Personalization Overview

The Personalization API (Preflight) provides developers with a mechanism to inform Searchspring about user preference changes in real-time, enabling faster and more relevant personalized experiences.

What is the Preflight API?

The Preflight API is designed to prime Searchspring's personalization algorithms before subsequent API calls are made. By sending user context data proactively, you ensure that personalization parameters are cached and ready, resulting in:

Faster API response times for Search and Autocomplete requests
Improved page speed scores due to reduced latency
More relevant personalized results based on up-to-date shopper behavior

Integration Requirements

📋 Note: The Preflight API is only required if your Searchspring account is configured for Personalized Search & Merchandising.

When to Use This API

Send a Preflight request whenever any of the following user data points change:

Data Point	Description	Use Case
`shopper`	Unique identifier for logged-in users	When a user logs in or their session is established
`cart`	Product SKUs/UIDs currently in the cart	When items are added to or removed from the cart
`lastViewed`	Recently viewed product SKUs/UIDs	When a user views a product detail page

How It Works

Capture User Actions: Monitor changes to shopper ID, cart contents, or product views in your application
Send Preflight Request: Call the Preflight API endpoint with the updated context
Cache Priming: Searchspring caches the personalization data for the user
Optimized Subsequent Calls: Future Search or Autocomplete API requests retrieve pre-processed personalization data instantly

Required Parameters

siteId - Your Searchspring account identifier
userId - The ssUserId cookie value (learn about UUID generation)

Optional Parameters

shopper - Platform shopper ID (omit for anonymous users)
cart - Comma-separated product SKUs/UIDs
lastViewed - Comma-separated product SKUs/UIDs (most recent first)

Next Steps

GET Preflight - Implementation details for GET method
POST Preflight - Implementation details for POST method
Personalization Best Practices - Configuration and optimization guide