Implementing Customer Attributes with Target - mbox3rdPartyID vs. customerId

[KMarchewa]

Hello,

We are looking at implementing the customer attributes feature. I have reviewed the documentation both in the Target section as well as the "Experience Cloud Interface Component" docs.

 I understand you upload customer IDs and associated attributes to the platform and that you must send this ID to the platform on the page level after the user logs in. However, based on Adobe's docs (primarily https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/target/using/audiences/visitor-profiles/working-with-custome... and https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/target/using/audiences/visitor-profiles/working-with-custome...) I am unclear on the relationship between the customerID functions from the ECID lbirary and Target's `mbox3rdPartyID`. Specifically, does one: (1) send the ID in the `mbox3rdPartyID`, (2) use `setCustomerID()`of the ECID service, or (3) both?

Thanks!

[Gaurav_Singh · Accepted solution]

@KMarchewa You have to only use any one of these 2 approaches :

1. setCustomerID()`of the ECID service: Using the customer ID sync with the Experience Cloud ID service (aka ECID). With a proper ECID and Target implementation, this will ensure Target is linked to the proper customer ID used in Customer Attributes.

2. Send the ID as a `mbox3rdPartyID` in mbox call : Send the customer ID used in the Customer Attributes upload directly to Target as an mbox third party ID. in the following format : 

function targetPageParams() {
               return 'mbox3rdPartyId=******';
            }

[mattg27197046]

@Gaurav_Singh when using mbox3rdPartyId do you know what to put as alias when setting up a customer atribute. 

for setCustomerID approach is is the key used in the Visitor ID code, but that's not relevant for mbox3rdPartyId approach?

Thanks!

Matt

[kchaitanya]

You are right Matt, the alias is only relevant for setCustomerID() approach. For mbox3rdPartyId the code that Gaurav shared above is sufficient. No alias required. 

Regards,

Chaitanya

[hs_vk]

Hi @Gaurav_Singh 

Would like your opinion about the below situation-

setCustomerIDs function is used to share declared id to different data sources

and mbox3rdPartyID in mbox call is used to share declared id to Adobe Target.

If we want to stop Adobe Target from profiling users using mbox3rdPartyID and instead just use ECID - What changes need to be made to the above config to make this work?

Thanks

[Brian_Hawkins_MiaProva]

The mbox3rdPartyId is the approach favored by most of the organizations I work with, given the APIs available to push/pull data for it.  Additionally, that approach creates a dependency on the visitor service, which may not be available if you do server-side testing and don't move the service server-side.  

mbox3rdPartyId also supports real-time cross-device coordination.  I do not know if the ECID supports it at the moment.