Dynamic remarketing events and parameters

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New audience reporting
Detailed reporting about audience demographics, segments and exclusions is now consolidated in one place. Click the Campaigns icon and open the 'Audiences, keywords and content' tab and click Audiences. You can also easily manage your audiences from this report page. Learn more About audience reporting.
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We’re using new terms on your audience report and throughout Google Ads. For example, 'audience types' (these include custom, in-market and affinity) are now referred to as audience segments and 'remarketing' is now referred to as 'your data'. Learn more about the Updates to audience terms and phrases.

Google Ads Help: Dynamic remarketing simplification - Set up event parameters

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Dynamic remarketing allows you to automatically tailor your ads based on the products or services your users have interacted with during previous visits to your website. This article explains how to use the Google tag to track relevant user events for your business type and the associated parameters that you should set. Learn more about tagging your website for dynamic remarketing.

Before you begin

To enable this feature, you’ll need to integrate the Google tag on your website, which sends data about the products or services viewed by your visitors. This data is then matched against your business data or Google Merchant Center feed to retrieve information such as price, image, headline and landing page URL, which is then dynamically inserted into your ads. Learn about creating a feed for dynamic remarketing.

Anatomy of a dynamic remarketing event

Dynamic remarketing events are meaningful actions taken by your website visitors when they visit your site. For example, these may include searching for airline tickets on a travel website, adding a product to an online shopping basket or completing a transaction. When such events occur, you should use the Google Ads event snippet to register the event and send information about the event to Google Ads.

Below is an example of how you should populate the event snippet if you were to track the view of two products on an e-commerce website.

<script>

      gtag('event','view_item', {

        'value': 998.55,

        'items': [

          {

            'id': 1234,

            'google_business_vertical': 'retail'

          },

          {

            'id': 45678, 

            'google_business_vertical': 'retail'

          }

        ]

      });

      </script>

The event snippet calls the Google Ads event function, and passes two arguments which must be dynamically populated based on the type of event that you are measuring.

Event name: A string which describes the event being measured. It's used by the Google Ads system to assign users to one of several automatically generated user lists. We recommend that you use a specific set of event names from the list of recommended events described below. Learn more About your data segments.

Event name	Description
`view_search_results`	This event measures when a user visits a search results page.
`view_item_list`	This event measures when a user visits a category page.
`view_item`	This event measures when a user visits a product page.
`add_to_cart`	This event measures when a user adds an item to the shopping basket.
`purchase`	This event measures purchases.

Event parameters: A JavaScript object containing data about the event that you're tracking. The event parameter object should always have an items parameter that’s populated with one or more item objects. These item objects contain information about the product or service with which the user has interacted. Optionally, the event parameter object can also have a value parameter which represents the total value of the products or services.

You should always pass at least one item object when calling the event snippet to track dynamic remarketing events. You may pass more if the user interacts with multiple items, such as when checking out a shopping basket or searching for a multi-city travel itinerary.

Note: Google Ads customises your ad content using data about the items with which the user has most recently interacted. In cases where multiple products have been viewed by the user, such as on a category page or a page of product search results, we recommend passing data to the event snippet for the most relevant items that you want to promote, rather than data for the entire product list viewed by the user.

The content of the item object will vary depending on the type of product or service that your site features. Refer to the section below to find the item specification for your business type. In any case, the item object should have a key that corresponds to the primary identifier of the product or service (such as ID or destination) and the google_business_vertical key that represents the type of feed that the identifier should be matched against.

Depending on your business type, Google Ads will use data from one or more item parameters to create feed keys, which are used to retrieve information about your products or services from your Google Merchant Centre or business data feeds. The entries in your feed attributes and the corresponding parameters in the event snippet should always match. Learn about creating a feed for dynamic remarketing.

