Custom Attributes

Custom attributes are extensions to the customer or product record (additional data fields) that can be used to store non-standard data. You can use this data in profiles to target customers.

Custom attributes for customers can be used to dynamically insert customer attribute data in email communications by using reference tags.

Use custom attributes to search for products and groups of products according to the criteria important to you. You can use custom attributes to create product classifications other than those provided by formal product catalog categories and brands.

Note:
  • For customer targeting, customer custom attributes are available.
  • For basket targeting, product custom attributes are available.

Custom attribute fields can be used in many different ways. Some suggestions and examples include:

  • Set up a Product Custom Attribute titled "InventoryPushed" and use this attribute to search for items marked as Closeout, Overstocked, and so on when creating an offer. (Custom attribute for Products.)
  • Collect and use customers' birthdays or anniversaries. (Custom attribute for Customers.)
  • Store customer lifetime value (which you recalculate at update regularly) and target customers on the basis of this value. (Custom attribute for Customers.)
  • Store external segment codes, such as PRIZM NE, for use in targeting customers. (Custom attribute for Customers.)
  • Search for products by characteristics that are not encoded in their SKUs. Custom attributes can store characteristics such as a theme or a subbrand or a quality that links a product to a market niche. Using product custom attributes, for example, you could characterize an item as Winter Collection, ChecksAndPlaids, and WrinkleResistant-Travel and search for it using any of these attributes. (Custom attribute for Products.)

Many of these applications of custom attributes require some level of professional services, but the expense is generally nominal.

Each custom attribute type is configured as one of the five specific data types: Lookup, Numeric, Text, FullDateTime, or DateTimeMonthDayOnly.