Visitor Properties Overview

Visitor Properties allow you to track detailed, visitor-specific information alongside events in Ours. These properties are securely handled and can be customized for each destination to meet privacy and compliance requirements.

By default, we either hash or redact visitor properties like email or phone_number before sending them to destinations. You can also configure how visitor properties are handled for each destination.

Identity via Visitor Properties

The email and external_id are special properties used to identify a visitor.

If you include email or external_id in the request, Ours will use them to look up the visitor in the database. If the visitor is not found, a new visitor will be created. Otherwise, the current and future events will be associated with the existing visitor.

What Are Visitor Properties?

Visitor Properties are attributes that describe the visitor performing an action, such as their email address, name, or location. These properties are tracked separately from event properties and provide richer insights into visitor behavior.

Ours ensures that all visitor properties are:

• Securely Handled: By default, visitor properties are hashed, redacted, or manipulated before being forwarded to destinations.
• Configurable: You can control how visitor properties are processed for each destination.

Supported Visitor Properties

Ours supports the following visitor properties:

How to Send Visitor Properties

You can send visitor properties to Ours in two ways:

1. Using the Identify Action

The identify action is used to associate visitor properties with a specific visitor. For example:

ours('identify', { email: '[email protected]', first_name: 'John', last_name: 'Doe' });

2. As Part of an Event

You can include visitor properties in the fourth argument of the track action:

ours('track', 'EventName', { event_property: 'value' }, { email: '[email protected]' });

Automatically Collected Properties

Ours collects some visitor device properties by default, including:

• IP address
• User agent
• Referrer
• UTM Parameters: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content
• Ad Click IDs: gclid, fbclid, ttclid, msclkid

These default properties are included in every event without requiring additional configuration.

Destination-Specific Handling of Visitor Properties

Different destinations have unique requirements and capabilities for handling visitor properties. For example:

• Facebook Ads: Supports all visitor properties. Sending additional properties like email, phone_number, and city improves match rates for ad audiences.
• Google Ads: Supports email. This property is hashed before being forwarded.

To configure how visitor properties are sent to specific destinations, refer to Data Mapping.

Privacy and Compliance

Ours is a privacy-forward platform that prioritizes the secure handling of visitor properties. You can configure:

• Hashing: Hash sensitive properties like email or phone numbers before sending them to destinations.
• Redaction: Remove specific properties entirely for destinations where they're not required.
• Custom Transformations: Apply additional logic to visitor properties via mappers to meet compliance needs.

For more details, see Data Access and Privacy.

Best Practices for Visitor Properties

1. Limit Sensitive Data:
   • Avoid sending unnecessary sensitive data to destinations.
2. Use the Identify Action:
   • Track persistent visitor properties with identify for better visitor resolution.
3. Configure Destination Settings:
   • Customize visitor property handling for each destination to comply with privacy regulations.
4. Test Using the Dashboard:
   • Verify tracked visitor properties in the Recent Events Dashboard.

Debugging Visitor Properties

If visitor properties are not being sent as expected:

1. Check Your Code:
   • Ensure that visitor properties are correctly included in the identify or track calls.
2. Verify Destination Requirements:
   • Confirm that the destination supports the visitor property you're sending.
3. Inspect the Dashboard:
   • Use the Recent Events Dashboard to debug visitor property data.