Fetching Recommendations with the Delivery API

The Adobe Target and Adobe Target Recommendations APIs can be used to deliver responses to web pages, but can also be used in non-HTML based experiences including apps, screens, consoles, emails, kiosks and other display devices. In other words, when Target libraries and JavaScript cannot be used, the Target Delivery API still enables access to the full range of Target functionality, to deliver personalized experiences.

To retrieve recommendations, send an Adobe Target Delivery API POST call with the appropriate contextual information, which may include a user ID (for use with profile-specific recommendations such as the user’s recently viewed items), relevant mbox name, mbox parameters, profile parameters, or other attributes. The response will include recommended entity.ids (and may include other entity data) in JSON or HTML format, which can then be displayed in the device.

The Delivery API for Adobe Target exposes all existing features that a standard Target request provides.

The Delivery API:

• Enables you to retrieve experiences or offers for a location and an audience in a RESTful manner.
• Requires no authentication.
• Only POSTs.
• Does not process cookies or redirect calls.
• Does not require or recognize “user roles.” It simply fetches content or reports events to Target edge servers.

To use the Delivery API to deliver Target experiences—including recommendations—follow these steps:

1. Create a Target activity (A/B, XT, AP, or Recommendations) using the Form-Based Composer (not the Visual Experience Composer).
2. Use the Delivery API to get a response for the requests generated by the Target activity you just created.

Create a Recommendation using the Form-based Experience Composer

To create recommendations that can be used with the Delivery API, use the Form-based Composer.

1. First, create and save a JSON-based design to use in your recommendation. For sample JSON, plus background information regarding how JSON responses can be returned when configuring a form-based activity, see the documentation on Creating Recommendation Designs. In this example, the design is named Simple JSON.
   

2. In Target, navigate to Activities > Create Activity > Recommendations, then select Form.

   

3. Select a Property, and click Next.

4. Define the location where you would like users to receive the recommendation’s response. The example below uses a location named api_charter. Select your JSON-based design, created earlier, named Simple JSON.
   

5. Save and activate the recommendation. It will generate results. Once the results are ready, you can use the Delivery API to retrieve them.

Use the Delivery API

The syntax for the Delivery API is:

POST https://{{CLIENT_CODE}}.tt.omtrdc.net/rest/v1/delivery

1. Note the client code is required. As a reminder, your client code may be found in Adobe Target by navigating to Recommendations > Settings. Note the Client Code value in the Recommendation API Token section.
   
2. Once you have your client code, construct your Delivery API call. The example below begins with the Web Batched Mboxes Delivery API Call provided in the Delivery API Postman collection, making relevant modifications. For example:
   • the browser and address objects were removed from the Body, since they are not required for non-HTML use cases
   • api_charter is listed as the location name in this example
   • the entity.id is specified, since this recommendation is based on Content Similarity, which requires a current item key to be passed to Target.
     
     Remember to configure your query parameters correctly. For example, be sure to specify {{CLIENT_CODE}} as necessary. <!— Q: In the updated call syntax, entity.id is listed as a profileParameter instead of an mboxParameter as in older versions. —> <!— Q: Old image Old accompanying text: “Note this recommendation is based on Content Similar products based on the entity.id sent via mboxParameters.” —>
     
3. Send the request. This executes against the api_charter location, which has an active recommendation running on it, defined with your JSON design which will output a list of recommended entities.
4. Receive a response based on the JSON design.
   
   The response includes the key ID, as well as the entity IDs of the recommended entities.

Using the Delivery API with Recommendations in this way enables you to perform additional steps prior to displaying recommendations to the visitor on the non-HTML device. For example, you can take the response from the Delivery API to perform an additional, real-time lookup of entity attribute details (inventory, price, rating, and so on) from another system (such as a CMS, PIM or ecommerce platform), before displaying final results.

Using the approach outlined in this guide, you can get any application to leverage the response from Target to provide personalized recommendations!

Example Implementations

The following resources provide examples of various non-HTML focused implementations. Keep in mind every implementation will be unique, due to the system and devices involved.

Managing Recommendations Setup with APIs

Most of the time, recommendations are configured in the Adobe Target UI, then used or accessed via the Target APIs, for reasons such as the ones mentioned in the sections above. This UI-API coordination is common. However, sometimes users may want to perform all actions via APIs—both setup, as well as the use of results. Although much less common, users can absolutely configure, execute, and leverage the results of recommendations entirely using the APIs.

We learned in an earlier section how to manage Adobe Target Recommendations entities and deliver them server-side. Similarly, the Adobe Developer Console allows you to manage criteria, promotions, collections, and design templates without having to log in to Adobe Target. A complete list of all Recommendations APIs may be found here, but here is a summary for reference.

Reference documentation

• Adobe Target Delivery API documentation
• Integrate Recommendations with email

Summary and Review

Congratulations! By completing this guide, you have learned how to:

• Manage your catalog using the Recommendations API
• Manage custom criteria using the Recommendations API
• Use the Delivery API with Recommendations