You can build sections into your emails that render content when a recipient opens the email. You can use this feature to dynamically optimize your content even after the email is delivered to your contact's inbox.
You can use real-time content to:
- Improve conversions.
- Deliver relevant content.
- Save time and effort.
- Make optimization a habit on every email.
Types of real-time content
- Multivariate testing: Through integration with Omniture, Test&Target, and 8seconds, you can take advantage of multivariate testing capabilities in promotional and transactional email marketing.
- Recommendations: Based on activity, purchase history, or other attributes, this feature inserts product recommendations and other content into email messages. This feature can be used in both promotional and transactional messaging. This feature offers point-and-click incorporation of content through integration with popular recommendation engines from Baynote and Certona.
How does it work?
You need an active or Transact account and a relationship with an -supported content provider.
- The org admin enables real-time content for your organization.
- The org admin adds content providers to the organization settings and configure the provider's parameters.
- Marketers add real-time content to emails.
Add real-time content
To add real-time content to email:
- Open the email.
- Place your cursor in the email body where you want your content displayed.
- Click the Insert Real-Time content icon.
- Select the content provider that you want to use for the email.
- Type the height or width in the content area details section and click Next. The default value is 16 x 16 pixels; however, the size of the image that is given by the content provider takes precedence.
- Complete the fields in the dialog box and click Insert.
The image is retrieved from the vendor and displayed when the contact opens the email. If the contact's email client requires the contact to download images in an email, the contact does not see the content until it is downloaded. If you decide to change the content within the content provider's system after the email was sent but before the contact opens the email, the latest content is rendered.
Reporting on real-time content
Reports provide basic link tracking statistics for real-time content. The Clickthrough Report is available in the Single Mailing Reports module. You can also receive detailed metrics through the content provider’s site.
Configure real-time content
The administrator must enable the real-time content feature in the organization settings before marketers can use real-time content in emails. To enable real-time content, complete the following steps.
- Go to Settings > Administration > Organization Settings.
- Click to expand the Integrations section and click Edit. The Update Integrations dialog box is displayed.
- Select Enable Real-Time Content.
- Choose your preferred content provider.
- Click Configure Parameters next to the content provider.
- Enter the parameters that are provided by your content provider.
- Click Save. When you see Yes in the Real Time Content Enabled field, RTC is enabled for your organization.
The sections below provide information about the parameters that each content provider requires. Contact the provider directly if you need assistance with their application.
- 8Seconds
- Adobe Target
- Baynote
- Certona
- Coupsmart
- iGoDigital
- LiveIntent
- Movable Ink
- Peerius SMART
- ReachDynamics
- Webtrends Optimize
- Wylei
For any parameter fields that you don't want to display in the real-time content in an email, select Hide. You must assign a value to the parameter before you can hide this selection from the email view. If your configuration does not require this value, you can leave it blank. If the value of this field changes with each email, you should leave it blank and complete the value during email creation.
8Seconds
The 8Seconds application enables marketers to add up to 10 different images for their email creative and generate thousands of different variations and tests. It enables real-time multivariate testing within emails, often resulting in gains of more than 100% in email opens and clicks.
8Seconds shows dozens of different variations of email creatives to different contacts that open their email. It measures statistically and in real time which image is the most successful in terms of clicks or conversion. 8Seconds Optimizer automatically shows this best image (or combination of images) to the rest of your contacts, ensuring that the bulk of your clients receive the most effective combination of creative.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Client ID | Required |
Identifies your 8Seconds account. If you do not know your Client ID, contact your 8Seconds representative. |
| Campaign | Required | The name of the campaign. Must contain only alphanumeric characters, underscored ( _ ) and dashes ( _ ). |
| Total Number of Variables | Required | The total number of 8Seconds content areas to be placed within the email. |
| Variable Number | Required |
The variable number of the specified content area. Note: The first variable number is 0 and incremented by 1 for each additional content area. |
| Unique ID for Email Recipient | Optional | |
| Image URL 1 | Required | The location of the first image option. |
| Link URL 1 | Required | The link to be used with the first image option. |
| Image URL 2 | Required | The location of the second image option. |
| Link URL 2 | Required | The link to be used with the second image option. |
| Image URL 3 | Optional | The location of the third image option. |
| Link URL 3 | Optional | The link to be used with the third image option. |
| Image URL 4 | Optional | The location of the fourth image option. |
| Link URL 4 | Optional | The link to be used with the fourth image option. |
Adobe Target
Adobe Target makes the process of testing easier and more impactful. Marketers can test email templates with variable content areas and then display only the highest performing content to recipients.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Client Code | Required | Identifies your Adobe Target account. If you do not know your client code, you can use the ViewSource option while logged on to Adobe Target, and then perform a search for "clientcode". |
| Adbox Name | Required | The name of the portion of the email template that shows different content in different situations. The Adbox is loaded into your Adobe Target account and display as an mbox (marketing box). It must be associated to a campaign with related offers in Adobe Target before you send the email. |
| Default Content URL | Required | The URL of an image to display if Adobe Target does not return content. If the Adbox has nothing to return, you can choose to display white space by referencing an image that contains the space (Sometimes referred to as a "spacer image"). |
Baynote
As each shopper browses, adds to cart, or buys on your site, Baynote observes their actions. Baynote infers which accessories or other products are most likely to interest customers. With the Baynote App, marketers have seen increases of more than 60% in engagement and conversion rates. Marketers can use the Baynote App to automatically personalize emails with relevant products, offers, and content. For example, you can use the Baynote App to:
- Include recommended products in purchase confirmation emails.
