Configure Custom Visitor Identifiers in Wingify

Feature Availability: This feature is available with all Wingify products on the Enterprise plan.

This article covers the following:

• Overview
• Key Benefits
• Configure a Custom Visitor Identifier
• Verify the Custom Visitor Identifier Setup
• Troubleshooting
• FAQs

Wingify identifies and tracks visitors using a system-generated unique identifier (UUID) stored in a cookie named _wingify_uuid. However, your business may already use specific identifiers from your internal CRM, a Data Management Platform (DMP), or other third-party tools, to track visitors.

Wingify enables you to use custom identifiers instead of the default Wingify-assigned UUID. By specifying a unique ID from a cookie, local storage, or a JavaScript variable, you can track visitors consistently across platforms. You won't need to manually map Wingify’s UUID to your internal IDs.

For example, your website already stores a unique customer ID in a cookie named customer_id. By configuring a custom visitor identifier in your account, you instruct Wingify to fetch this customer ID from the cookie and use it as the primary visitor identifier. This ensures that a visitor’s profile in Wingify Data360, their session recordings, and their heatmap data are all linked to the same ID you use in your backend systems.

Key Benefits

• Unified Data: Maintains data consistency by using a single identifier across Wingify and your internal technology stack.
• Simplified Analysis: Removes the complexity of mapping Wingify-generated UUIDs to your internal user IDs, making analysis easier and more straightforward.
• Consistent Profiling: Ensures that a visitor is recognized as the same individual across different Wingify products and your own backend systems.

Configure a Custom Visitor Identifier

You can configure the custom visitor identifier at the account level. Once configured, these settings apply to all campaigns within the account.

Prerequisites

• You must have Admin access to the Wingify account.
• The custom identifier (cookie, local storage key, or JavaScript variable) must be present and defined on your website before the Wingify SmartCode executes.

To configure a custom visitor identifier:

1. Log in to your Wingify account.
2. Go to Profile > Settings > Campaigns > Visitor identifier.
3. From the Identifier type dropdown, select the source of your custom identifier. The available options are:
   1. Wingify assigned UUID (Default): The standard Wingify tracking method.
   2. Cookie: Uses a value stored in a specific cookie on your domain.
   3. Local storage: Uses a key-value pair from the browser's local storage.
   4. JavaScript variable: Uses a global JavaScript variable present on the page.
4. In the Identifier name field, enter the exact name of the cookie, storage key, or variable. This field appears only for Cookie, Local storage, and JavaScript variable options.
   Tip: Avoid identifiers that are:
   • Session-based or temporary
   • Regenerated on every page load
   • User-editable (for example, values derived from URL parameters) These can lead to inflated visitor counts and fragmented profiles.
5. [Optional] Click Add another identifier to set up multiple identifiers. Select a second identifier type and enter its name. Wingify checks identifiers in the order of priority (P1, P2, P3). If the P1 identifier is not found, Wingify attempts to locate P2. This serves as your fallback mechanism and is useful if your primary ID is delayed or missing in certain scenarios.
   
   Note:
   1. You can set the final fallback to Wingify assigned UUID to ensure visitors are tracked even if your custom identifiers are missing.
   2. If Wingify assigned UUID is assigned the highest priority (P1), Wingify will never be able to track a visitor based on the other identifiers.
   3. However, if the Wingify assigned UUID is assigned the lowest priority, Wingify first attempts to track a visitor using the other identifier (for example, a cookie). If the cookie is not found, Wingify assigns a UUID to track the visitor.
6. Review the Override existing identifier for the users checkbox. This option determines how Wingify treats returning visitors who already have a Wingify UUID.
   1. Unchecked (Default): Returning visitors continue to be tracked via their original ID even if your custom settings have changed.
   2. Checked: Returning visitors are re-tracked using the new identifier value.
      
      Note: Changing the Visitor identifier configuration for an active account, replaces the existing UUID for returning visitors with the new custom identifier. If the custom identifier is different from the previous UUID, the visitor is treated as a new user. This results in a break in data continuity for that user.
7. Click Save.

Once the configuration is saved, Wingify begins using the specified custom identifier for all campaigns within the account. Before using this identifier for tracking and personalization, verify that it is being captured and resolved correctly across visitors. Verify the setup by following the steps in the next section.

Verify the Custom Visitor Identifier Setup

After configuring the settings, verify that Wingify is correctly capturing your custom identifier.

To verify the setup:

1. Open your website in a fresh incognito window.
2. Ensure your custom identifier (cookie, local storage, or JS Variable) is set on the page.
3. Right-click anywhere on the page and select Inspect.
   
   Note: The value (JS variable, cookie, or local storage) should be available on the page when Wingify runs so it can be detected properly.
4. For Cookies: Go to the Application tab, and select Cookies. Verify your specific cookie exists.
5. For Local Storage: In the Application tab, select Local Storage. Verify the key exists.
6. For JS Variable: Go to the Console tab, type the variable name, and press Enter to verify it returns a value.
7. Next, ensure that the custom identifier value/returned value is consistent and correctly represents the intended user identifier. To compare and verify, go to the Application tab.
8. Navigate to Storage > Cookies > [your domain] and locate _wingify_uuid.
9. Verify that the _wingify_uuid matches your custom identifier value.
10. In the Wingify dashboard, go to Data360 > Profiles.
11. On the Profiles page, enter your custom identifier value in the search bar to find the corresponding visitor profile. If the profile appears, the configuration is working correctly.

Troubleshooting

FAQs

• What happens if the custom identifier I defined is not found on the user's browser? 
  If the configured identifier, for example, a specific cookie, is missing and no fallback is defined, Wingify will not track that visitor. To prevent data loss, we recommend adding Wingify assigned UUID as the last priority in your identifier list.
   
• Can I use different identifiers for different campaigns?
  No, the Visitor identifier setting is an account-level configuration. It applies to all campaigns and products within your Wingify account to ensure data consistency.
   
• Does this feature support cross-domain tracking?
  Yes, as long as your custom identifier is available on all the domains you want to track. Wingify will use the value of the custom identifier you provide. It is your responsibility to ensure that the value remains consistent across all your domains.
   
• Is this feature suitable for anonymous users?
  Yes, as long as the identifier remains consistent for anonymous users. For example, a persistent cookie like anon_user_id can be used to track anonymous visitors. If the cookie changes frequently, Wingify may treat the same visitor as new each time.
   
• Can I change the identifier source without impacting historical data?
  Changing the identifier source affects how future sessions are identified. Historical data remains intact, but continuity for returning users depends on whether the new identifier maps consistently to the old one.

Need more help?

For further assistance or more information, contact Wingify Support.