For example, if you have a travel site, you may set the value of the origin ID for Paris to 'PAR', and the destination ID for London to 'LON', in your Flights business data feed. When a user searches for flights from Paris to London, you should also have the origin parameter set to PAR and destination parameter set to LON in the item object passed to the event snippet. Google Ads will then take the feed key 'PAR+LON', and match it with the Origin ID and Destination ID columns in the flights feed. Once the feed key is matched to your feed, Google Ads can show the user ads for flights from Paris to London. See the sample script below:

<script>

      gtag('event','purchase', {

            'value': 639.74,

            'items':[{

            'origin': 'LHR',

            'destination': 'LAX',

            'start_date': '2019-04-20',

            'end_date': '2019-04-21',

            'google_business_vertical': 'flights'

      }]

      });

      </script>

In the following sections, you'll find information about the required and optional item parameters for each business type. For parameters that are used to create feed keys, the corresponding feed attributes to be matched will be indicated.

Note: When entering event parameters, use only valid unicode characters. Avoid invalid characters like control, function or private area characters.

Item parameters

Retail

These events apply to websites that sell products online. Note that data passed via retail events and parameters can only be used in conjunction with a Merchant Center product feed. If you want to promote an e-commerce website but are unable to set up a Google Merchant Center product feed, you may consider using the custom business type instead.

Retail item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`id`	A unique product identifier. The parameter value must match one of the following attributes from your Google Merchant Centre Product Feed: `id, item_group_id or display_ads_id`.	Required
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed used to look up the product. Value must be set to 'retail'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for retail

<script>

            gtag('event','view_item', {

              'value': 998.55,

              'items': [

                {

                  'id': 1234, 

                  'google_business_vertical': 'retail'

                }]

            });

            </script>

Education

These events apply to websites that feature education services such as college websites, online learning websites, adult continuing education websites. Data collected via education parameters is intended to be matched against a business data feed for education.

Education item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`id`	A unique identifier for an education programme. The parameter value must match the 'Programme ID' attribute of your Education Business Data Feed.	Required
`location_id`	A location identifier for an education programme. If set, the value must match the 'Location ID' attribute of your education business data feed.	Optional
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed used to look up the product. Value must be set to 'education'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for education

<script>

        gtag('event','view_item', {

          'value': 998.55,

          'items': [

            {

              'id': 'CS75',

              'location_id': 'SFO',

              'google_business_vertical': 'education'

            }]

        });

        </script>

Flights

These events apply to websites that feature listings for flights. Data collected via flights parameters is intended to be matched against a business data feed for flights.

Flights item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`origin`	The origin of the flight itinerary. This ID must match a value in the Origin ID column of the Flights feed. Use only valid unicode characters. Avoid invalid characters like control, function or private area characters.	Recommended
`destination`	The destination of the flight itinerary being viewed. This ID must match a value in the 'Destination ID' column of the Flights Feed. It is recommended that you use three-letter airport codes.	Required
`start_date`	The date when the flight itinerary starts. Note: The date should be in the YYYY-MM-DD format.	Optional
`end_date`	The date when the flight itinerary ends. It's recommended that you include this parameter because once the end date is passed, the product will no longer show. Note: The date should be in the YYYY-MM-DD format.	Optional
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed of the item. Value must be set to 'flights'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for flights

<script>

        gtag('event','purchase', {

              'value': 639.74,

              'items':[{

              'origin': 'PAR',

              'destination': 'LON',

              'start_date': '2019-04-20',

              'end_date': '2019-04-21',

              'google_business_vertical': 'flights'

        }]

        });

        </script>

Hotels and rentals

These events apply to travel websites where the user can book a hotel room, specifically websites that don’t use a hotel list feed. The data collected via hotel and rentals parameters is intended to be matched against a business data feed for hotels and rentals.

