The word 'session' carries varied implications across different fields, from a therapist's appointment to a movie marathon. For those in the digital domain, such as developers and marketers, 'session' and its derivative, 'sessionization,' have become integral in understanding and optimizing user experiences.
Over recent years, 'session' and 'sessionization' have become buzzwords in analyzing user journeys. Sessionization involves clustering activities within a session, providing vital insights into how users interact with digital platforms. This process is crucial for tailoring user experiences in real time.
What exactly is a session?
Imagine each interaction with a website or app as a new chapter in the book "The User's Journey." A session represents these chapters, with the end of a session marking the conclusion of a specific set of interactions. This concept isn't as straightforward in the digital world as in physical interactions, like shopping in a store. The challenge lies in defining the end of a session.
For instance, consider a user who visits an e-commerce site, browses a product, and later completes a purchase. The determination of whether these actions form a single session or multiple ones depends on various factors, including the time elapsed between interactions.
The challenge of real-time decision-making
Clustering activities into sessions retrospectively might seem straightforward. However, making these decisions in real time, especially when considering offline interactions, adds complexity. For example, a user might use an app in flight mode and reconnect to the internet later. This scenario requires a strategy for late-arriving events.
Sessionization simplifies decision-making. It helps focus on essential aspects like user experience by providing insights into user behavior, such as the frequency of visits, session duration, and activities performed. These insights enable businesses to create personalized experiences more effectively.
What to consider when doing that?
Implementing session-based personalization requires identifying users, defining session parameters, and tracking user interactions. You can either fully build that in-house, integrate an analytics tool like Mixpanel and Amplitude with a CDP like Segment, or rely on a platform that handles that for you, like Croct. The decision depends on how far you want to go and how much time and resources you have on your team.
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