Design Studio offers extensive possibilities for creating personalized and dynamic content, allowing every recipient to receive a unique version of the sendout. Data is the fuel for this dynamic content and it can come from various sources, such as a contact’s first name, active promotions, abandoned cart products, or information retrieved from your API.
By using data, you can dynamically change values (such as reward points in a text), repeat layout elements (e.g., listing products), or show and hide elements based on data conditions.
Dynamic text
Dynamic text can be inserted both in the canvas and other text fields, like URLs.
Look for the data icon and click it to input your data.
A dialog will open where you can select the data parameter. You can also apply formatting to modify how the value appears, depending on the data type. A fallback value can be set in case the data is missing when the sendout is rendered.
When a data parameter is added, it appears as a small grey tag (known as a "personalization field"). Double-click the personalization field to edit or view its settings.
Starter modules
Creating dynamic layouts can sometimes be complex. To help you get started, explore the Starter Modules, which include working examples you can style and customize.
Data sources and repeaters
Data sources and repeaters allow you to bring in data from other places in Engage and use that to create dynamic and personalized content in sendouts. Read about them in this article.
Display conditions
You can already manually hide elements using the Eye icon in the overview panel. However, for dynamic visibility based on data, use Display Conditions.
Display conditions can be applied to any element.
An element will appear if its defined criteria are fulfilled.
If the criteria aren't met, the element can be hidden—or you can choose to show the next element as fallback.
Max 10 parameters can be evaluated in a criteria. For more complex citeras consider creating a Target Audience and use as criteria.
If you're familiar with coding, you can see display conditions as similar to IF/ELSE statements.
Contact attribute in display condition
If you want to use a contact attribute in a display condition but can't find it when setting up the condition, you should verify that the attribute is set to Allow in personalization. This setting is required for an attribute to be available in a sendout. See more about contact attribute settings here.
Previewing with data
The Design Studio allows you to preview your layout with dynamic data, letting you see the sendout as it would look with live or sample data.
To use this function:
Select the switch above the canvas to activate data preview. Depending on the settings, you’ll see either real or sample data.
Click the cog icon to search for a specific contact, or to select a segmentation to take a random contact from.
This then loads that contact’s relevant data, such as active promotions and member level.
The preview uses the contact's data but does not show the actual sendout the contact will get. For instance, localization may look incorrect if the sendout is in Danish but the contact has German promotions.
Adding an unsubscribe link
When adding an unsubscribe link to your design, it's vital that you use a personalized field so that every recipient receives a link adapted for them. Do not copy in a static unsubscribe link because then every recipient will get the same link which will try to unsubscribe whoever was in the copied link.
Adding a personalized field for your unsubscribe link looks like this:
Compliance when using personal data
When you introduce new uses of personal data for dynamic sendout content (such as tailored recommendations or post-purchase journeys), document each new purpose alongside your existing ones. For every purpose, designate and record the appropriate legal basis under GDPR.
Finally, ensure your privacy policy explicitly covers all such new processing activities.