eVar (Merchandising)

This help page describes how to implement merchandising eVars. For information on how merchandising eVars work as a dimension, see eVar (Merchandising dimension) in the Components user guide.

Merchandising eVars bind a value to individual products, so that success events involving each product are credited to the value bound to that product. You can set the value in one of two ways:

For how binding, allocation, and expiration work, see eVar (Merchandising dimension).

Set up eVars in report suite settings

Before using eVars in your implementation, make sure that you configure the eVar to the desired syntax in report suite settings. See Conversion variables in the Admin guide.

Choose a syntax

Use Product Syntax when the merchandising value is available at the time you set the products variable, or when products in the same hit need different values. Use Conversion Variable Syntax when the value is known before the product, such as the search term or internal campaign that led the visitor to the product. See How binding and allocation work for a full comparison.

Implement using product syntax

When Product Syntax is enabled, the merchandising value is set directly within the products variable, so binding events are not used. Merchandising eVars go in the last segment of each product:

s.products = "[category];[name];[quantity];[revenue];[events];[eVars]";

Delimit multiple merchandising eVars on the same product with a pipe (|). The empty placeholders for quantity, revenue, and events are required even if you don’t use them. Without them, the eVar value is ignored.

The value is bound to the product on that hit. Whether a later value replaces an existing binding depends on the Allocation setting. See How binding and allocation work.

// The bare minimum to set a merchandising eVar with product syntax
s.products = ";Example product;;;;eVar1=Example merchandising value";

// An example single product with product syntax
s.products = "Example category;Example product;1;5.99;event1=1;eVar1=Turtles";

// Tie a merchandising eVar to different values on two different products
s.products = "Birds;Scarlet Macaw;1;4200;;eVar1=talking bird,Birds;Turtle dove;2;550;;eVar1=love birds";

Product syntax using the Web SDK

If using the XDM object, product syntax merchandising variables use the following XDM fields:

The following example shows a single product using multiple merchandising eVars and events:

"productListItems": [
  {
    "name": "Bahama Shirt",
    "priceTotal": "12.99",
    "quantity": 3,
    "_experience": {
      "analytics": {
        "customDimensions" : {
          "eVars" : {
            "eVar10" : "green",
            "eVar33" : "large"
          }
        },
        "event1to100" : {
          "event4" : {
            "value" : 1
          },
          "event10" : {
            "value" : 2,
            "id" : "abcd"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
]

The above example object would be sent to Adobe Analytics as ";Bahama Shirt;3;12.99;event4|event10=2:abcd;eVar10=green|eVar33=large".

If using the data object, product syntax merchandising eVars are set in data.__adobe.analytics.products, using the same syntax as the AppMeasurement products variable. The data object equivalent of the XDM example above:

"data": {
  "__adobe": {
    "analytics": {
      "products": ";Bahama Shirt;3;12.99;event4|event10=2:abcd;eVar10=green|eVar33=large"
    }
  }
}

Implement using conversion variable syntax

Use Conversion Variable Syntax when the eVar value is not available to set in the products variable. This scenario typically means that your product page has no context of the merchandising channel or finding method. In these cases, set the merchandising eVar on or before the page where the binding event occurs. The value persists until it expires or is overwritten with a new value.

When a hit contains both the products variable and a selected Merchandising Binding Event, the eVar’s current value binds to every product on that hit. Setting the eVar alongside a product without a binding event does not bind the value. Whether a later binding replaces an existing one depends on the Allocation setting. See How binding and allocation work.

For an example that sets several product finding method eVars at once, see Best practice: product finding methods.

The following example sets a merchandising eVar before the binding event:

// Place on the same or previous page before the binding event:
s.eVar1 = "Aviary";

// Place on the page where the binding event occurs:
s.events = "prodView";
s.products = ";Canary";

If Product View Event is a binding event, the value "Aviary" for eVar1 is bound to the product "Canary". Subsequent success events that involve this product are credited to "Aviary". The value "Aviary" also binds to products on later hits that contain a binding event, until one of the following conditions is met:

Conversion variable syntax using the Web SDK

If using the XDM object, syntax operates similarly to implementing other eVars and events. If using the data object, syntax follows AppMeasurement.

The XDM mirroring the AppMeasurement example above would look like the following.

Set the eVar on the same or previous event call:

"_experience": {
  "analytics": {
    "customDimensions": {
      "eVars": {
        "eVar1" : "Aviary"
      }
    }
  }
}

Set the binding event and values for the products string:

"commerce": {
  "productViews" : {
    "value" : 1
  }
},
"productListItems": [
  {
    "name": "Canary"
  }
]

The data objects mirroring the AppMeasurement example above would look like the following.

Set the eVar on the same or previous event call:

"data": {
  "__adobe": {
    "analytics": {
      "eVar1": "Aviary"
    }
  }
}

Set the binding event and values for the products string:

"data": {
  "__adobe": {
    "analytics": {
      "events": "prodView",
      "products": ";Canary"
    }
  }
}