> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zixflow.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started with Events

> Introduction to Zixflow event tracking — concepts, use cases, and first steps.

Welcome to Zixflow's event tracking system! This guide will help you understand what events are, why they matter, and how to start tracking user behavior in your application.

***

## What is the Event System?

Zixflow's event tracking system is a **Customer Data Platform (CDP)** that captures and organizes every user interaction in your application. Similar to platforms like Segment or Amplitude, it creates a complete, searchable history of how users engage with your product.

**What you can do with it:**

* Understand user behavior patterns and preferences
* Trigger automated campaigns at the right moments
* Analyze what drives conversions and retention
* Make data-driven product and marketing decisions

### How It Works (Simple View)

Every user action becomes a structured event that includes:

* **Who**: Which user took the action (by ID or anonymous tracking)
* **What**: The specific action they took (like "Purchased" or "Signed Up")
* **When**: The exact time it happened
* **Context**: Details like what device they used, where they were, etc.

Once tracked, these events are immediately available for:

* Triggering campaigns ("Send cart reminder 2 hours after abandonment")
* Running analytics ("What % of signups complete onboarding?")
* Personalizing experiences ("Show upgrade prompt to power users")

***

## Why Track Events?

### 1. **Product Analytics**

* Track feature usage and adoption rates
* Measure activation, engagement, and retention metrics
* Identify power users vs casual users vs churned users
* A/B test impact measurement with event-based cohorts

### 2. **Marketing Attribution & Personalization**

* Multi-touch attribution from first click to conversion
* Dynamic content personalization based on user journey
* Lookalike audience building from high-value user cohorts

**Example:** User views pricing page 3x without converting → Trigger personalized email with case study + limited-time discount.

### 3. **Revenue & Growth Metrics**

* Track trial-to-paid conversion funnels
* Measure expansion revenue (upgrades, add-ons)
* Identify churn risk based on engagement decay
* Calculate LTV, CAC payback period, revenue retention

### 4. **Lifecycle Automation**

* Onboarding sequences triggered by signup + usage milestones
* Re-activation campaigns for dormant users (30-day no-login)
* Upsell triggers when users hit plan limits
* Win-back flows for churned customers

***

## Key Concepts at a Glance

Before diving in, let's define the core building blocks:

### **Events**

Structured records of user actions. Think Segment's `track()` calls or Amplitude events.

**Examples:**

* `Signed Up` — Account creation with signup source attribution
* `Feature Used` — Feature interaction with usage context
* `Trial Extended` — Lifecycle milestone event
* `Payment Failed` — System event requiring action

### **Users**

Unified user profiles across the anonymous → identified journey.

**Anonymous phase:** Pre-signup visitors tracked via browser/device fingerprinting. You can still:

* Track funnel drop-off points
* Attribute first-touch campaigns

**Identified phase:** Post-signup/login users with full profile data. Enables:

* Cross-device tracking (same user on mobile + desktop)
* Personalized messaging (email, push, in-app)
* Full journey reconstruction (anonymous history merges automatically)

### **Attributes**

User profile fields that describe who a user is and their current state.

**Examples:**

* `plan_type`: "enterprise" → Target feature announcements to enterprise users
* `trial_ends_at`: "2026-05-10" → Trigger upgrade nudges
* `feature_flags`: \["beta\_reports"] → A/B test cohort membership

Attributes = state. Events = changes to that state.

### **Devices**

Multi-device tracking for cross-platform products. Each device gets registered with Zixflow so you can:

* Send push notifications to specific devices — including devices that haven't signed up yet
* Track the same user across phone, tablet, and desktop
* See which device types your users prefer
* Register push tokens **before sign-up** — push notifications work immediately on anonymous devices, and devices are automatically linked to the user's profile when they call `identify()`
* Tracks platform-specific context (app version, OS version) — platform is detected automatically from OS name, library name, or browser

**Use case:** Send push notifications to all user's devices, or target iOS users only for App Store review prompts.

***

## Your First Event

Let's track a simple "Sign Up" event. Here's what it looks like using our SDK:

### JavaScript (Web)

```javascript theme={null}
// After user creates account
Zixflow.track({
  name: 'Signed Up',
  properties: {
    plan: 'free',
    source: 'homepage'
  }
});
```

### Flutter (Mobile)

```dart theme={null}
// After user creates account
Zixflow.instance.track(
  name: 'Signed Up',
  properties: {
    'plan': 'free',
    'source': 'homepage',
  },
);
```

### What Just Happened?

When you call `track()`, your event goes through these steps:

```
1. SDK captures → Adds timestamp, user ID, device info automatically
                     ↓
2. Sends securely → Encrypted transmission to Zixflow
                     ↓
3. Processed → Validated and linked to user profile
                     ↓
4. Available → Ready for campaigns, segments, and analytics
                     ↓
Total time: 2-5 seconds
```

**What this means for you:**

* Your app gets an instant response (no waiting)
* Events are available almost immediately
* Nothing is lost, even if there's a temporary issue
* You can start building segments and triggering campaigns right away

***

## What You Can Do With Your Data

Once you've tracked events, here are the powerful things you can do:

### **1. Trigger Automated Campaigns**

Set up messages that send automatically when users take (or don't take) specific actions:

* User signs up → Send welcome email series
* User abandons cart → Send reminder after 2 hours
* User hits usage limit → Send upgrade prompt
* User reaches milestone → