Ecommerce tracking

note

Snowplow ecommerce tracking was added in version 5.4.0. With the addition of these new ecommerce events and entities, we have deprecated the old EcommerceTransaction and EcommerceTransactionItem events. Migration guide.

The Snowplow ecommerce tracking APIs enable you to track events from your ecommerce store on the web as well as mobile apps. A complete setup journey, including data modeling and visualization, is showcased in the Ecommerce Accelerator.

All ecommerce events must be manually tracked; there is no ecommerce auto-tracking.

Ecommerce events

Ecommerce events are tracked like normal Snowplow events. For example, tracking an ecommerce ProductViewEvent event:

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let tracker = Snowplow.createTracker(namespace: "appTracker", endpoint: "https://snowplow-collector-url.com")

let product = ProductEntity(
  id: "productId", 
  category: "category", 
  currency: "GBP", 
  price: 100
)
let event = ProductViewEvent(product: product)
let eventId = tracker.track(event)

val tracker = Snowplow.createTracker(
    context = applicationContext, // Android context
    namespace = "appTracker",
    endpoint = "https://snowplow-collector-url.com" // Event collector URL
)

val event = ProductViewEvent(ProductEntity(
  id = "productId", 
  category = "category", 
  currency = "GBP", 
  price = 100
  )
)
tracker.track(event)

TrackerController tracker = Snowplow.createTracker(
      getApplicationContext(), // Android context
      "appTracker", // namespace
      "https://snowplow-collector-url.com" // Event collector URL
);

ProductViewEvent event = new ProductViewEvent(new ProductEntity(
  "productId", // id
  "category",  // category
  "GBP", // currency
  100 // price
  )
);         
tracker.track(event);

Add or update properties using setters. For example, adding data to a PromotionEntity:

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let promotion = PromotionEntity(id: "promoId")
promotion.name = "bogof"
promotion.type = "popup"

val promotion = PromotionEntity(id = "promoId")
promotion.name = "bogof"
promotion.type = "popup"

PromotionEvent promotion = new PromotionEntity("promoId");
promotion.setName("bogof");
promotion.setType("popup");

This table lists all the ecommerce events.

`Event`	Used for
`ProductViewEvent`	Tracking a visit to a product detail screen. Also known as product detail view.
`AddToCartEvent`	Track an addition to cart.
`RemoveFromCartEvent`	Track a removal from cart.
`ProductListViewEvent`	Track an impression of a product list. The list could be a search results page, recommended products, upsells etc.
`ProductListClickEvent`	Track the click/selection of a product from a product list.
`PromotionViewEvent`	Track an impression for an internal promotion banner or slider or any other type of content that showcases internal products/categories.
`PromotionClickEvent`	Track the click/selection of an internal promotion.
`CheckoutStepEvent`	Track a checkout step completion in the checkout process together with common step attributes for user choices throughout the checkout funnel.
`TransactionEvent`	Track a transaction/purchase completion.
`TransactionErrorEvent`	Track a failed transaction.
`RefundEvent`	Track a transaction partial or complete refund.

Each ecommerce event is a self-describing event using a single schema, iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/snowplow_ecommerce_action/jsonschema/1-0-2.

Ecommerce action event properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
type	Y	string	Specific ecommerce event type (automatically tracked).
name	N	string	For `ProductListView` and `ProductListClick` events: human-readable list name

The events are distinguished by their type property, which is different for each Event class tracked. Aside from the optional list name in the ProductListViewEvent and ProductListClickEvent events, all tracked ecommerce properties are tracked as entities.

note

Check out the API docs (Android, iOS) for the full details of each Event and Entity.

ProductView

Tracking a visit to a details screen for a specific product.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let product = ProductEntity(
  id: "plow2", 
  category: "snow.clearance.ploughs.large", 
  currency: "NOK", 
  price: 5000
)
let event = ProductViewEvent(product: product)

tracker.track(event)

val product = ProductEntity(
  id = "plow2", 
  category = "snow.clearance.ploughs.large", 
  currency = "NOK", 
  price = 5000
)
val event = ProductViewEvent(product)

tracker.track(event)

ProductViewEvent event = new ProductViewEvent(new ProductEntity(
    "plow2", // id
    "snow.clearance.ploughs.large",  // category
    "NOK", // currency
    5000 // price
  )
); 

tracker.track(event);

AddToCart

Tracking one or more products being added to a cart.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let product = ProductEntity(
  id: "productId", 
  category: "clothes/shirts", 
  currency: "EUR", 
  price: 100.50
)
let cart = CartEntity(totalValue: 200, currency: "EUR")
let event = AddToCartEvent(products: [product], cart: cart)

tracker.track(event)

val product = ProductEntity(
  id = "productId", 
  category = "clothes/shirts", 
  currency = "EUR", 
  price = 100.50
)
val cart = CartEntity(totalValue = 200, currency = "EUR")
val event = AddToCartEvent(listOf(product), cart)

tracker.track(event)

ProductEntity product = new ProductEntity(
  "productId", // id
  "clothes/shirts", // category
  "EUR", // currency
  100.50 // price
);
List<Product> products = new ArrayList<>();
products.add(product);

CartEntity cart = new CartEntity(
  200, // totalValue
  "EUR" // currency
);
AddToCartEvent event = new AddToCartEvent(products, cart);

tracker.track(event);

RemoveFromCart

Tracking one or more products being removed from a cart.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let product = ProductEntity(id: "productId", category: "clothes/shirts", currency: "EUR", price: 100.50)
let cart = CartEntity(totalValue: 200, currency: "EUR")
let event = RemoveFromCartEvent(products: [product], cart: cart)

tracker.track(event)

val product = ProductEntity(
  id = "productId", 
  category = "clothes/shirts", 
  currency = "EUR", 
  price = 100.50
)
val cart = CartEntity(totalValue = 200, currency = "EUR")
val event = RemoveFromCartEvent(listOf(product), cart)

tracker.track(event)

ProductEntity product = new ProductEntity(
  "productId", // id
  "clothes/shirts", // category
  "EUR", // currency
  100.50 // price
);
List<Product> products = new ArrayList<>();
products.add(product);

CartEntity cart = new CartEntity(
  200, // totalValue
  "EUR" // currency
);
RemoveFromCartEvent event = new RemoveFromCartEvent(products, cart);

tracker.track(event);

ProductListView

Track an impression of a list of products. You can optionally provide a name for the list.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let product = ProductEntity(id: "productId", category: "software", currency: "USD", price: 99.99)
let event = ProductListViewEvent(products: [product], name: "snowplowProducts")

tracker.track(event)

val product = ProductEntity(
  id = "productId", 
  category = "software", 
  currency = "USD", 
  price = 99.99
)
val event = ProductListViewEvent(listOf(product), name = "snowplowProducts")

tracker.track(event)

ProductEntity product = new ProductEntity(
  "productId", // id
  "software", // category
  "USD", // currency
  99.99 // price
);
List<Product> products = new ArrayList<>();
products.add(product);
ProductListViewEvent event = new ProductListViewEvent(
  products, // products
  "snowplowProducts" // name
);

tracker.track(event);

ProductListClick

Track a specific product being selected from a list. You can optionally provide a name for the list.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let product = ProductEntity(id: "productId", category: "software", currency: "USD", price: 99.99)
let event = ProductListClickEvent(product: product, name: "snowplowProducts")

tracker.track(event)

val product = ProductEntity(
  id = "productId", 
  category = "software", 
  currency = "USD", 
  price = 99.99
)
val event = ProductListClickEvent(product, name = "snowplowProducts")

tracker.track(event)

ProductEntity product = new ProductEntity(
  "productId", // id
  "software", // category
  "USD", // currency
  99.99 // price
);
ProductListClickEvent event = new ProductListClickEvent(
  product, // product
  "snowplowProducts" // name
);

tracker.track(event);

CheckoutStep

Track the completion of a step in the checkout funnel, along with common checkout properties such as payment method or coupon code. See the API docs for the full details (Android, iOS).

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let event = CheckoutStepEvent(step: 3, deliveryMethod: "next_day")

tracker.track(event)

val event = CheckoutStepEvent(step = 3, deliveryMethod = "next_day")

tracker.track(event)

CheckoutStepEvent event = new CheckoutStepEvent(
  3, // step
  null, // shippingPostcode
  null, // billingPostcode
  null, // shippingFullAddress
  null, // billingFullAddress
  "next_day" // deliveryMethod
);

tracker.track(event);

Transaction

Track the completion of a purchase or transaction, along with common transaction properties such as shipping cost or discount amount.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let transaction = TransactionEntity(
  transactionId: "id-123", 
  revenue: 50000, 
  currency: "JPY", 
  paymentMethod: "debit", 
  totalQuantity: 2
)
let event = TransactionEvent(transaction)

tracker.track(event)

val transaction = TransactionEntity(
  id = "id-123", 
  revenue = 50000,
  currency = "JPY",
  paymentMethod = "debit",
  totalQuantity = 2
)
val event = TransactionEvent(transaction)

tracker.track(event)

TransactionEntity transaction = new TransactionEntity(
  "id-123", // id
  50000, // revenue
  "JPY", // currency
  "debit", // paymentMethod
  2 // totalQuantity
);
TransactionEvent event = new TransactionEvent(transaction);

tracker.track(event);

TransactionError

Track an error occurring during a transaction.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let transaction = TransactionEntity(
  transactionId: "id-123", 
  revenue: 50000, 
  currency: "JPY", 
  paymentMethod: "debit", 
  totalQuantity: 2
)
let event = TransactionErrorEvent(
  transaction: transaction, 
  errorCode: "E05", 
  errorDescription: "connection_failure"
)

tracker.track(event)

val transaction = TransactionEntity(
  id = "id-123", 
  revenue = 50000,
  currency = "JPY",
  paymentMethod = "debit",
  totalQuantity = 2
)
val event = TransactionErrorEvent(
    transaction = transaction, 
    errorCode = "E05",
    errorDescription = "connection_failure"
)

tracker.track(event)

TransactionEntity transaction = new TransactionEntity(
  "id-123", // id
  50000, // revenue
  "JPY", // currency
  "debit", // paymentMethod
  2 // totalQuantity
);
TransactionErrorEvent event = new TransactionErrorEvent(
    transaction, // transaction
    "E05", // errorCode
    null, // errorShortcode
    "connection_failure" // errorDescription
);

tracker.track(event);

Refund

Track a refund being requested for part of, or the entirety of, a transaction.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let event = RefundEvent(
  transactionId: "id-123", // use the transaction ID from the original Transaction event
  refundAmount: 20000, 
  currency: "JPY"
)

tracker.track(event)

val event = Refund(
    id = "id-123", // use the transaction ID from the original Transaction event
    refundAmount = 20000,
    currency = "JPY"
)

tracker.track(event)

RefundEvent event = new RefundEvent(
    "id-123", // id; use the transaction ID from the original Transaction event
    20000, // refundAmount
    "JPY" // currency
);

tracker.track(event);

PromotionView

Track an impression for any kind of internal promotion.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let promotion = PromotionEntity(id: "promoId")
let event = PromotionViewEvent(promotion: promotion)

tracker.track(event)

val promotion = PromotionEntity(id = "promoId")
val event = PromotionViewEvent(promotion)

tracker.track(event)

PromotionEntity promotion = new PromotionEntity("promoId");
PromotionViewEvent event = new PromotionViewEvent(promotion);

tracker.track(event);

PromotionClick

Track an internal promotion being selected.

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let promotion = PromotionEntity(id: "promoId")
let event = PromotionViewEvent(promotion: promotion)

tracker.track(event)

val promotion = PromotionEntity(id = "promoId")
val event = PromotionClick(promotion)

tracker.track(event)

PromotionEntity promotion = new PromotionEntity("promoId");
PromotionClickEvent event = new PromotionClickEvent(promotion);

tracker.track(event);

Ecommerce entities

Product entity

The product entity is used in several ecommerce events. It contains information about the product the user is interacting with.

Product entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
id	Y	string	The SKU or product ID.
category	Y	string	Category the product belongs to.
currency	Y	string	Currency in which the product is priced.
price	Y	number	Current price.
listPrice	N	boolean	Recommended or list price.
name	N	string	Product name or title.
quantity	N	integer	Quantity of the product (for cart events).
size	N	string	Product size.
variant	N	string	Product variant.
brand	N	string	Product brand.
inventoryStatus	N	string	Inventory status, e.g. in stock.
position	N	integer	Position in a list of products.
creativeId	N	string	Identifier for the creative shown.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/product/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Cart entity

The cart entity is used for AddToCart and RemoveFromCart events.

