On this page: Learn what Journey Optimizer tracks automatically, what you must set up, and where to find tracking, deliverability, and system health data.
Tracking lets you measure campaign effectiveness, optimize experiences, and confirm that messages reach recipients. Journey Optimizer collects most interaction data automatically. For some channels, you must configure elements or implement an SDK first.
Where to find your data where-data-lives
To help you get started, explore these essential tracking and monitoring topics:
Track customer interactions by channel tracking-by-channel
Use this table to see what each channel needs before you build. Details for each channel follow.
Email email
Journey Optimizer tracks opens, clicks, and unsubscribes by default. You can change this behavior:
- Choose what to track. Track opens, clicks, or both at the message level. Learn more
- Append URL parameters. Configure tracking parameters (such as
utm_campaignandutm_source) at the surface level to add them to all email links. Learn more - Reuse tracked links. Links in a saved fragment stay tracked when you reuse the fragment in other journeys or campaigns. Learn more
- Track mirror page views. Enable the mirror page option to create a web version of the email and track who views it. Learn more
View results in the email campaign report and the email journey report.
Web web
Web tracking requires explicit configuration. When you author a web page, select the buttons, images, links, or other interactive elements you want to track. Journey Optimizer then captures click events and associates them with profiles, without extra code. Learn more
View results in the web campaign report and the web journey report.
Push notifications push
With the SDK in place, Journey Optimizer captures impressions (delivered), clicks (tapped), and opens (app launched). To get more detail, configure clickable elements:
- Body click behavior. Choose what happens when users tap the notification: open the app, open a deep link, or open a web URL. Each action is tracked. Learn more
- Tracking options. Make sure the push opening and interaction tracking options are enabled in the push activity of your journey or in your campaign. Learn more
- Action buttons. Add buttons (open app, deep link, web URL), each tracked independently. On Android, you can add up to three buttons. On iOS, buttons are defined by a notification category that is preconfigured in your app. Learn more
View results in the push campaign report and the push journey report.
In-app messages in-app
In-app messages track displays and interactions. Configure these settings so the data is accurate:
- Display rules. Set when and where messages appear (triggers, frequency, audience conditions) so triggered and displayed counts are meaningful. You can also use day-of-week and time-of-day triggers.
- Interactive elements. Add buttons, links, and other elements. Each interaction is tracked with a label.
Tracked metrics include displays, button clicks, dismissals, triggered versus displayed counts, and link performance. A message is triggered when its conditions are met, and displayed only when the user actually sees it. Learn how to configure in-app messages
View results in the in-app campaign report and the in-app journey report.
Mobile messages mobile-message
- Link tracking. Add URLs to your mobile content with the URL helper function. Journey Optimizer shortens each link and tracks clicks. Configure an SMS subdomain first. Learn more
- Inbound messages and opt-out keywords. Inbound messages appear in the mobile message report. Replies that match opt-out keywords (such as STOP) update the profile’s opt-out status. Native keyword handling is supported with Sinch and Infobip only. Two-way messaging requires at least one prior one-way message to the number, and alphanumeric sender IDs cannot receive replies. Learn more
View results in the mobile message campaign report and the mobile message journey report.
Code-based experiences code-based
Tracking works only after you configure your implementation to send interaction events to Adobe Experience Platform:
- Set up a datastream configured for Adobe Experience Platform.
- Implement event collection with the Web SDK or Mobile SDK.
- Send display and interaction events when content is shown or clicked.
Learn more about reporting prerequisites
View results in the code-based campaign report and the code-based journey report.
Content cards content-cards
Content cards require the Adobe Experience Platform Web or Mobile SDK in your app or website. Learn more Add buttons and links to your content card to track interactions, and define display rules so displays and interactions are measured accurately. Cards persist in the app or website until the user dismisses them, so you can observe engagement across sessions. Learn how to configure content cards
View results in the content card campaign report and the content card journey report.
Landing pages landing-pages
Landing pages track visits (total and unique), conversions (such as form submissions), bounce rate, and trends over time, with no setup. Learn how to configure landing pages
View results in the landing page report.
Track journey and campaign activity journey-campaign-tracking
Beyond channel tracking, use these capabilities to measure overall performance:
- Define success metrics. Measure KPIs such as purchases, sign-ups, or renewals. Learn more
- Analyze journey step events. Journey Optimizer automatically streams an event to Adobe Experience Platform for every step a profile takes in a journey. Use them to see entry and exit points, path selection, and drop-off. The schemas and datasets are read-only. Learn more
- Analyze data outside the built-in reports. Query step events with Query Service or link them to other datasets in Customer Journey Analytics. Learn more
- Monitor custom actions. Review success, error, timeout, capping, and latency metrics for calls your journeys make to external systems. Learn more
- Compare channels. Use the global campaign report and journey report to compare performance across channels.
Track optimization and decisioning optimization-decisioning-tracking
Optimization optimization-tracking
- Experiments. Define the metrics to track (conversions, clicks, custom events). Journey Optimizer collects data for each treatment. Learn more
- Targeting rules. Engagement is tracked for each targeted group so you can compare segments. Learn more
- Journey path optimization. Add an Optimize activity with multiple paths. Journey Optimizer tracks which paths profiles take and measures performance. Learn more
To analyze results, see conversion rates, statistical significance, and lift in the experimentation campaign report, the experimentation journey report, or the journey targeting report.
Decisioning decisioning-tracking
Journey Optimizer automatically captures a decision event whenever a decision item is selected for a profile. Impressions and clicks depend on the channel:
For code-based experiences, send proposition interaction events to Adobe Experience Platform with the Web SDK or Mobile SDK. Learn more
To review decisioning KPIs, compare decision items, and monitor AI model performance, see the decisioning reports.