- Increase click-through rates on promotional emails by including personalized content.
- Run marketing campaigns to re-engage with recent website visitors.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Customer Code | Required | Identifies your Baynote account. If you do not know your Customer Code, contact your Baynote representative. |
| Customer Name | Required | Identifies your Baynote account. If you do not know your Customer Name, contact your Baynote representative. |
| Environment | Required | Used to specify the subdomain on the Baynote system that is used to retrieve content. This can be your test environment or production server. If you do not know what value to use, contact your Baynote representative. |
| Recommendation Number | Required | Used for multiple Baynote recommendations in a single email. Enter 1 for the first recommendation. Increase in increments of 1 for more recommendations. |
| Width | Required | Width, in pixels, of the box that contains the recommendation. |
| Height | Required | Height, in pixels, of the box that contains the recommendation. |
| Guide | Required | The guide type that is used to determine recommendations (for example, MostPopular, SimilarDocs, and RecentPopular). |
| Attribute Filter | Optional |
Allows filtering results by particular attributes. Provide comma-separated name:value pairs. For example: The attribute names are defined in Baynote. |
| Attribute List | Optional | A comma-separated list of attributes to be returned for each recommendation. The attribute names are defined in Baynote. |
| Image Style | Optional | A comma-separated list of thumbnail image styling arguments. For example: imgStyle=h:100, w:100,x:0,y:0. |
| Text Style | Optional |
A comma-separated list of global text styling arguments. Specifying positional styling here creates a text box area within which all text attributes are written. For example, |
| URL | Optional | Used to specify a URL for an abandoned or purchased product. URL is required for some guides, and is optional for others. For example, an AlsoUsed guide always expects a URL parameter; a RecentMostPopular guide does not expect it. |
| User Id | Optional | Used to identify the email recipient to Baynote. Create a column in the List and populate with a User ID known to Baynote. You can then reference the list field by using personalization in the User ID parameter. |
Certona
The organization administrator can integrate with Certona without IT involvement by configuring the parameters in organizational settings.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Application ID | Required |
Identifies your Certona account. If you do not know your Application ID, contact your Certona representative. |
| Recommendation Number | Required |
Used for multiple Certona recommendations in a single email. Enter 1 for the first recommendation. Increase in increments of 1 for more recommendations. |
| Recommendation Scheme | Required |
Identifies rules for recommendations. Certona names and defines the scheme. |
| Campaign ID | Required |
Used to identify the email campaign for usage in reporting within Certona. You can choose an email name from the personalization drop-down menu. |
Coupsmart
Coupsmart enables marketers to display individually trackable coupon codes (UPC or QR Codes) directly within the email as it's opened by their customers. The coupon graphic that is shown to the customer is based on whether the customer has or has not used a coupon.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Snippet Code | Required | Unique to the offer (provided by the vendor). |
| Bar code Type | Optional | Type of Code being displayed (various UPC types or QR Code). |
| Bar code Size | Optional | Size of the image that is rendered (small, medium, or large). |
iGoDigital
Use the following parameters for iGoDigital.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Site Name | Required |
Your iGoDigital site name. Site Name could be entered once for the organization. If you do not know your Site Name, contact your iGoDigital representative. |
| iGoDigital Hash | Required |
A special 6-charater hash that is assigned to your company by iGoDigital. This hash acts as a security key and company or scenario identifier. Enter this hash when you configure an email template. |
| Product Count | Required |
Used for rendering multiple products and images in your email template. Enter 1 for the first image. Increase in increments of 1 for more images. |
LiveIntent
Use the following parameters to integrate LiveIntent.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Section ID | Required |
Identifies your LiveIntent account. |
| Domain | Required |
Used to specify the subdomain on the LiveIntent system that is used to retrieve content. If you do not know what value to use, contact your LiveIntent representative. |
| List ID | Required |
Identifier for the list the publisher is sending to. It can be an ID or Name. |
| Mail Type | Required |
This value must be either |
| Image Width | Required |
Width, in pixels, of the box that contains the image. |
| Image Height | Required |
Height, in pixels, of the box that contains the image. |
| Alt Text | Required |
Alternative Text for Images. |
Movable Ink
Marketers can use Movable Ink to enable dynamic email content in multiple ways:
- Embed live content from a website via RSS or API.
