The External Data component is part of the Merchandising Builder components. The key difference is that these components are not directly sourced from Tweakwise but are called externally. As with the other components, your Customer Success Manager will set this up for your instance(s) upon request.
The External Data component offers more flexibility, allowing you to place sponsored products in specific locations without having to make changes in Tweakwise. You can also use this component to display more specifically recommended products by utilizing information from, for example, an advanced CDP system.
The External Data component works the same way as all other builder components. This means that the products to be pushed must exist in Tweakwise. Products that are not in the feed cannot be pushed using the External Data component.
Contact your Customer Success Manager if you are interested in using the External Data component.
How to Set It Up
Once your CSM has enabled the use of External Data components for your instance(s), you can start setting it up. To set up this component, you will need an HTTP request to feed the component with information.
Setting up an External Data component requires technical knowledge. The complexity of the setup depends on the external party you are connecting with. If you encounter difficulties, contact your Customer Success Manager.
The technical requirements for the HTTP request are described in our Docs article: External Data Components.
After setting up an HTTP request, you can configure it within Tweakwise. You do this in the Builder as an External Data component, offering a new option for adding a component. Follow these steps within Tweakwise. Within Tweakwise, go to the module Merchandising → Builder .
Step 1: After clicking the "New" button, you will be directed to the settings:
The first step is to name the External Data component and choose an icon to display in the Builder. This way, you can easily recognize which External Data component is used when you check it in the Demoshop.
Step 2: Specify the source of the external data:
You use an HTTP request for this. You can choose between GET or POST request types. After configuring, you can use the test button to check if the data is correctly received in the preview. If the HTTP request is secured by authorization, you need to provide this before using the test button; otherwise, you will not see any data in the preview. By default, the request has a 200 ms timeout, but if the external data requires a longer period, you can increase this via the Settings tab.
Step 3: Converting Data to a Result
The external data can come in various formats that need to be converted to a standard Tweakwise format. The image below shows the effect of converting data to the standard Tweakwise format. Documentation on these requirements can be found in our Docs article External Data Components.
Step 4: Linking the External Data to a Property in Tweakwise
In this step, ensure that the results are linked to a product in Tweakwise based on the id field. Use the property that has the same value as the id field, often the SKU, EAN, or article number.
Step 5: An example of the name and image to be displayed as a component.
You have now created an external data component. After adding the external data component in the Builder, configure which shop or pages the Builder is active on. Go to the module Catalog → Categories → Select the desired shop or page → In the Merchandising Builder, set up the Builder where you just added an external data component.
After a successful publish task, the component will be active, and you can check its functionality in the Demoshop or your production or test environment.
Changes in the called HTTP request will automatically result in changes in the Builder. No new publish task is needed, so changes are immediately implemented live when the data in the HTTP request is modified.