B2B schema overview
Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) has created a B2B schema for Configured Commerce customers. Previously, ODP only supported a B2C model, focusing on segmentation, activation, and reporting at the individual user level. However, many customers operate in B2B environments, where customer relationships extend across multiple organizational levels. The B2B schema is built on top of ODP’s existing B2C foundation, ensuring current B2C features remain supported.
ODP's B2B schema meets these requirements by creating an enhanced data model that supports grouping users under businesses at the three hierarchical levels:
- Parent level – The topmost entity or brand level.
- Child level – The branch or regional level.
- Grandchild – The store or local level.
See the following diagram for a visualization of the hierarchy:
Users can be associated with each level of the business hierarchy. For example, a procurement manager can be linked to the parent (like a corporate) level, a regional manager to the child (like a branch) level, and a store manager to the grandchild (like a local) level. This capability lets B2B marketers personalize at an account level, execute regional strategies, and activate user-specific journeys.
Key capabilities
You can use the B2B schema to perform the following actions:
- Data ingestion – Ingest business data through API, Configured Commerce, or CSV uploads.
- Three-tier hierarchy support – Structure business entities into:
- Parent level – Brand or corporate level
- Child level – Division level
- Grandchild level – Store or a local level
- Unified business profiles – Access a 360-degree view of each business, including event history, associated users, and child business relationships.
- Segmentation – Build business-level audiences using attributes such as businesses in the US. Business audiences can be used to build standard audiences to group users based on their association with a business.
- Activation – Activate business and standard audiences through Configured Commerce.
Note
Business audiences cannot be used directly in activations. They need to be added to standard audiences, often as a filter, to be used in activations or campaigns. Real-time audiences cannot currently be exported to Configured Commerce but can be exported as a CSV file in Amazon S3 or to channels that support RTS for B2C (for example, in Web Experimentation or Feature Experimentation).
- Reporting – Generate actionable reports by combining business-level and user-level data for an overall performance view.
Example use case
Take the example of RH Corp, an Optimizely customer, that sells HVAC systems to national homebuilders like CL Homes. With the help of the B2B schema, RH Corp can execute tailored marketing strategies at different levels of the organization based on the three hierarchical levels:
- Parent level (CL Homes) – Target executive stakeholders with strategic campaigns.
- Child level (regional managers) – Deliver region-specific promotions and content.
- Grandchild level (store managers) – Personalize communication based on the store manager's behaviors and interests.
Data mapping
The following table describes the mapping between ODP and Configured Commerce:
ODP | Configured Commerce |
|---|---|
Client/Account | Client |
Business | Customers |
Customer | Storefront user |
User | Admin Console user |
Products | Products |
Categories | Categories |
Orders | Orders |
Warehouses | Warehouses |
Steps
To connect ODP with Configured Commerce, follow these steps:
- Complete the required prerequisites for Configured Commerce. This includes validating if your environment uses unique email addresses or not.
- Enable the ODP integration inside Configured Commerce. This includes configuring jobs for exporting products, warehouses, orders, customers, user profiles, and customer user profiles data to ODP.