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Event: Purchase

The Purchase event is used to track successful purchase completions. Recording these events is crucial for analytics, including purchase conversion analysis and tracking customer buying patterns.

API Endpoint

Method: POST
URL: https://<PA_END_POINT>/3.0/events/purchases

Request Header

NameValue
Content-Typeapplication/json
AuthorizationBearer ACCESS_TOKEN

Request Parameters (Body)

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
customerIdGUIDUnique identifier for the customer, obtained from the Config API. This identifier persists throughout the customer's lifetime on the platform. For details on retrieving a customer ID, please refer to the Config API documentation.
sessionIdGUIDUnique identifier for the session, consistent throughout the session's duration. For information on obtaining a session ID, please refer to the Config API documentation.
eventsArray of objectsArray of objects detailing purchase events. Each purchase event object will contain the following properties:

Event Object Definition

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
currentUrlstringURL where the purchase was completed.
eventTimedateTimeUTC timestamp of when the purchase occurred.
orderNumberstringOrder number or reference for the purchase.
subTotaldecimalSub-total amount of the purchase (excluding tax, shipping, etc.).
totalPricedecimalTotal price of the purchase (including tax, shipping, etc.).
currencyCodestringCurrency code for the purchase (3-letter ISO currency code).
deliveryFeedecimalDelivery fee for the purchase.
taxAmountdecimalTax amount for the purchase.
productsArray of objectsAn array of product objects. At least one product's information is required. Each product object will contain the following properties:
refId (string) [REQUIRED]: Product reference ID.
quantity (integer) [REQUIRED]: Quantity of the product purchased.
unitPrice (decimal) [REQUIRED]: Unit price of the product.
totalPrice (decimal) [REQUIRED]: Total price for this product (quantity × unit price).
isOnSale (boolean) [OPTIONAL]: Indicates if the product was purchased on sale.
discount (decimal) [OPTIONAL]: Discount amount applied to the product.
couponCode (string) [OPTIONAL]: Coupon code applied to the product.
PriceBeatPromotionCodesArray of objectsAn array of Price Beat promotion code objects. See Price Beat Promotion Codes for details.

Retailer Boost Campaign

The following properties are related to the Retailer Boost event tracking and are required to be sent as part of the product object in the payload for Retailer Boost analytics and reporting.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
retailBoostCollectionCampaignIdGUIDThe identifier of the Retailer Boost Collection Campaign. This is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.

Retail Media

The following properties are related to the Retail Media event tracking and are required to be sent as part of the product object in the payload for Retail Media analytics and spend calculation.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
adSetIdGUIDThe identifier of the Ad Set. This is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.
adSetVersionintegerThe version of the Ad Set. This is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.
costPerClickdecimalThe cost per click on a sponsored slot is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.
costPerActiondecimalThe cost per action on a sponsored slot, if applicable. This is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.
costPerMilledecimalThe cost per mille on a sponsored slot, if applicable. This is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.
timeStamptimestampThe timestamp provided as part of the product's slot data in the Recommendations API response payload. This is the timestamp when the slot was populated.
hmacSaltstringString of 16 random characters generated by recommender. Used for calculating and validating HMAC field. This is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.
hmacstringThe hash-based message authentication code (HMAC) generated using the adSetId, hmacSalt, any of the cost fields, timeStamp. This is used to validate the authenticity of the slot impression event. This is provided as part of the slot data for the product in the Recommendations API response payload.
keywordIdGUIDClient generated Id. Required if the Retail Media slot was populated as part of a Keyword Targeting campaign. Generated as part of the search-keywords event.
note

At least one of the cost parameters (costPerClick, costPerAction, or costPerMille) must be provided when sending Retail Media tracking data.

The keywordId is only needed if the Retail Media slot was populated as part of a Keyword Targeting campaign. The keywordId is generated as part of the search-keywords event triggered when the Recommendations API is called with a specific keyword.

Price Beat Promotion Codes

If any Price Beat coupon codes are applied to the purchase, they should be included in the purchase event. This information is crucial for tracking which Price Beat promotions are being converted into actual purchases.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
CodestringThe Price Beat promotion code applied to the purchase.
ValuenumberThe discount value of the Price Beat promotion code.
note

When using Price Beat promotion codes in a purchase event, it's important to mark the coupon as used after the purchase is completed. This prevents the same customer from reusing the same coupon. See Mark Coupon as Used API for details.

If you're using our JavaScript tag on your purchase confirmation page, we will automatically handle marking the coupon as used, and you don't need to make the additional API call.

