Response Templates

A response template defines the configuration options available to marketers when building a personalization decision and ensures that all decision responses for a given personalization point return data in a consistent format.

Think of a response template as the contract between what a business user configures and what the front-end receives at run-time.

How Response Templates Work

Each response template is associated with one of the two personalization types:

• Manual Content — Template defines string entry fields
• Recommendations — Template defines string entry fields plus specifies which DMO fields to return

Once created, a response template is selected on a personalization point. It then applies automatically to all decisions and experiment cohorts under that point.

Manual Content Response Templates

Manual Content response templates are straightforward. A business user defines a set of personalization attributes — string entry text fields — on the template. These attributes then appear on the personalization decision as input fields.

How It Works — Step by Step

1. Navigate to the Personalization app → Response Templates
2. Click New Response Template
3. Select Manual Content as the personalization type
4. Define your personalization attributes — each attribute becomes a string entry field on the decision

Example

Suppose you create a Manual Content response template for a hero banner with these attributes:

When a business user creates a decision on a personalization point using this template, they see five text fields where they type in the values. Those values are returned in the decision response at run-time.

Decision Response Example

jsonCopy{
  "personalizations": [
    {
      "personalizationId": "a1b2c3d4-...",
      "personalizationPointName": "home_hero",
      "attributes": {
        "Header": "Spring Collection Is Here",
        "Subheader": "Discover the latest outdoor gear",
        "BackgroundImageUrl": "https://example.com/images/spring-hero.jpg",
        "CallToActionText": "Shop Now",
        "CallToActionUrl": "/collections/spring"
      },
      "data": []
    }
  ]
}

Recommendations Response Templates

Recommendations response templates have an additional step compared to Manual Content. In addition to defining personalization attributes, you must:

1. Select a DMO — The Data Model Object that this template is built for
2. Choose which DMO fields to return in the decision response

How It Works — Step by Step

1. Navigate to the Personalization app → Response Templates
2. Click New Response Template
3. Select Recommendations as the personalization type
4. Define any personalization attributes (e.g., introText = "Recommended For You")
5. Go to the Item Attributes tab
6. Select the Data Model Object (e.g., Goods Product, Knowledge Article Version)
7. Move fields from Available DMO Fields to Selected DMO Fields
8. Save the template

Item Attributes Tab — What Each Column Means

Example

For a Goods Product recommendations template, you might select:

Decision Response Example

jsonCopy{
  "personalizations": [
    {
      "personalizationId": "96c4a971-...",
      "personalizationPointName": "home_recommendations",
      "attributes": {
        "introText": "Recommended For You"
      },
      "data": [
        {
          "ssot__Id__c": "6010042",
          "ssot__Name__c": "GoBrew Connected Coffee Machine",
          "ImageUrl__c": "https://example.com/images/go-brew.jpg",
          "UnitPrice__c": "299.99",
          "PurchaseUrl__c": "/products/gobrew-6010042",
          "ssot__PrimaryProductCategory__c": "Coffee Machines",
          "personalizationContentId": "96c4a971-...:0"
        },
        {
          "ssot__Id__c": "6010089",
          "ssot__Name__c": "Alpine Pro Hiking Boots",
          "ImageUrl__c": "https://example.com/images/alpine-boots.jpg",
          "UnitPrice__c": "189.99",
          "PurchaseUrl__c": "/products/alpine-boots-6010089",
          "ssot__PrimaryProductCategory__c": "Footwear",
          "personalizationContentId": "96c4a971-...:1"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Choosing Which Fields to Expose

When selecting DMO fields for a Recommendations template, think carefully about what data your front-end needs to render the experience:

Include:

• Item name, image URL, description — for rendering
• Price, category, rating — for display
• ID, purchase URL — for navigation and tracking

Avoid:

• Internal cost, margin, or profit data — sensitive information exposed to the client
• System fields not needed for rendering — keeps the response payload lean

Applying a Response Template to a Personalization Point

Once your response templates are created, you apply them when creating a personalization point:

1. On the personalization point creation modal, select the personalization type (Manual Content or Recommendations)
2. The list of available response templates is filtered to show only templates matching the selected data space and personalization type
3. Select the appropriate response template
4. The template is automatically applied to all decisions and experiment cohorts on that point

Next: Personalization Points — Learn how to create the decision endpoints that map to parts of your experience.