How can we help?

Ask a question or search our knowledge base:

How should I send custom field data?

We’re glad you asked!

Sift’s API is powerful and able to accept many types of custom data. 

Here are some samples of types of data and how they should be sent:

Type of Data      Explanation         Examples          How to Send       Example JSON*

categorical (string)

a category

gender, clothing sizes (s, m, l)

send as a string

{//other fields

"size": "small",

"gender": "male"}

categorical (numeric)

small set of possible numbers, have no quantitative meaning

area codes, item numbers, clothing sizes (2, 4, 6)

send as a string

{//other fields

"size": "2",

"item_number": "10129"} 

dates/times

a date

flight date, concert date, creation date

sent not as a date, but as the time elapsed until/since the event (flight, concert, etc)

{//other fields

"days_until_show": 50,

"time_since_create": 393 

continuous

numbers that are part of a range

price, numerical ratings

send as number

{//other fields

"rating": 5,

"initial_price": 343} 

coordinates

geographical locations

pickup location, venue location

send as _lat and _lng

{//other fields

"dropoff_lat": 14.633,

"dropoff_lng": 121.033} 

 * These are fairly limited snippets. Required and supported fields should also be included!

If you'd like to learn more about how to send Sift custom fields and the suffixes we accept, take a look at our Custom Events and Fields Guide and our Documentation.

If you have any questions about custom data you think would be helpful for Sift, but are unsure how to send it, please contact us on chat or create a support ticket - we're happy to help!

Have more questions? Submit a request