Cart entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
totalValue	Y	number	Total cart value after this action.
currency	Y	string	Currency used for the cart.
cartId	N	string	Unique cart identifier.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/cart/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Checkout step entity

The checkout step entity is used for CheckoutStep events.

Checkout step entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
step	Y	integer	Checkout step index.
shippingPostcode	N	string	Shipping address postcode.
billingPostcode	N	string	Billing address postcode.
shippingFullAddress	N	string	Shipping address.
billingFullAddress	N	string	Billing address.
deliveryProvider	N	string	Delivery provider e.g. DHL, Royal Mail.
deliveryMethod	N	string	How the customer will get the product.
couponCode	N	string	An applied coupon.
accountType	N	string	Customer account type, e.g. guest
paymentMethod	N	string	Payment method selected.
proofOfPayment	N	string	e.g. invoice, receipt
marketingOptIn	N	boolean	Whether the user email address is opted into marketing campaigns.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/checkout_step/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Transaction entity

The transaction entity is used for Transaction and TransactionError events.

Transaction entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
transactionId	Y	string	Unique transaction identifier.
revenue	Y	number	Value of transaction.
currency	Y	string	Currency used in transaction.
paymentMethod	Y	string	Payment method used.
totalQuantity	Y	integer	Number of items in the transaction.
tax	N	number	Tax value in transaction.
shipping	N	number	Shipping costs in transaction.
discountCode	N	string	An applied discount code.
discountAmount	N	string	Amount discounted from transaction.
creditOrder	N	boolean	Whether the transaction is a credit order.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/transaction/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Transaction error entity

The transaction error entity is used for TransactionError events.

Transaction error entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
errorCode	N	string	Error-identifying code.
errorShortcode	N	string	Shortcode for the error.
errorDescription	N	string	Longer description.
errorType	N	string enum	Is the error "hard" or "soft".
resolution	N	string	The chosen error resolution.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/transaction_error/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Refund entity

The refund entity is used for Refund events.

Refund entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
transactionId	Y	string	The identifier from the original transaction.
refundAmount	Y	number	Amount to be refunded.
currency	Y	string	Currency used in transaction.
refundReason	N	string	Reason for the refund.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/refund/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Promotion entity

The promotion entity is used for PromotionView and PromotionClick events.

Promotion entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
id	Y	string	The unique promotion identifier.
name	N	string	Promotion name.
productIds	N	list of strings	IDs of products in the promotion.
position	N	integer	Index of the promotion in a list such as a banner.
creativeId	N	string	Identifier for the promotion creative.
type	N	string	Type of promotion.
slot	N	string	Where the promotion was displayed.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/promotion/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Global ecommerce entities Screen/Page and User

Use these APIs to add ecommerce context information to every subsequent event tracked.

note

These entities will be added to all events, not just ecommerce ones. This is for consistency with entities in the JavaScript tracker.

Ecommerce Screen (Page) entity

note

The setEcommerceScreen method adds a Page (rather than Screen) entity to all events, for consistency with web tracking.

The Ecommerce Screen/Page entity helps in grouping insights by screen/page type, e.g. Product description, Product list, Home screen.

To set a Screen/Page entity you can use the setEcommerceScreen method:

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let entity = EcommerceScreenEntity(type: "demo_app_screen")
Snowplow.defaultTracker()?.ecommerce.setEcommerceScreen(entity)

// setting EcommerceScreen again will replace the original entity
let newEntity = EcommerceScreenEntity(type: "product_list", language: "EN-GB", locale: "UK")
Snowplow.defaultTracker()?.ecommerce.setEcommerceScreen(newEntity)

// remove the saved properties and stop the Page entity being added
Snowplow.defaultTracker()?.ecommerce.removeEcommerceScreen()

val entity = EcommerceScreenEntity(type = "demo_app_screen")
Snowplow.defaultTracker?.ecommerce.setEcommerceScreen(entity)

