Mastering Sequential Logic in Adobe Analytics and Customer Journey Analytics: Starts and Stops

Sequential Logic and Segmentation in Analytics

• The session focused on advanced techniques for applying sequential logic in analytics, emphasizing the importance of understanding starting and stopping points in data sequences to analyze customer behaviors effectively.
• Sequential operators were discussed as tools to identify patterns such as “web hit followed by email hit” or “application submission followed by subsequent sessions.”
• The greedy nature of segment logic was highlighted, explaining how it returns the largest possible data set unless constrained by additional conditions.
• Techniques for defining scope, such as “only before” and “only after” sequences, were introduced to study subsets of data based on specific business questions.
• The use of checkpoints, proximity conditions, and exclusion criteria was explained to refine data analysis and answer complex business questions.

Handling Multiple Points of Interest in Data Analysis

• Andy discussed scenarios where customers have multiple application submissions and the need to analyze behaviors after each submission rather than just the first one.
• Challenges such as overlapping application submissions and defining whether to include or exclude original points of interest were addressed.
• The importance of clarifying assumptions and refining logic to handle multiple occurrences of a sequence was emphasized, ensuring accurate analysis of customer behaviors across their lifecycle.

Advanced Techniques for Stopping Data Matching

• The session introduced methods to stop data matching at specific checkpoints using exclusion criteria, allowing analysts to study data between defined start and stop points.
• Examples included analyzing behaviors between “web hit followed by mobile app interaction” and stopping at “email interaction.”
• The use of “within” and “after” conditions was explained to enforce stricter proximity rules and avoid unintended results from greedy logic.
• Andy demonstrated how these techniques can be applied to study customer behaviors relative to specific events, such as application submissions.

Validating and Refining Data Analysis Logic

• Andy emphasized the importance of validating assumptions and testing logic to ensure accurate results, as mistakes in segment building or data assumptions are common.
• Examples of unexpected results due to greedy logic were shared, highlighting the need for strict conditions like “within one event” or “within one session.”
• Validation benchmarks, such as small data sets with known characteristics, were recommended to test and refine analysis methods.

Application of Sequential Logic to Real-World Use Cases

• Andy provided examples of real-world use cases, such as analyzing customer behaviors after application submissions or identifying common actions following purchases or negative reviews.
• The session demonstrated how sequential logic can be applied to study patterns like “first session after application” or “second session after application” across multiple occurrences.
• The importance of scaling analysis to broader data sets while maintaining accuracy was discussed, with examples of cascading effects in session-level data.

Using Derived Fields for Flexible Analysis

• Andy introduced the concept of using derived fields in Adobe Customer Journey Analytics (CJA) to define moments of interest dynamically, reducing the need to edit multiple filters for each analysis.
• Derived fields allow analysts to build filters relative to a single field, enabling quick adjustments to study different points of interest, such as product-specific applications or other customer events.

Practical Applications and Future Plans

• Andy shared plans for the next webinar session, which will focus on templates, cheat sheets, and practical applications of the concepts discussed, moving away from training to actionable use cases.
• The session concluded with a call for feedback via a poll to determine interest in future topics and ensure alignment with attendees’ objectives.
• Andy highlighted the Ultimate Success team’s micro-engagements, offering targeted coaching sessions to help businesses apply these concepts to their specific use cases.

Sharing Materials and Follow-Up Actions

• Andy confirmed that webinar materials, including recordings and blog posts, will be shared with attendees, providing a documented form of the session’s content.
• Attendees were encouraged to reach out to their TAMs or CSMs for further assistance and to explore Ultimate Success licensing for personalized coaching sessions.