At a glance: Measure the quality of your users throughout their user journey by recording these suggested in-app events for your eCommerce app.
eCommerce
eCommerce apps allow buyers to easily search for and buy goods online. The typical events that we suggest recording are search, purchase, adding to cart, and adding to wishlist.
Recording events can help you determine:
- The most popular categories
- What buyers are searching for
- How many buyers completed a checkout
- How many buyers are recurring buyers and how many are just one-time buyers
Important!
- Make sure to read the instructions for marketers about implementing in-app events.
- To streamline the implementation process, use our In-app event generator. This tool includes all of the typical in-app events described in this article and lets you modify the events according to your business needs. Once complete, share the file with your developer.
- For each recommended event included in this article, there are code samples for iOS, Android, and Unity developers.
- Detailed instructions for your developer can be found in the AppsFlyer developer hub.
For more information about recording in-app events, see the In-app events guide.
Recommended structures for predefined events
The following section provides a list of event structures that are typical to the eCommerce vertical. Each structure includes a predefined event name and the suggested event parameters to use. Note that in-app events can include any event parameters that meet your business needs.
Complete registration (af_complete_registration)
Purpose
Learn how many users installed the app and completed the signup process, and what signup methods your users prefer.
Trigger
When the user completes the signup process
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_registration_method | Type of signup method | Email, Meta ads |
Login (af_login)
Purpose
Understand the retention of your registered users
Trigger
When the user successfully logs in
Event parameters
Can be sent without any additional parameters
Search (af_search)
Purpose
Learn what users are looking for, and which search results are the most relevant and lead to a purchase.
Trigger
One of the following:
- When the user clicks on the search button
- When the user lands on the search results page
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_search_string | Search term | Red dress, running shoes |
| af_content_list | List of content IDs | 001, 092 |
Content view (af_content_view)
Purpose
Determine the view rate of specific products. This event can help you:
- Correlate product views with product sales
- Understand what categories are the most popular according to product views
- See the correlation between buyers' currency and the products they view
Trigger
When the user views a specific product details page
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_price | Product price | 2000 |
| af_content |
International Article Number (EAN) when applicable, or other product or content identifier Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
ABC123 |
| af_content_id |
Product ID Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
102 |
| af_content_type |
Product category Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
Shoes |
| af_currency | Currency on the product details page | THB, USD |
List view (af_list_view)
Purpose
Record which lists (for example, newly added products, related products, or recommended products) buyers view the most.
Trigger
When the user views a specific list
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_content_type | Type of list | Related, recommended, new arrivals |
| af_content_list | List of content IDs from the category | 001, 092 |
Add to wishlist (af_add_to_wishlist)
Purpose
Record what products and categories buyers add to their wishlists. When you know what products are often added to wishlists, you can then offer these products in sales or discounts and encourage buyers to purchase them. You can also retarget users according to the products that they added to their wishlist.
Trigger
When the user adds items to their wishlist
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_price | Price of the product | 600 |
| af_content_id | Product ID | 300 |
| af_content_type | Product category | Shoes, electronics |
| af_currency | Currency displayed on the product details page | GBP |
Add to cart (af_add_to_cart)
Purpose
Record when a user adds products to their cart. This event can help you determine:
- How many products on average buyers add in one purchase
- How much time passes between adding two different products
- How many buyers abandon their cart
Trigger
When the user adds a product to the cart
Event parameters
| Field name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_price | Product price | 350, 1000 |
| af_content |
International Article Number (EAN) when applicable, or other product or content identifier Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
ABC123 |
| af_content_id |
Product ID Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
001, 092 |
| af_content_type |
Product type Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
Shirt, shoes |
| af_currency | Product currency | THB, USD |
| af_quantity | How many items of the same product were added to the cart | 2, 5 |
Initiated checkout (af_initiated_checkout)
Purpose
Understand how buyers behave when they proceed to checkout. This event can help you determine:
- The average price when buyers check out compared with the average price in the purchase event
- Whether users add or remove products after proceeding to checkout
Trigger
When the user initiates the checkout but didn't yet complete the checkout
Event parameters
| Field name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_price | Total price in the cart | 4000 |
| af_content_id | ID of products in the cart | 221, 124 |
| af_content_type | List of product categories | Shirt, pants |
| af_currency | Currency during time of checkout | THB |
| af_quantity | Total number of items in the cart | 2, 5 |
Purchase (af_purchase)
Purpose
Learn about purchase trends in your app. This event can help you:
- Determine the LTV of your users and the ROI of your campaigns across ad networks and ad agencies
- Determine which offers are most popular with your users
- Cross-reference campaigns with purchased items in order to optimize campaign targeting
Trigger
When the user lands on the thank you page after a successful purchase
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_revenue | Estimated revenue from the purchase | 1205.99 |
| af_price | Overall purchase sum | 4000 |
| af_content |
International Article Number (EAN) when applicable, or other product or content identifier Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
ABC123 |
| af_content_id |
Item ID Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
121, 262 |
| af_content_type |
Item category Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
Shoes, pants |
| af_currency | Currency code | AUD |
| af_quantity | Number of items in the cart | 2, 5 |
| af_order_id | ID of the order that is generated after the purchase | X123ABC |
| af_receipt_id |
Order ID Required parameter for CRITEO and Google Ad Words for purchase validation |
X123ABC |
Recommended structures for custom events
The following section provides a list of event structures that include custom event names and the suggested event parameters to use. Note that in-app events can include any event parameters that meet your business needs.
First purchase (first_purchase)
Purpose
Same as the Purchase event. In addition, this event can help you determine:
- How long it takes a new buyer to purchase
- What products first-time buyers prefer to purchase
- The average price and revenue of first-time purchases
Trigger
When the user completes their first purchase
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_revenue | Revenue from purchase | 1205.99 |
| af_price | Overall purchase sum | 4000 |
| af_content |
International Article Number (EAN) when applicable, or other product or content identifier Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
ABC123 |
| af_content_id |
Item ID Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
121, 262 |
| af_content_type |
Item category Required parameter for Meta ads dynamic ads |
Shoes, pants |
| af_currency | Currency | AUD |
| af_quantity | Quantity of items in the cart | 2, 5 |
| af_order_id | ID of the order that is generated after the purchase | X123ABC |
| af_receipt_id |
Order ID Required parameter for CRITEO and Google AdWords retargeting integration |
X123ABC |
Remove from cart (remove_from_cart)
Purpose
Recording this event can help you:
- Determine what items buyers remove from their cart
- Determine the product categories of items that buyers remove from their cart
- Compare the data from the Add to cart event to gain insights into products that don't make it to checkout
Trigger
When the user removes an item from the cart
Event parameters
| Name | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| af_content_id | Item or product ID | 521 |
| af_content_type | Item or product category | Shoes |