Connect Blueshift and push customer data

Blueshift is an outbound connection. Nexus sends data to Blueshift. Nexus does not import data from Blueshift. When you save a User API key and when you run a test, Nexus makes small check calls to Blueshift. Nexus uses the answers for the checks only. The Blueshift card sits under Settings > Integrations, in the Email & SMS category.

Problem and intended user

The retention marketer (the person who runs email and repeat-purchase campaigns) wants Blueshift campaigns to target customers by segment, spend and survey answers. Without a connection, Blueshift profiles lack those values, and a campaign can reach the wrong customers.

Current workflow

Without Nexus, a merchant exports customers from Shopify admin, adds the segment and spend columns in a spreadsheet, and uploads the file to Blueshift. The merchant repeats the upload each time the data changes.

Prerequisites

• Integration: A Blueshift account and at least one of its API keys.
• Data: Nexus holds customer data for your store. The push reads each customer's RFM, order and NPS values. Nexus leaves out an attribute when a customer has no value for it.

How Nexus works

Nexus reads the customer values from your order and customer data and sends ten attributes to Blueshift. Fixed rules produce them. AI writes none of them. Nexus matches each customer to a Blueshift profile by email only.

Two points need a person. You save the keys, and you confirm every full sync. The daily push needs a User API key and today's customer data. A full sync runs at once, with the data that exists.

Save your keys

Blueshift uses two keys. Each unlocks different features.

Field	What it unlocks
User API Key (optional)	Audience, RFM and attribute push.
Event API Key (optional)	Runs Test events. Nexus sends no other events to Blueshift.
Region	us or eu. The box is not case-sensitive. Nexus saves us when you leave it blank or type any other word.

Both keys are optional, but you must save at least one.

WARNING

Enter your Region every time you click Save Connection. A blank Region saves as us, even when a saved region is eu.

1. Go to Settings > Integrations.
2. Click the Blueshift card.
3. Paste a key into User API Key (optional), Event API Key (optional) or both.
4. Enter your Region.
5. Click Save Connection.

Nexus shows "Blueshift keys saved. Run a connection test below." The dialog stays open so you can test the connection.

Change or remove a key

Nexus never shows a saved key. A saved key has a Connected label and a masked field that says "saved — type to replace". Leave the field blank to keep the key. Type a new key to replace it.

Click Remove next to a key to delete that key alone. Nexus will not remove your only key. Use Disconnect Blueshift to remove both keys and the region. It acts at once, with no confirmation step. Nexus then shows "Blueshift disconnected."

Test the connection

The Debugging / Testing section has three buttons.

Button	Needs
Test audiences	A User API key
Test custom attribute sending	A User API key
Test events	An Event API key

A button stays off until you save the key it needs. Each test makes one real, small call to Blueshift with one disposable item. A log shows the request and the response. Use Hide logs and Show logs to fold the log.

Turn on the daily push

WARNING

If a customer's email does not exist in your Blueshift account, the push creates a new profile for it. Check this before you turn the push on or run a full sync.

After you save a User API key, the dialog adds a second column named Push Data to Blueshift.

Use the Push Custom attributes to Blueshift switch. It applies at once. There is no Save button for it. While it is on, the push runs once a day and sends only what changed. The status line calls it Daily sync.

Run a full sync

Full sync now pushes every customer's attributes once. It works without the daily switch. You cannot undo a push from Nexus.

1. Click Full sync now.
2. Read the window Send customer attributes to Blueshift. It shows how many customers Nexus will push, a few example emails and the profile warning again.
3. Click Send to Blueshift.

The button reads Syncing… while the run goes on.

Exact output

The attributes in Blueshift

Open What gets sent to Blueshift? to see the attributes. Nexus writes these ten:

Attribute	Meaning
nx_rfm_segment	RFM segment name, such as "Champions" or "At Risk".
nx_last_order_at	Date of the most recent order.
nx_returned_orders_count	Number of returned orders.
nx_total_spending	Revenue from delivered orders.
nx_delivered_orders_count	Number of delivered orders.
nx_average_order_value	Average order value.
nx_average_days_between_transactions	Average days between purchases.
nx_nps_segment	NPS segment: promoter, passive or detractor.
nx_nps_last_responded_at	Date of the last NPS response.
nx_nps_score_aggregated	Aggregated all-time NPS score.

The status line

Status	What it says
In progress	"Full sync in progress…" or "Daily sync in progress…"
Done	The sync finished. It shows how many customers Nexus pushed and, when there are any, how many it skipped for no email.
Skipped	Nexus waits for the day's customer data and tries again at the next daily run.
Failed	The sync failed. The line shows the error.

What to do with it

What you see	Decision or action	Owner
Connected next to a key	Run the matching test button before you push.	ecommerce manager (the person who runs the store)
The Send customer attributes to Blueshift window	Check the customer count and example emails. Click Send to Blueshift only if new profiles are fine.	ecommerce manager
The nx_* attributes on a Blueshift profile	Build a segment on them in Blueshift. This happens outside Nexus.	retention marketer
A Failed or Skipped status line	Read the error, or wait for the retry.	ecommerce manager

Expected value and measurement

Customer attributes in Blueshift can help your campaigns reach the customers you mean to reach.

To check the push, read the status line for the pushed count. Then open a customer's profile in Blueshift and look for the nx_* attributes. To compare a segment, check the Customers column of the Segment Economics table at Insights > Customers > Segment Overview against the segment's size in Blueshift. The counts can differ, because Nexus skips customers with no email.

Check campaign results in Blueshift. Other campaign changes can run at the same time, so you cannot isolate the effect of the attributes.

Limitations and exceptions

• Nexus only sends. It does not import Blueshift data.
• Nexus matches by email only. It skips a customer with no email and counts that customer in the status line.
• This push sends the ten attributes only. For an audience, use Sync to Blueshift on the audience's detail page. See Audiences.
• A push cannot be undone from Nexus.

What you see	What to do
"Enter at least one of the User API key or Event API key." The dialog shows it when no key is saved and both key fields are empty.	Paste a key and save again.
"Invalid Blueshift User API key". Blueshift rejected the User API key.	Check the key in Blueshift and save it again.
"Disable demo mode to connect Blueshift"	In Demo Mode, saving keys is turned off. Leave Demo Mode to connect.
"Failed to load Blueshift push settings."	Close the dialog and open it again.
"Could not update the Blueshift push setting. Please try again."	Click the switch again.
"Could not start the full sync. Please try again."	Click Send to Blueshift again.
"Could not load the sync preview."	Close the window and open it again.
"There is nothing to send yet." in the window	Wait until customer data exists. Send to Blueshift stays off.

In Demo Mode, you cannot save keys, the test buttons stay off and the Push Data to Blueshift column does not show.

Related

• Integrations overview
• RFM scores and points
• RFM groups and score mapping
• NPS
• Audiences