Shopper Context Best Practices

The Shopper Context API is essential for managing personalized shopping experiences on your storefront. It is designed to optimize interactions for both guest and registered users by setting context-specific attributes that enhance personalization and efficiency.

When setting shopper context, the API utilizes the USID derived from the SLAS token, ensuring a seamless and secure integration.

important: - Always set shopper context information from your Backend for Frontend (BFF) using private clients. Do not use public clients for this purpose.

• Include the siteId query parameter in all Shopper Context API requests (GET, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE).

When to Set Shopper Context

• Initial visit or login: Implement shopper context when a shopper logs in or initially visits the storefront, immediately after obtaining the SLAS (Shopper Login and Access Services) token.
• Token refresh: For SLAS token refresh, reuse the existing USID to maintain continuity and prevent duplicate records. This is important due to the resources available to store shopper context data.
• Shopper login transition: Set shopper context when:
  • A guest shopper subsequently logs in as a registered shopper.
  • A registered shopper subsequently logs in as a guest shopper.
• Session Management: Reset the context upon user login as logging out clears the existing shopper context.

Shopper Context Updates

• Context lifetime: Shopper context records last 1 day for guest shoppers and 7 days for registered shoppers. Regular updates are crucial to keep the context current.
• Quota limits: Be aware of the default quota limits for the number of shopper context records that can be created in a B2C Commerce instance:
  • 5000 records for non-Production instances.
  • 5 million for Production instances.
  • If you have a legitimate need to increase the limit in your Production instances, contact your Customer Success Manager or Account Executive.
  • Some steps to take before reaching out to increase the quota limits:
    • Lower the Time-to-live (TTL) for registered shopper context from 7 days to 1 or 2 days to automatically clear out context information. Context information can be reset when the shopper logs in again.
    • Reuse the USID for the same shopper to avoid duplicate shopper context records.
    • Explicitly log out shoppers to delete the corresponding shopper context record.
  • In B2C Commerce version 25.1, view your quota and usage. Log in to Business Manager and navigate to Administration > Site Development > Salesforce Commerce API Settings.
• Avoid duplicates: Reuse USIDs and verify existing contexts before setting new ones.
• Efficient resource use: Regularly update existing contexts to optimize the limited storage available.
• Preferred timing for updates: Align context updates with token refresh events to maintain consistency and minimize redundant updates.

Integration

• Update your API integrations to include the siteId query parameter in all requests to the Shopper Context API. The following example shows the updated request format:

shopper/shopper-context/v1/organizations/{organizationId}/shopper-context/{usid}?siteId={siteId}

When Not to Use Shopper Context

Do not use Shopper Context when attributes like customer profiles and addresses are automatically assigned and evaluated.

Shopper Context Use Cases

• Store personalization: At login, use the Shopper Context API to set the store ID in both the customerQualifier and assignment qualifier, ensuring tailored interactions per store.
• Dynamic personalization: Use store IDs from the Shopper Context for personalized pricing and promotions during the session.
  • The store ID is retrieved from the context and stored in the session for future reference, for example: session.custom.storeId.
  • If dynamic customer groups are set for specific store IDs, it activates experiences assigned with the corresponding customer groups.
• Pricebook and promotion triggers: Use shopper context to activate specific pricebooks and promotions. For example, setting the store ID to BOST1 might trigger the BOSPRICEBOOK and 10%OFFPROMOTION for that particular store. Subsequent product retrieval calls will return personalized responses based on these triggers.

Constraints

Sorting Rules are not supported.