Smart lists and the offer versions query builder
Both smart offer lists and the offer versions query builder allow you to query based on any offer attribute. However, smart offer lists look only at the default value for any parameterized offer attribute. Therefore, smart offer lists do not apply to any offer versions, only offers.
You can include offers that are defined at the offer attribute level in an optimization rule. You can do this task in one of two ways: by using a smart offer list, or by using the offer versions query builder. The results of your search for a particular offer attribute with a particular value might vary depending on whether you use a smart offer list or the offer versions query builder.
Smart Lists
Smart lists are offer lists that are defined by queries at the offer attribute level. Static offer attributes use the value that is associated with the offer; parameterized offer attributes use the default value. Smart offer lists are best for querying against static offer attributes. You create a smart offer list in Campaign. Building a query that specifies the offer attributes and attribute values that you want form the scope of the smart offer list.
For example, create a smart offer list to group all offers of a certain value. This value is a static custom attribute that is associated with each offer. In particular, your smart offer list query specifies all offers with a value less than $1 (Offer Value < 1). You call the smart offer list Low Value Offers.
You can then include the Low Value Offers smart offer list in an optimization rule. For example, you create a Customers In rule that excludes all offers from the Low Value Offers offer list from an expensive channel such as the call center.
For more information about smart offer lists, see the HCL® Campaign User's Guide.
Different results with the offer versions query builder
Alternately, you can use the offer versions query builder to query against an offer attribute that is parameterized. A parameterized offer attribute is, an offer attribute whose value can be changed each time that the offer is used, creating multiple offer versions. For example, to include offers with a cost per offer less than $1, where cost per offer is a parameterized offer attribute.
If the Cost per Offer attribute is not a parameterized offer attribute, the smart offer list and the offer versions query builder return the same results. However, if Cost per Offer is a parameterized offer attribute, the offers that Contact Optimization returns when you include offers less than $1 using the Low Value Offers smart offer list might differ from the results Contact Optimization returns when you search for offers with a cost of less than $1 using the offer versions query builder. This is because, when an offer attribute is parameterized, smart offer lists return results that are based on only the default offer attribute values. The offer versions query builder, however, can return results that are based on the actual parameterized values of offer attribute values that are parameterized, or, offer versions.
See the HCL Campaign User's Guide for more information about smart offer lists.
Examples
For each example, the following data applies:
| Offer/Offer Version | Parameter | Parametrized Value | Default Value | Parameterized? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cost per offer | $12 | $7 | Y |
| 2 | Cost per offer | --- | $5 | N |
| 3 | Cost per offer | $9 | $10 | Y |
Smart offer list - You create a smart offer list that includes all offers that cost under $10. You include this smart list in an optimization rule. When you run the session, Contact Optimization returns offer version 1 and offer 2.
Offer versions query builder - You create a query in the Contact Optimization offer versions query builder that specifies all offers that cost under $10. When you run the session, Contact Optimization returns Offer 2 and Offer 3.
This discrepancy is because the smart offer list does not search for parameterized values, or offer versions, while the query builder does. Therefore, the offer versions query builder is able to consider the parameterized value of $9 for offer version 3, while the smart offer list considers only its default value of $10.