Hotel and rentals item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`id`	The ID of the hotel or property. This ID must match a value in the 'Property ID' column of your Hotel and rentals business data feed.	Required
`start_date`	The date when the booking starts. Note: The date should be in the YYYY-MM-DD format.	Optional
`end_date`	The date when the booking ends. It's recommended that you include this parameter because once the end date is passed, the product will no longer show. Note: The date should be in the YYYY-MM-DD format.	Optional
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed of the item. Value must be set to 'hotel_rental'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for hotel and rentals

<script>

        gtag('event','purchase', {

          'value': 150,

          'items':[{

          'id': 'gb197',

          'start_date': '2019-04-18',

          'end_date': '2019-04-21',

          'google_business_vertical': 'hotel_rental'

           }]

           });

        </script>

Jobs

These events apply to websites where the user can view job listings. The data collected via jobs parameters is intended to be matched against a business data feed for jobs.

Jobs item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`id`	The ID of the job listing. This ID must match a value in the Job ID in your Jobs data feed.	Required
`location_id`	A location identifier for a job listing. If set, the value must match the 'Location ID' attribute of your jobs business data feed.	Optional
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed of the item. Value must be set to 'jobs'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for jobs

<script>

        gtag('event','purchase', {

          'value': 150',

          'items':[{

          'id': 'cc197',

          'location_id': 'NYC',

          'google_business_vertical': 'jobs'

           }]

           });

        </script>

Local deals

These events apply to websites where the user can find local deals. The data collected via local deals parameters is intended to be matched against a business data feed for local deals.

Local deals item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`id`	The ID of the offer or deal. This ID must match a value in the 'Deal ID' column of the Local Deals Feed.	Required
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed of the item. Value must be set to 'local'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for local deals

<script>

        gtag('event','view_item', {

          'value': 125,

          'items':[{

          'id': 'SPA6231',

          'google_business_vertical': 'local'

        }]

        });

        </script>

Property

These events apply to property websites. The data collected via property parameters is intended to be matched against a business data feed for property.

Property item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`id`	The ID of the property. This ID must match a value in the 'Listing ID' column of the Real Estate Feed.	Required
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed of the item. Value must be set to 'property'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for property

<script>

        gtag('event','view_item', {

          'value': 1000000,

          'items':[{

          'id': 'NYBRKLN123A',

          'google_business_vertical': 'real_estate'

        }]    

        });

        </script>

Travel

These events apply to travel websites. The data collected via travel parameters is intended to be matched against a business data feed for travel.

Travel item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`origin`	The ID of the travel origin. This ID must match a value in the 'Origin ID' column of the Travel feed. The combination of `destination` and `origin` should be unique across all feeds in your account.	Optional
`destination`	The ID of the travel destination. This ID must match a value in the Destination ID column of the Travel feed.	Required
`start_date`	The date when the travel itinerary starts. Note that this should be in the YYYY-MM-DD format.	Optional
`end_date`	The date when the travel itinerary ends. Note that this should be in the YYYY-MM-DD format. It's recommended that you include this parameter because once the end date is passed, the product will no longer show.	Optional
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed of the item. Value must be set to 'travel'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for travel

<script>

        gtag('event','view_item', {

          'value': 1000000,

          'items': [{

          'origin': 'LGA',

          'destination': 'LON123A',

          'start_date': '2019-04-20',

          'end_date': '2019-04-21',

          'google_business_vertical': 'travel'

            }]

        });

        </script>

Custom

These events apply to websites that don't fit into one of the other vertical-specific areas on this page, but still want to provide information for dynamic remarketing. The data collected via custom parameters is intended to be matched against a custom business data feed.

Custom item parameters

Parameter name	Description	Is this parameter required?
`id`	The ID of the item. This ID must match a value in the ID column of the Custom feed.	Required
`location_id`	A location identifier for the item. If set, the value must match the ID2 column of your feed and can be numeric or alphanumeric.	Optional
`google_business_vertical`	Specifies the type of feed of the item. Value must be set to 'custom'.	Recommended

Sample event snippet for custom use case

<script>

        gtag('event','add_to_cart', {

          'value': 78.98,

          'items':[{

          'id':'CORS9',

          'location_id': 'KURS8',

          'google_business_vertical': 'custom',

          }]

          });

        </script>

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