// setting EcommerceScreen again will replace the original entity
val newEntity = EcommerceScreenEntity(type = "product_list", language = "EN-GB", locale = "UK")
Snowplow.defaultTracker?.ecommerce.setEcommerceScreen(newEntity)

// remove the saved properties and stop the Page entity being added
Snowplow.defaultTracker?.ecommerce.removeEcommerceScreen()

EcommerceScreenEntity entity = new EcommerceScreenEntity(
  "demo_app_screen" // type
)
Snowplow.getDefaultTracker().getEcommerce().setEcommerceScreen(entity);

// setting EcommerceScreen again will replace the original entity
EcommerceScreenEntity newEntity = new EcommerceScreenEntity(
  "product_list", // type
  "EN-GB", // language
  "UK" // locale
)
Snowplow.getDefaultTracker().getEcommerce().setEcommerceScreen(newEntity);

// remove the saved properties and stop the Page entity being added
Snowplow.getDefaultTracker().getEcommerce().removeEcommerceScreen();

Screen/Page entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
type	Y	string	Type of screen.
language	N	string	Language used for the screen.
locale	N	string	Locale version.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/page/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Ecommerce User entity

The Ecommerce User entity helps in modeling guest/non-guest account interactions.

To set an Ecommerce User entity you can use the setEcommerceUser method with the following attributes:

iOS
Android (Kotlin)
Android (Java)

let entity = EcommerceUserEntity(id: "userId12345", isGuest: true)
Snowplow.defaultTracker()?.ecommerce.setEcommerceUser(entity)

// setting EcommerceUser again will replace the original entity
let newEntity = EcommerceUserEntity(id: "userId67890", isGuest: false, email: "email@email.com")
Snowplow.defaultTracker()?.ecommerce.setEcommerceUser(newEntity)

// remove the saved properties and stop the User entity being added
Snowplow.defaultTracker()?.ecommerce.removeEcommerceUser()

val entity = EcommerceUserEntity(id = "userId12345", isGuest = true)
Snowplow.defaultTracker?.ecommerce.setEcommerceUser(entity)

// setting EcommerceUser again will replace the original entity
val newEntity = EcommerceUserEntity(id = "userId67890", isGuest = false, email = "email@email.com")
Snowplow.defaultTracker?.ecommerce.setEcommerceUser(newEntity)

// remove the saved properties and stop the User entity being added
Snowplow.defaultTracker?.ecommerce.removeEcommerceUser()

EcommerceUserEntity entity = new EcommerceUserEntity(
  "userId12345", // id
  true // isGuest
)
Snowplow.getDefaultTracker().getEcommerce().setEcommerceUser(entity);

// setting ScreenType again will replace the original entity
EcommerceUserEntity newEntity = new EcommerceUserEntity(
  "userId67890", // id
  false, // isGuest
  "email@email.com" // email
)
Snowplow.getDefaultTracker().getEcommerce().setEcommerceUser(newEntity);

// remove the saved properties and stop the Page entity being added
Snowplow.getDefaultTracker().getEcommerce().removeEcommerceUser();

User entity properties

Request Key	Required	Type/Format	Description
id	Y	string	The unique user identifier.
isGuest	N	boolean	Whether the user is a guest.
email	N	string	User email address.

Schema: iglu:com.snowplowanalytics.snowplow.ecommerce/user/jsonschema/1-0-0.

Ecommerce tracking

Ecommerce events​

ProductView​

AddToCart​

RemoveFromCart​

ProductListView​

ProductListClick​

CheckoutStep​

Transaction​

TransactionError​

Refund​

PromotionView​

PromotionClick​

Ecommerce entities​

Product entity​

Cart entity​

Checkout step entity​

Transaction entity​

Transaction error entity​

Refund entity​

Promotion entity​

Global ecommerce entities Screen/Page and User​

Ecommerce Screen (Page) entity​

Ecommerce User entity​

Ecommerce events

ProductView

AddToCart

RemoveFromCart

ProductListView

ProductListClick

CheckoutStep

Transaction

TransactionError

Refund

PromotionView

PromotionClick

Ecommerce entities

Product entity

Cart entity

Checkout step entity

Transaction entity

Transaction error entity

Refund entity

Promotion entity

Global ecommerce entities Screen/Page and User

Ecommerce Screen (Page) entity

Ecommerce User entity