Control how tracking data is used data-governance
Data governance helps you enforce your organization’s policies on tracked data:
- Label. Apply governance labels to behavioral data that is sensitive or regulated, such as interactions with health or financial content.
- Restrict. Create policies that prevent labeled data from being used in certain channels, exported to third-party systems, or used for specific personalization.
- Enforce. Journey Optimizer checks policies when you build journeys and campaigns, and blocks publication if data is used in violation of a policy.
Monitor deliverability and system health monitoring-capabilities
Deliverability deliverability-monitoring
- Review the suppression list to see why addresses are blocked and keep your lists clean. Learn more
- Analyze delivery errors to diagnose failures. Learn more
- Follow deliverability best practices, including reducing complaint rates, IP warmup, and DMARC. Learn more
System health system-health
- Configure alerts. Subscribe to notifications for journey errors, custom action failures, and other critical issues. Learn more
- Review audit logs. Audit logs automatically record user actions on resources, which helps you troubleshoot issues and demonstrate compliance. You need the View User Activity Log permission to view and export them. Learn more
- Monitor integrations. Track custom action performance and external system connectivity. Learn more
This section contains structured knowledge intended to support interpretation, retrieval, and question answering related to this topic.
For complete understanding, this information should be combined with the documentation on this page. Neither source is intended to stand alone; the page describes the feature, while this section provides additional context that helps disambiguate terminology, intent, applicability, and constraints.
- TL;DR: This page explains how to track customer interactions across channels, measure journey and campaign performance, track optimization and decisioning, govern tracking data usage, and monitor deliverability and system health in Journey Optimizer.
Intents:
- Configure and use channel-specific tracking for email, web, push, in-app, mobile messages (SMS and MMS), code-based experiences, content cards, and landing pages
- Define custom success metrics and analyze journey step events to measure journey and campaign performance
- Track optimization experiments, targeting, and decisioning performance
- Apply data governance policies to control how tracking data is used
- Monitor deliverability and system health with the suppression list, alerts, and audit logs
Glossary:
- Mirror page: A web version of your email that, when enabled, automatically tracks who views it (product-specific)
- Journey step events: Events that Journey Optimizer streams automatically to Adobe Experience Platform for every step a profile takes in a journey, giving visibility into entry and exit points, path selection, and drop-off locations; their schemas and datasets are read-only (product-specific)
- Success metrics: Custom KPIs aligned with business objectives (such as purchases, sign-ups, or renewals) beyond standard engagement metrics (product-specific)
- Optimize activity: A journey activity you add and configure with multiple paths so Journey Optimizer tracks which paths profiles take and measures performance (product-specific)
- Data governance labels: Governance labels applied to tracked behavioral data to mark it as sensitive or regulated so usage policies can be enforced (product-specific)
Guardrails:
- Web tracking requires explicit configuration; you must select the specific elements (buttons, images, links) you want to track when authoring a web page.
- Push tracking requires mobile SDK implementation; ensure your app has the Adobe Experience Platform Mobile SDK properly configured.
- For push notification buttons, you can add up to three buttons on Android, each with independent tracking; on iOS, buttons are defined by a notification category preconfigured in your app.
- Content cards require the Adobe Experience Platform Web or Mobile SDK.
- Mobile message URL shortening requires that you first configure an SMS subdomain before links can be automatically shortened and tracked.
- Code-based experience tracking requires implementation setup, including a datastream configured for Adobe Experience Platform and event collection using Web SDK or Mobile SDK.
- To track decisioning in code-based experiences, your implementation must send proposition interaction events (displays and clicks) to Adobe Experience Platform using Web SDK or Mobile SDK.
- Journey Optimizer automatically checks governance policies when you build journeys and campaigns, blocking publication if tracked data is used in violation of defined policies.
Terminology:
- Canonical name: Tracking — variants: tracking and monitoring
- Push metrics: “impressions” = delivered, “clicks” = tapped, “opens” = app launched
- Do not confuse: “triggered” (in-app messages triggered) ≠ “displayed” (in-app messages actually displayed to users)
- Do not confuse: tracking that is on by default (email, landing pages) ≠ tracking that requires explicit configuration (web), SDK integration (push, in-app, content cards), or implementation setup (code-based experiences)
FAQ:
- Q: Do I need to configure email tracking? — No; email tracking is on by default and tracks opens, clicks, and unsubscribes. Configuration is optional. Mail privacy features can prevent opens from being recorded, so use clicks as the primary engagement signal.
- Q: Why is my web tracking not capturing interactions? — Web tracking requires explicit configuration; when authoring the web page you must select the specific elements you want to track.
- Q: What does push tracking capture, and what does it require? — It captures impressions (delivered), clicks (tapped), and opens (app launched), and it requires mobile SDK implementation using the Adobe Experience Platform Mobile SDK.
- Q: How do I track links in mobile messages? — Add any URL using the URL helper function; Journey Optimizer automatically shortens and tracks the link, but you must first configure an SMS subdomain to use URL shortening.
- Q: Does Send-Time Optimization track engagement? — No; it is not a tracking feature. It optimizes send times for Email and Push actions and the Wait activity in journeys (not campaigns), and must be enabled by Adobe.
- Q: Can I control how tracking data is used across my organization? — Yes; apply data governance labels to tracked data and create policies that restrict its usage, and Journey Optimizer automatically enforces these policies and blocks publication when they are violated.