- Automatically customize content for customers by time, location, device, and weather when they open the email.
- Add real-time content from Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.
Rather than being frozen in time when the marketer hits 'send', emails become containers for live content that adapt to when, where, and how recipients open and interact with messages. Building relevant communications becomes easier for the marketer, and results in deeper engagement with the consumer.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| MovableInkTag | Required | Identifies your Movable Ink code that is generated on the customer's Movable Ink account.
Example: |
Peerius SMART
The organization administrator can integrate Peerius in moments and without IT involvement by configuring the parameters in organizational settings.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Domain | Required |
Client domain. Example: https://pt1.peerius.com/tracker/er/link.page |
| Client Identifier | Required |
Identifies the client. Peerius would set one up for each website to track and provide personalization. |
| Widget ID | Required |
Identifies the widget ID and which configuration to use for that site. |
| Widget Position | Required |
Identifies which position in the widget this recommendation is for. |
Recommended Option (image or productinfo) |
Required |
There could be two images that are delivered:
When you use this parameter in a email template, either just |
ReachDynamics
ReachDynamics gives marketers the ability to earn extra revenue by dedicating a small percentage of their email messages to include fully automated, real-time, and relevant third-party ads to their consumers. By driving traffic to other commerce sites, the marketer can find new ways to capitalize on their email lists.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Domain | Required | Domain pointing to where the ReachDynamics server is determining what to display (provided by the vendor). |
| Ad Unit ID | Required | Specific ad unit setup within the ReachDynamics platform (provided by the vendor). |
Webtrends Optimize
Use the following parameters for Webtrends Optimize.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Domain ID | Required |
Optimize Account ID. Copied from the Properties panel, found on the Administration tab, in the Optimize console. |
| Project Alias | Required |
The Project Alias. Copied from the Properties panel for a project. |
| Factor Alias | Required |
The Element ID for a factor in a factorial Project. Copied from the factor list bubble on the Properties panel for a project in the Optimize console. |
| Conversion Point | Required |
A string that identifies the conversion event. Associated with the conversion track upon rollup into reporting. The conversion point must be unique within the context of a project. The convention is to begin the string with Text - allowed characters:
Maximum length: 100 |
| Key Token | Required |
The Key Token for the account. Copied from the Properties panel. Found on the Administration tab, in the Optimize console. |
| Content Redirect URI | Required |
If an error occurs in retrieving the requested content from Optimize, the content request redirects to this URL. Text: Must be URL-encoded Maximum Length: 2000 |
| Conversion Redirect URI | Required |
After it tracks the requested conversion, it redirects to this URL. Text: Must be URL-encoded Maximum Length: 2000 |
Wylei
Wylei provides real-time content that allows marketers to deliver live animated countdown timers directly within the email message.
| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description |
| Message Key | Required |
Unique for each message send. Provided by the vendor. |
Troubleshooting
Here are some tips to help you resolve issues and errors that occur when you use real-time content in your mailings.
The real-time content icon not showing on the email template's toolbar
The real-time content icon is displayed only at the email level if one or more content providers are configured at the organization level. Ask your organization administrator to enable real-time content.
The content provider listed in Organization Settings
The configuration isn't complete. must work with your content provider to configure the overall integration with their product. After that is complete, you can use that content provider. Submit a request through your Relationship Sales Manager or Client Support.
The content provider show in the Insert Real-Time Content dialog box
Only the content providers that are configured in the Org Admin > Integrations Settings are shown in this dialog box. The Organization Administrator must select and configure the content provider parameters at the Org Admin level.