Advanced

User Identification

Link anonymous visitors to email addresses to enable targeted email campaigns based on user behavior.

Overview

By default, Phi tracks visitors anonymously using a unique visitor_id. When a user provides their email (through login, signup, or a form), you can "identify" them to link their browsing behavior to their email address.

Anonymous Visitor

Tracked by visitor_id, browsing data collected

phi.identify()

Links visitor_id to email address

Targeted Campaigns

Send emails based on user behavior

Basic Usage

Call phi.identify() when a user provides their email:

JavaScript

// Basic identification
phi.identify('user@example.com');

// With additional traits
phi.identify('user@example.com', {
  name: 'John Doe',
  marketing_consent: true
});

When to Identify

Call identify whenever a user provides their email:

JavaScript

// After user signs up
async function handleSignup(email, name) {
  await createAccount(email, password);
  phi.identify(email, { name, marketing_consent: true });
}

// After user logs in
async function handleLogin(email) {
  await login(email, password);
  phi.identify(email);
}

// After newsletter signup
function handleNewsletterSignup(email) {
  subscribeToNewsletter(email);
  phi.identify(email, { marketing_consent: true });
}

// After contact form submission
function handleContactForm(email, name, message) {
  submitContactForm({ email, name, message });
  phi.identify(email, { name });
}

API Reference

phi.identify(email, traits?)

Links the current visitor to an email address.

Parameters

email	string	User's email address (required)
traits	object	Optional user properties

Traits Object

name	string	User's display name
marketing_consent	boolean	User consented to marketing emails
...	any	Any custom properties you want to store

Returns

Promise<boolean> — Resolves to true on success.

phi.getIdentifiedEmail()

Returns the email if the user was previously identified.

JavaScript

const email = phi.getIdentifiedEmail();
if (email) {
  console.log('User is identified:', email);
}

Use Cases

Once users are identified, you can create targeted email campaigns:

Pricing Page Visitors

Send a follow-up email to users who visited /pricing 3+ times but didn't convert.

Re-engagement Campaign

Email users who haven't visited your site in 30 days with a "We miss you" message.

Feature Announcements

Announce new features to users who frequently use a specific part of your app.

Automatic Identification

The Phi SDK automatically identifies users in certain scenarios:

✓Chat Widget — When a user provides their email to start a chat session.

For other scenarios (login, signup, forms), you need to call phi.identify() manually.

Privacy Note

•Only identify users who have consented to tracking.
•Set marketing_consent: true only if the user explicitly opted in.
•The visitor ID is stored in localStorage and persists across sessions.
•Users can be unidentified by clearing their browser storage.