Sequential Segmentation using Before/After criteria

[TeeGeeGee1]

Hello, 

I am trying to learn how to use sequential segmentation using the before/after sequence.

I built the following segment three different ways: 

VISIT

Page type  = Shopping Bag

then

Page type = Checkout 

then 

Order Exists 

I built one to include everyone, one with before sequence, one with after sequence yet all three segments are returning with the same amount of visits. Does anyone know what I may have done wrong?

[Jennifer_Dungan]

If you are looking at the "Visits" metric, they should be the same number.

So let's look at an example:

• Page A
• Page B
• Shopping Bag Page
• Checkout Page
  • Order Exists
• Page C
• Page D

The Bold is your segment logic.

When you are looking at "Visits" any visits that include this sequence will be returned.. that doesn't change with the everyone, only before, or only after options.... 

Note that "only before sequence" is the pages before and including the sequence; and the "only after sequence" is the pages after and including the sequence.

When the "Include Everyone" (Default) behaviour is used, all the hits in that segment will be returned. (Page A - Page D)

When the "Only Before Sequence" is used, only the hits up to the Order are included (Page A - Order)

When the "Only After Sequence" is used, only the hits starting from the sequence and up to the end of the visit are included (Shopping Bag Page - Page D)

[RobertBlakeley]

Well that is clear and answers a different question I had about what is included in after sequences. Thanks.

[Jennifer_Dungan]

Yeah, we are really missing an actual before sequence (returning just Pages A and B) and an actual after sequence (returning just Pages C and D)... or a "just sequence" returning just the specified sequence (Shopping Bag Page, Checkout Page and Orders)...

All of those should be options...

[RobertBlakeley]

That would make an excellent idea, go for it. (I did a search and did not see that anyone had submitted it as an idea.)

[Andrew_Wathen_]

Logged in 2017 (probably so old you couldn't find it!!)

Segment Builder: Improve Before/After sequence opt... - Adobe Experience League Community - 331685

Feel free to add your votes!

[Jennifer_Dungan]

I voted for it... I knew that must have existed somewhere! Thanks @Andrew_Wathen_ 

[RobertBlakeley]

I spoke to Adobe Product and Experience League folks yesterday at the Adobe NY conference. Here is my takeaway:

• Product recalled looking at this idea way back when but were not remembering the details on the fly.
• Ideas are surfaced to Product by Experience League monitors based on a level of activity for that idea. e.g., lots of discussion or enough likes.
• Practically, ideas effectively age out in a months time frame, not years. Our likes on a 2017 idea probably wont do anything.
• They suggested reposting the idea to resurface it and to see if it gets traction from users.

@Jennifer_Dungan @Andrew_Wathen_ 

[RobertBlakeley]

I also voted for it.

I tagged Eric Matisoff and asked what happened to it.

[TeeGeeGee1]

Thank you! 

This makes sense to me but why am I still seeing the same amount at the visitor level? This contains page views on a multi-visit level so wouldn't it be different for sequential segmentation?

[Jennifer_Dungan]

All the Visitors with that sequence would still have those sequences at the visit level... 

In theory the Visitors scope could be higher.. for example:

Shopping Bag Page in Visit 1

Checkout / Order in Visit 2

But given this very specific flow, and I assume you must hit the Shopping Bag to initiate checkout, the likelihood of this sequence being split over multiple visits is slim...

You would see more differences in a generic sequence like:

Category A

then

Category B

then

Category C

Where it's easy to visit different categories over multiple visits, which you would then see quite a difference between a Visit Scope Segment vs a Visitor Scope Segment.