Engine Context

Engine context variables are distinct data points with assorted values. Each context variable (for example, device type) is a piece of information about your customers that the Personalization engine uses when it makes one-to-one decisions. The values of each context variable directly influence the engine and the results you can achieve.

The 'Engine Context' page of the platform settings

Context variables can contain numerical, categorical, or true/false (Boolean) values. Be mindful of the number of context variables you select and the number of values associated with each selected context variable. Reducing the variable and value counts while maintaining informative context can facilitate faster learning and improve interpretability. Consider how the data can influence machine learning decisions for your customers and less as rules and segments.

Available Context

The table below describes the types of data that context variables support.

Data TypePossible ValuesUsage ExampleLevel of Measurement
NumericInteger or real numberRelative score, significant only for creating a ranking, such as a customer lifetime value or visit durationOrdinal scale
Categorical1, 2, KCategorical outcome, such as device type, browser, or brand affinityNominal scale
True/false (Boolean)0, 1Binary outcome—yes/no or true/false—such as loyalty member or VIP customerNominal scale

Recommended Context Variables

Monetate by default enables the context variables in the table below when you access the Engine Context settings for the first time.

Context VariableCategoryTypeDescription
Time of DayTime of ArrivalCategoricalThe time of day when a visitor arrives on your site (overnight, morning, afternoon, or evening)
Day of WeekTime of ArrivalCategoricalThe day of week when a visitor arrives on your site (Monday–Sunday)
CountryLocationCategoricalThe country in which a visitor is located when they arrive on your site
Census RegionLocationCategoricalA visitor's census region when they arrive on your site (US only)
Device TypeDeviceCategoricalA visitor's device type
BrowserDeviceCategoricalA visitor's Web browser type
Operating SystemDeviceCategoricalA visitor's operating system
Screen HeightDeviceNumericThe screen height of a visitor's device
Screen WidthDeviceNumericThe screen width of a visitor's device
New VisitorLandingTrue/falseConsiders whether a visitor has been to your site before
Median Household IncomeDemographicsNumericThe median household income for a visitor's region
Population DensityDemographicsNumericThe population density for a visitor's region
Forecast PrecipitationWeatherTrue/falseConsiders whether precipitation is forecast for a visitor's location in the next 48 hours
Forecast High TemperatureWeatherCategoricalThe high temperature forecast for a visitor's location in the next 48 hours (freezing, cold, warm, hot)
Forecast Low TemperatureWeatherCategoricalThe low temperature forecast for a visitor's location in the next 48 hours (freezing, cold, warm, hot)
Visit DurationSession CountsNumericDuration of time between a visitor landing on a page and when they make their first decision
Number of Page ViewsSession CountsNumericTotal number of pages a visitor viewed while on your site
Number of Purchases Past 30 DaysProductsNumericTotal number of purchases a visitor made in the past 30 days
Number of Products in CartProductsNumericTotal number of products in a visitor's cart while on your site
Number of Products ViewedProductsNumericTotal number of product pages a visitor viewed while on your site
Amount in CartProductsNumericTotal value in a visitor's cart

Custom Context Variables

Monetate offers additional context variables to supplement the recommended ones. If you decide to expand beyond the recommended set, ensure you can articulate a compelling story about why the custom context helps match certain visitors to one experience variant rather than another.

Context VariableCategoryTypeDescription
Product Type (New Catalog Spec) Purchased in Past 30 DaysProductsTrue/falseConsiders up to 10 product categories purchased by a visitor in the past 30 days, including current session
Product Type (New Catalog Spec) Viewed in Past 30 DaysProductsTrue/falseConsiders up to 10 product categories viewed by a visitor in the past 30 days, including the current session
Automated PersonalizationExperiences ViewedCategoricalConsiders other Automated Personalization experiences a visitor viewed in session
Dynamic TestingExperiences ViewedCategoricalConsiders other Dynamic Testing experiences a visitor viewed in session
Web TargetsCustom Targets: In Session AttributesN/AN/A
DatasetsDatasets: Offline Customer AttributesN/AN/A

You can configure context settings within Monetate at both the account level and the experience level.

Configuring Account-Level Context Settings

To access account-level context settings, select Engine Context from the platform settings menu.

Callout of the Engine Context option in the settings menu

Adjust the context configurations for your account on the Engine Context page. These settings automatically apply to any new Automated Personalization experiences. The number of context variables currently enabled for your account appears at the top of the screen.

