Create remote offers
Use remote offers to host content outside of Adobe Target that Target references and delivers to users’ websites. This content might be in a content management (CMS) or other system, either for ease-of-use or for security reasons.
Some examples of remote offers include:
- Different versions of your cross-sells
- Dynamic shopping cart messages
- Forms
- Calculators
- Interest rate updates
- Emails
- Kiosks
- Voice assistants
Best practices for using remote offers section_7718512D08E14121B6F6B8C38134F4BC
Best practices for using remote offers in your activities:
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If your offer resides in the same domain as the Target requests, using the Cached option lets you use relative URLs in describing your offer location.
This means that when you move your activity from your staging servers to production, the content will automatically be accessible without having to change the URL manually.
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If your test involves data dynamically generated by your server, the Dynamic option might be the right choice.
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If you plan to test only the appearance of your existing remote offer content, use the Visual Experience Composer to change the look and feel of the content that is returned from the content management system.
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Use the Remote Offer Selection Matrix (below) to help you choose the offer best suited for your specific case. Consult your account representative if you have questions.
Create a remote offer from the Code Offers page
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Click Offers, then select the Code Offers tab.
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Click Create > Remote Offer.
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Provide a descriptive name for the offer.
A descriptive name helps you and others quickly find the offer in the Assets library.
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Specify the Redirect URL type.
See Redirect URL Type: Cached or Dynamic below for more information.
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Specify the remote URL for the remote offer.
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Click Save.
Create a remote offer using the Form-Based Experience Composer
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While creating an activity using the Form-Based Experience Composer, select the location to display the Content section.
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Click the Default Content drop-down list, then click Change Remote Offer.
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Click Create > Remote Offer.
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Provide a descriptive name for the offer.
A descriptive name helps you and others quickly find the offer in the Assets library.
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Specify the Redirect URL type.
See Redirect URL Type: Cached or Dynamic below for more information.
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Specify the remote URL for the remote offer.
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Click Save.
Redirect URL Type: Cached or Dynamic url-type
The following information helps you understand the differences between the two options:
Cached URL
The content for a cached remote offer is served from Target.
Every two hours, Target fetches the content at the remote URL and then stores the content inside Target. When visitors load a site with an experience that includes a remote offer, the offer is delivered by Target.
Cached remote offers provide enhanced security because somebody logged in to Target cannot change the content. To change the content, someone would need to log in to the content management or other system and change the content there.
You can specify an absolute or relative URL for a cached remote offer.
Dynamic URL
A dynamic remote offer is served from the content management or other system rather than from Target.
You might not want the content periodically cached and then delivered by Target whenever visitors load a site with an experience that includes a remote offer. Instead, you want to call the system that is hosting the content, possibly pass in specific information so that the returned offer can be dynamic (or different) for each user. For example, if a user logs in to a website for a credit card that includes an experience with a dynamic remote offer, you could pass parameters into the URL for the user’s account information. Then the website could provide user-specific information, such as account balance.
You can click Add Parameter to add one or more Target requests or request parameters.
Use remote offers in activities
You must apply remote offers using the Form-Based Experience Composer. You cannot currently apply remote offers using the VEC.
The Adobe Target Form-Based Experience Composer is a non-visual experience and offer creation interface that’s useful in creating experiences for use in A/B Tests, Experience Targeting (XT), Automated Personalization (AP), and Recommendations activities when the visual experience composer is not available or practical for use. For example, you might use the Form-Based Experience Composer to create experiences that use remote offers.
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Create or edit an activity in the Form-Based Experience Composer.
See Form-Based Experience Composer for detailed step-by-step instructions.
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Specify the desired location and add any audience refinements as necessary.
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Click the drop-down list in the Content section, then click Change Remote Offer.
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Select the desired remote offer from the Select Remote Offer dialog box, then click Done.
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Finish configuring the activity.
How dynamic remote offers work concept_CC2A969420B34364A9FA78C1CE251818
Dynamic remote offers use your dynamic page technology to pass values to the offer.
The offer is executed after you render the page. An invisible iframe gathers the data, copies it out of the frame, and inserts in on the page, loading your passed values.
Remote offer selection matrix reference_B23BEDD29DDD47709A7651AFD27E776B
The Remote Offer Selection Matrix helps you decide which type of remote offer to choose: Cached or Dynamic.
Training video: Form-based Composer
This video provides a demo of the form-based composer, which you can use to create remote offers.
- Create an activity using the Form-Based Experience Composer
- Understand when to use Form-Based Experience Composer vs. the Visual Experience Composer
- Use refinements to target a location