Data

How to Set Up Cross Product Events in Optimizely Experimentation (step-by-step)

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TL;DR

Cross-project events are a powerful new feature in Optimizely’s arsenal that enables tracking key user actions (events) across multiple Optimizely projects and products.

This feature bridges the gap between Web Experimentation and Feature Experimentation, allowing for more analytics without having to do extra configuration.

Important: this feature will only work if you use the same Visitor ID for Optimizely Web and Optimizely Feature Experimentation.

By default, Optimizely Web uses a self-generated cookie called OptimizelyEndUserId. You can either use this same cookie for your Feature Experimentation implementation; or, you can use your own ID in both products. In any case, the visitor ID has to be the same for both products.

Cross-Origin Tracking: If visitors cross domains or top-level domains, enable cross-origin tracking to ensure project snippets sync correctly. You can use the waitForOriginSync API for cross-domain scenarios (not supported in Performance Edge).

How does it work?

Cross-Project Events
flowchart TB
    subgraph Account["Optimizely Account"]
        subgraph Web["Web Experimentation Project"]
            WE[Web Experiment] --> WEV[Visitor bucketed]
            WEV --> WEC[Conversion tracked]
        end

        subgraph FX["Feature Experimentation Project"]
            FE[FX Experiment] --> FEV[Visitor bucketed]
            FEV --> FEC[Conversion tracked]
        end

        WEC -.->|Cross-Project Event| FE
        FEC -.->|Cross-Project Event| WE
    end

    U[User with same ID] --> Web
    U --> FX

    style Account fill:#f5f5f5
    style Web fill:#e3f2fd
    style FX fill:#e8f5e9

Optimizely now has the ability to import events from any project and any product (Web or FX). Experiment decisions and conversions will be automatically reconciled.

How can I enable Cross Product Events?

To enable cross product events, simply head to any experiment, and in the metrics section pick “All projects” and all events in your entire Optimizely account will be available to add to your experiment. That’s it!

Cross Product Events

When should you use Cross-Project Events?

Cross-project events are ideal when you have separate Optimizely projects for different platforms (web, mobile app, etc.) and want to measure the interconnectedness of user behavior across those platforms.

For scenarios where events originate and are tracked in one location but need to be measured in another, this feature is incredibly valuable.

What if I can’t use the same Visitor ID for both Web and Feature Experimentation?

Here’s a few alternatives to consider:

  • Use a single project for everything: For simpler setups, consider using a single Optimizely project for both your website and app.

  • Leverage the Event API: for advanced tracking across platforms, the Optimizely Event API provides greater flexibility and control allowing you to send events manually to Optimizely.