How to configure SFMC integration

This how-to explains how to insert a block of dynamic product recommendations into an SFMC (Salesforce Marketing Cloud) email by calling the Reco & Merch API from AB Tasty. This enables showing personalized products in real time, at the moment the email is opened.

Prerequisites

• Access to Content Builder in SFMC.

• A Reco & Merch template already configured on AB Tasty.

• A valid Bearer Token provided by AB Tasty.

• Required variables available in your Data Extension (e.g. EmailAddr, CodeEAN).

1

Connect SFMC to Reco & Merch

1. Go to Settings > Integrations in your AB Tasty Reco & Merch interface.

2. Click Connect SFMC.

3. A pop-up window will open to authenticate your SFMC account.

4. Once the connection is successful, your workspace will be linked to SFMC.

2

Select or Create a Recommendation Template

1. After connecting, you need to associate a recommendation template.

2. If no suitable template exists, you can create a new one in the Templates section.

3

Deploy the Recommendation

When your template is ready:

1. Go to the Deploy Recommendation section.

2. Select the option On your emailing platform.

3. A unique identifier (API URL) will be generated. This identifier is automatically updated whenever you make changes to the template.

If the interface shows the message “Template functionality is not enabled”, please contact the AB Tasty team to enable template access.

4

Add the Code Snippet in SFMC

Copy-paste the AMPscript snippet example below into your SFMC email:

Copy

%%[
set @url = "https://uc-info.eu.abtasty.com/v1/reco/1010/template/3d815596-8f6e-4ed4-a373-89792a9a2e06/recos/366c16d0-4934-4f31-930e-a57a1e3f757c"

  Platform.Load("Core","1.1.1");
  var url = Variable.GetValue("@url");
  var headerNames   = ["Authorization"];
  var headerValues  = ["Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzaXRlX2lkIjoxMDEwLCJpYXQiOjE3NDI0NzYzNzIsImp0aSI6IlhDczN3WVdXM0dIVHlRNmx0VXY1TTkzR2hXdDlDZGkyR3lhQnJwUEdacE0ifQ.n3OUVQJyyHUXR2zene-OA7VVb4hUJOnVlGQqfmc6tuw"];
  var response      = HTTP.Get(url, headerNames, headerValues);
  Variable.SetValue("@response", response.Content);
%%=TreatAsContent(@response)=%%
]%%

• @url: corresponds to the endpoint generated for your recommendation template.

• Authorization: insert the Bearer token provided by AB Tasty.

• The @response variable will store the dynamic recommendation and inject it into your email.

Snippet structure

Below is a more complete example of the AMPscript code snippet

%%[
var @CodeEAN, @url
set @CodeEAN = [CodeEAN]
set @url = Concat(
  "https://uc-info.eu.abtasty.com/v1/reco/889/template/<TEMPLATE_ID>/recos/<RECO_ID>",
  "?variables=%7B%22bought_item%22:%22", @CodeEAN, "%22%7D"
)
]%%

<script runat="server">
  Platform.Load("Core","1.1.1");
  var url = Variable.GetValue("@url");
  var headerNames = ["Authorization"];
  var headerValues = ["Bearer <YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN>"];
  var response = HTTP.Get(url, headerNames, headerValues);
  Variable.SetValue("@response", response.Content);
</script>

%%=TreatAsContent(@response)=%%

This code execute the 3 steps below :

Step 1: Build the URL with AMPScript

Use AMPScript (%%[ ... ]%%) to prepare the API request URL with dynamic variables from the Data Extension.

%%[
var @CodeEAN, @url

/* Retrieve CodeEAN from the Data Extension */
set @CodeEAN = [CodeEAN]

/* Build the final API URL */
set @url = Concat(
  "https://uc-info.eu.abtasty.com/v1/reco/889/template/<TEMPLATE_ID>/recos/<RECO_ID>",
  "?variables=%7B%22bought_item%22:%22", @CodeEAN, "%22%7D"
)
]%%

Step 2: Call the API with SSJS

Use Server-Side JavaScript (SSJS) inside <script runat="server">...</script> to execute the HTTP request.

<script runat="server">
  Platform.Load("Core","1.1.1");
  var url = Variable.GetValue("@url");
  var headerNames = ["Authorization"];
  var headerValues = ["Bearer <YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN>"];
  var response = HTTP.Get(url, headerNames, headerValues);
  Variable.SetValue("@response", response.Content);
</script>

Step 3: 1Inject the API Response into the Email

Display the API’s HTML/JSON response directly in the body of the email:

%%=TreatAsContent(@response)=%%

Notes on SFMC

Below are some notes on SFMC

Performance

• Every email open triggers a live API call.

• High-volume sends (500k+ subscribers) = high API traffic.

• Ensure AB Tasty API quota is sufficient.

Fallback

• If the API fails, the block may be empty.

• Always define a static fallback (e.g. “Top Sellers” block).

Security

• The Bearer Token is sensitive.

• Rotate it regularly and avoid exposing it in shared snippets.

• For extra safety, use a proxy to hide the token.

Data Extension alignment

• Verify all fields (CodeEAN, EmailAddr) exist for every subscriber.

• If missing, the API call URL will be invalid → “400 Bad Request” errors.

Rendering

• Always test in Preview & Test with real subscriber profiles.

• Validate rendering across multiple email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Mobile).