records are created in the system because of no prior anonymous data match.

Scenario 2: Return as an anonymous visitor to website - Forward stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome through their phone and logs in to the website for the first time (identified).

Subsequent visit - Session 1:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device as an anonymous visitor.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker checks the anonymous table for stitching.

   This step is called forward stitching.

2. The system finds a match. For example, wdfdfweftghgh.
3. The system updates the same customer records to reflect the latest event activity type: Browsed.

Outcome:

The actions of the visitor are continuously tracked and associated with their existing user profile, even when they return as an anonymous visitor.

Scenario 3: Login visitor to website - Back stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome from their tablet and logs in to the website for the first time (identified).

Subsequent visit - Session 1:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device as an anonymous visitor.

Another subsequent visit - Session 2:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device and logs in (identified) to the website.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker (DW) checks the anonymous table for stitching.

    This step is called back stitching.

2. The system finds a match. For example, wdfdfweftghgh.
3. The system updates the same customer records to reflect the latest event activity type: Login.

Outcome:

The actions of the visitor are accurately tracked and associated with their existing user profile, combining anonymous and identified sessions to maintain a continuous and updated user record.

Scenario 4: Anonymous visitor from new browser - No forward or back stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome through the phone and logs in (identified) to the website.

Subsequent visit - Session 1:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device as an anonymous visitor.

Another subsequent visit - Session 2:

• The visitor receives an email through the phone and clicks on a product link, which opens Firefox and navigates to the site as an anonymous visitor.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker and DW check the anonymous table for stitching.
2. The system does not find a match because the session "ekgtovdpszzb" was created by Firefox.

Outcome:

No customer record is available to associate the events because of the mismatch of sessions created by different browsers and visitor activities.

Anonymous visitor session stitching

Customer Data Platform (CDP) helps users to identify visitors by analyzing their session data and subsequently associate events with the identified visitors.

Capabilities

The following are the capabilities:

• Session identification: 

  CDP can associate all anonymous events with a known user if the website visitor is identified during the same session. A session is defined as a 30-minute window before or after identification.

• Cookie forward-stitching:

  Cookie forward-stitching allows the CDP to associate an anonymous session with a known user when they revisit the site without immediately logging in. This process links ongoing activities to an existing customer profile (glossary term, activate to view definition), enriching the profile with interaction data even without immediate user identification.

• Cookie back-stitching:

  Cookie backstitching allows CDP to associate anonymous events with a known user if the user is identified within a specific time window. This process helps in creating a more complete customer profile by connecting anonymous and identified interactions.

• Extend the backstitching window:

  Customers may request an extension of the backstitching window by contacting Acquia Support. The request must specify the desired duration for the backstitching window. For example, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, or 30 days.

Important considerations

The following are the important considerations:

• Extending the backstitching window can capture more interactions and associate them with known users. However, it might have performance implications.
• Acquia's Professional Services team can assist in evaluating the impact and implementing the change.

Use case

CDP can capture visitor behavior when they consent to anonymous tracking of their sessions and cookies. CDP has mechanisms to detect and merge these session cookies, linking activities to a unified profile.

Using identification cookies for accurate user identification

If you have integrated CDP WebTag, use an identification cookie and send SourceCustomerNumber or Email even if the user is currently not authenticated on the website. Identification cookies are set to any known user and can be used on subsequent visits to the website. The cookies work similar to cart cookies that save the items that are currently in your cart even if you leave the page and return after some time.

Important

For CDP to accurately identify the users generating the events, the SourceCustomerNumber or Email values must not be cached.

Scenario 1: Creating an account on website - No stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome from their laptop and logs in to the website for the first time.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker checks the payload with the anonymous tables for stitching.
2. The system does not find a match.
3. The system creates new customer records with event activity type: Login.

Outcome:

The initial login of the visitor is accurately recorded and new customer records are created in the system because of no prior anonymous data match.

Scenario 2: Return as an anonymous visitor to website - Forward stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome through their phone and logs in to the website for the first time (identified).

Subsequent visit - Session 1:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device as an anonymous visitor.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker checks the anonymous table for stitching.

   This step is called forward stitching.

2. The system finds a match. For example, wdfdfweftghgh.
3. The system updates the same customer records to reflect the latest event activity type: Browsed.

Outcome:

The actions of the visitor are continuously tracked and associated with their existing user profile, even when they return as an anonymous visitor.

Scenario 3: Login visitor to website - Back stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome from their tablet and logs in to the website for the first time (identified).

Subsequent visit - Session 1:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device as an anonymous visitor.

Another subsequent visit - Session 2:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device and logs in (identified) to the website.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker (DW) checks the anonymous table for stitching.

    This step is called back stitching.

2. The system finds a match. For example, wdfdfweftghgh.
3. The system updates the same customer records to reflect the latest event activity type: Login.

Outcome:

The actions of the visitor are accurately tracked and associated with their existing user profile, combining anonymous and identified sessions to maintain a continuous and updated user record.

Scenario 4: Anonymous visitor from new browser - No forward or back stitching

The following diagram depicts the process flow of this scenario:

Steps:

Initial visit - Session 0:

• The visitor goes to Google Chrome through the phone and logs in (identified) to the website.

Subsequent visit - Session 1:

• The visitor returns to the website from the same browser or device as an anonymous visitor.

Another subsequent visit - Session 2:

• The visitor receives an email through the phone and clicks on a product link, which opens Firefox and navigates to the site as an anonymous visitor.

Tracking and stitching:

1. The tracker and DW check the anonymous table for stitching.
2. The system does not find a match because the session "ekgtovdpszzb" was created by Firefox.

Outcome:

No customer record is available to associate the events because of the mismatch of sessions created by different browsers and visitor activities.