Animated demonstration of a user placing the mouse pointer on '19 context variables' on the Engine Context page to summon a tooltip enumerating the 19 variables currently enabled

Your aim is not to select the most variables. Selecting context variables requires discipline because many factors can impact learning time for an Automated Personalization experience. As a general rule, the more context you select, the longer it may take for the engine to learn and optimize. The engine looks for patterns across your selected context to assign the best-fit variant to each customer to optimize your goal metric.

Configuring Experience-Level Context

When you select Automated Personalization for a Web experience you're building, the engine copies the current account-level context configuration into the experience. You can configure the engine context for each Automated Personalization experience in the HOW settings.

You can't change experience-level context after activating a Web experience. Ensure you include the most valuable information for the engine to consider when intelligently assigning visitors to your site before you activate the experience.

Callout of the HOW settings in an Automated Personalization experience

When the mouse pointer hovers over Context Variables in the Engine Context counter, a list of all the context variables in use for the experience appear in a modal.

Animated demonstration of a user placing the mouse pointer on the context variables total and viewing the enumerated variables for the Automated Personalization experience

To add or remove context variables specifically for this experience, either click EDIT that appears beside the Engine Context heading, or click one of the context variables that appears in the modal. Each action has the same result: All the engine context options load on the screen so that you can edit them without leaving the HOW settings.

Callout of the EDIT button and of the Context Variables modal

Changes that you make at the experience level only affect the context for the Web experience you are editing. If you want to edit your account's default context, review the instructions in the Configuring Account-Level Context Settings in this documentation.

Click to select or remove context variables as necessary for the Web experience. If you need to reset the changes to the Account Context default, click RESET TO ACCOUNT DEFAULT.

Callout of the 'RESET TO ACCOUNT DEFAULT' button

Once you finish editing the context variables, click SAVE.

Technical Considerations

Some context variables in Monetate contain specific technical details. Read on to ensure you have a more complete understanding of engine context and how each context variable may affect the way the engine makes decisions.

Time of Day

Based on a 24-hour clock using the time zone of the visitor and segmented as follows:

HoursTime
0–5Overnight
6–11Morning
12–17Afternoon
18–23Evening

Device Type

This variable uses the user agent string of the visitor's device to determine desktop, mobile, tablet, or other device type.

Browser

This variable uses the user agent string of the visitor's device to determine the Web browser.

Operating System

This variable uses the user agent string of the visitor's device to determine the operating system.

Country

This variable is determined by a visitor's IP address.

Census Region

This variable uses the visitor's IP address to determine in which of the nine geographic regions of the US the visitor is located.

New Visitor

This variable looks for the presence of a Monetate cookie to determine if the visitor is returning to the site after a previous visit.

Median Household Income

This variable currently covers the US and the European Union. It is standardized across the data source for each respective region. Through using the same standardization process for both regions, the engine can learn and evaluate visitors from different countries and currencies within one context variable. All US demographic context is based on data from 2020 US Census, and all EU demographic context is based on data from Eurostat.

Population Density

This variable currently covers the US and the European Union. It is expressed in the number of individuals per square kilometer, allowing the engine to learn and evaluate visitors from different countries within one context variable. All US demographic context is based on data from 2020 US Census, and all EU demographic context is based on data from Eurostat.

Forecast Precipitation

This variable considers if a greater than 0% chance of precipitation of any kind is forecast for the next 48-hour interval, including sleet, freezing rain, rain, and snow.

Forecast High & Low Temperatures

This variable considers the forecasted high and low temperatures for the next 48-hour interval are bucketed into the following categories:

CategoryTemperature in FahrenheitTemperature in Celsius
FreezingLess than 32ºLess than 0º
Cool32º to 60º0º to 15.5556º
Warm60º to 80º15.5556º to 26.6667º
HotGreater than 80ºGreater than 26.6667º

Visit Duration

This variable considers the time from when the visitor's session started to when the visitor made a decision.

Number of Page Views

This variable considers the number of page views from session start to decision time.

Number of Products in Cart

This variable considers the number of products in the cart from session start to decision time. If a visitor previously abandoned the cart, the engine still considers the cart quantity.

Number of Products Viewed

This variable considers the number of products viewed from session start to decision time.

Amount in Cart

This variable considers the amount in cart from session start to decision time. If a visitor previously abandoned the cart, the engine still considers the cart value.