Tracking pixels (aka beacon, 1×1 gif, or clear gif) allow for tracking email opens, advertising impressions and checkout pages where JavaScript and POST requests are disallowed, but where you can embed an image.

Follow Segment’s HTTP Tracking API to leverage the /pixel API endpoint, which accepts base64 encoded url ?data

Pixel API endpoint signature:

https://api.segment.io/v1/pixel/<METHOD ENDPOINT>?data=<base64-ENCODED-JSON>

Pixel Routes

  /v1/pixel/identify
  /v1/pixel/group
  /v1/pixel/alias
  /v1/pixel/page
  /v1/pixel/screen
  /v1/pixel/track

Each endpoint always responds with a 200 <empty-gif>

Example Email Opened event:

Create the payload:

{
  "writeKey": "YOUR_WRITE_KEY",
  "userId": "025pikachu025",
  "event": "Email Opened",
  "properties": {
    "subject": "The Electric Daily",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  }
}

Note: you must include either a userId or anonymousId

Encode it using base64 and make sure it’s URL safe:

Protip: You can accomplish this with WindowBase64 methods:

eyJ3cml0ZUtleSI6ICJZT1VSX1dSSVRFX0tFWSIsICJ1c2VySWQiOiAiMDI1cGlrYWNodTAyNSIsICJldmVudCI6ICJFbWFpbCBPcGVuZWQiLCAicHJvcGVydGllcyI6IHsgICAic3ViamVjdCI6ICJUaGUgRWxlY3RyaWMgRGFpbHkiLCAgICJlbWFpbCI6ICJwZWVrQXRNZUBlbWFpbC5wb2tlIiB9fQ

Add an image tag to your email newsletter with src pointing to a Pixel API route:

<img src="https://api.segment.io/v1/pixel/track?data=eyJ3cml0ZUtleSI6ICJZT1VSX1dSSVRFX0tFWSIsICJ1c2VySWQiOiAiMDI1cGlrYWNodTAyNSIsICJldmVudCI6ICJFbWFpbCBPcGVuZWQiLCAicHJvcGVydGllcyI6IHsgICAic3ViamVjdCI6ICJUaGUgRWxlY3RyaWMgRGFpbHkiLCAgICJlbWFpbCI6ICJwZWVrQXRNZUBlbWFpbC5wb2tlIiB9fQ">

If you have any questions, or see anywhere we can improve our documentation, please let us know!