Learn how to set up to track data about your subscribers that can be used for both notifications and segmentation.
While there is plenty of data that Aimtell tracks for you automatically, custom attributes allow you to additionally track other data that you can use for advanced personalization in your notifications, as well as for segmentation.
Note: Before you begin, read up on what data Aimtell automatically tracks for all users, as well as what data we automatically track for Shopify users.
What is a Custom Attribute?
A custom attribute is any data point you choose to track on a particular user or Subscriber ID. This data point can be absolutely anything. This is a wonderful way to track data that can be utilized in two distinct ways- for segmentation purposes and for personalization within push notifications.
Custom Attribute Examples
Here is a list of some example custom attributes, but don’t let this limit you, as there are endless possibilities for what you can track. They really are Custom attributes! Let these examples serve as inspiration for what is possible:
- First name
- Last name
- Username
- Total clicks
- Last login date
- Subscription plan
- Referral status
- Billing platform
- Billing date
- Length of time as a customer
- Registration date
- Last email open date
- Trial days remaining
- Time spent on site
- Order count
- Total spent
- Gender
- Age
- Subscription URL
It is worth noting that whilst some of these can be tracked simply, a few of these would require S2S API calls and additional things getting tracked. If you need additional guidance, don't hesitate to reach out to your Account Rep or Support Team at Aimtell!
How to Track Custom Attributes
Custom attributes can be added with our Javascript API or the REST API.
Option #1 - Javascript API
You may add a custom attribute the current subscriber at any point by calling the _at.track javascript function. Below is an example.
<script>
_at.track("attribute", {"age" : "35", "name":"david"})
</script>
Option #2: REST API
To add the custom attributes via a REST call check out our documentation at our API Documentation here. Essentially you will just need to make an authenticated call and pass the custom data like the example below. There is more info down below.
Verifying Attributes Are Tracking
To confirm that you correctly set up a custom attribute, we recommend checking your logs. To do so, head to Logs > Custom Attributes. If what you set up is not there it was either not set up correctly, or the attribute has not been tracked yet. If after 24 hours you are still not seeing the attribute, feel free to contact support@aimtell.com for help.
Using Custom Attributes
Once you are tracking custom attributes, you can begin using them for segmentation and within push notifications. For more information on using custom attributes within segmentation, feel free to read our documentation on Using Custom Attributes in Segmentation. For more information on using custom attributes within notifications, read our documentation on Using Custom Attributes in Notifications.
Importing Custom Attributes
Do you have data that you have already tracked elsewhere (such as in a CRM or with another web push provider)? You can import it into Aimtell to use for your notifications and segmentation. Read our Importing Custom Attributes documentation for details on how to import this data.
Tracking Custom Attributes via S2S Calls (ADVANCED)
If you are tracking aliases on users and have data that is stored in another database, you can use our REST API Custom Attribute tracking to send that data into Aimtell and collate the databases. Some of the above examples can be done using this method, which is a nice way to unify your marketing and retention efforts.
You will first need to track an Alias to determine who is who and then use our API Docs to track or send custom attributes into the Aimtell Dashboard. Please connect with a support member if you have any questions.