Example Request Payload

{
"customerId": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"sessionId": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"events": [
{
"currentUrl": "https://www.example.com/purchase/confirmation",
"eventTime": "1970-01-01T14:00:00.000Z",
"orderNumber": "ORD-12345",
"subTotal": 123.45,
"totalPrice": 145.67,
"currencyCode": "USD",
"deliveryFee": 10.00,
"taxAmount": 12.22,
"products": [
{
"refId": "product-1",
"quantity": 2,
"unitPrice": 9.99,
"totalPrice": 19.98,
"isOnSale": true,
"discount": 2.00,
"couponCode": "SAVE10",

"retailBoostCollectionCampaignId": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",

"adSetId": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"adSetVersion": 1,
"costPerClick": 0.5,
"timeStamp": 638481477292391000,
"hmacSalt": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"hmac": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"keywordId": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
},
{
"refId": "product-2",
"quantity": 1,
"unitPrice": 99.99,
"totalPrice": 99.99
}
],
"PriceBeatPromotionCodes": [
{
"Code": "PB10XXXXXXXXX",
"Value": 10
}
]
}
]
}

Response

On Success

On successful post, the returned status code will be 202, and the payload will contain the status message "Accepted" and a transaction ID.

{
"transactionId": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"status": "Accepted"
}

On Error

If there are any errors, the response status code will not be 202, and the relevant error messages will be provided as part of "errors" in the returned message. Here is an example:

{
"errors": {
"events[0].Products[0].RefId": [
"'Product Ref Id' must not be empty."
]
},
"type": "https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7231#section-6.5.1",
"title": "One or more validation errors occurred.",
"status": 400,
"traceId": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}

Example Usage (JavaScript)

Here's an example code snippet using JavaScript's Fetch API:

const url = 'https://<PA_END_POINT>/3.0/events/purchases';
const accessToken = 'YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'; // Replace with your actual access token
const body = {
customerId: 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx',
sessionId: 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx',
events: [
{
currentUrl: 'https://www.example.com/purchase/confirmation',
eventTime: '1970-01-01T14:00:00.000Z',
orderNumber: 'ORD-12345',
subTotal: 123.45,
totalPrice: 145.67,
currencyCode: 'USD',
deliveryFee: 10.00,
taxAmount: 12.22,
products: [
{
refId: 'product-1',
quantity: 2,
unitPrice: 9.99,
totalPrice: 19.98,
isOnSale: true,
discount: 2.00,
couponCode: 'SAVE10'
},
{
refId: 'product-2',
quantity: 1,
unitPrice: 99.99,
totalPrice: 99.99
}
],
// Include Price Beat promotion codes if applicable
PriceBeatPromotionCodes: [
{
Code: 'PB10XXXXXXXXX',
Value: 10
}
]
}
]
};

fetch(url, {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify(body)
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log('Purchase Recorded:', data))
.catch(error => console.error('Error recording Purchase:', error));

Mark Coupon as Used API

After recording a purchase with Price Beat promotion codes, you need to mark the coupon as used to prevent reuse. This step is only necessary if you don't have our JavaScript tag on your purchase confirmation page.

API Endpoint

Method: GET
URL: https://extension.api.similarinc.com/b2b/coupon/mark_as_used

Query Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
codestringThe Price Beat promotion code to mark as used.
clientstringYour client website ID.

Example Usage (JavaScript)

// After recording the purchase with a Price Beat promotion code
const couponCode = 'PB10XXXXXXXXX';
const clientId = 'eab34b0a-47ed-ec11-aae9-02dca44cceec'; // Your client website ID

fetch(`https://extension.api.similarinc.com/b2b/coupon/mark_as_used?code=${encodeURIComponent(couponCode)}&client=${encodeURIComponent(clientId)}`, {
method: 'GET'
})
.then(response => {
if (response.ok) {
console.log('Coupon marked as used successfully');
} else {
console.error('Failed to mark coupon as used');
}
})
.catch(error => console.error('Error marking coupon as used:', error));

Summary

This document provides details about the Purchase API, which is essential for tracking successful transactions in your eCommerce application:

  • The API is used to capture customer purchase activities for analytics and conversion tracking
  • The endpoint uses a POST method with URL https://<PA_END_POINT>/3.0/events/purchases
  • Required parameters include customer ID, session ID, and purchase details such as order number, prices, currency, and product information
  • Price Beat promotion codes can be included to track which promotions are being converted to purchases
  • After recording a purchase with Price Beat promotion codes, you need to mark the coupon as used via the Mark Coupon as Used API
  • The API returns a 202 status code with a transaction ID on successful recording
  • Error responses include relevant error messages and a 400 status code
  • JavaScript examples demonstrate how to implement the API calls in your application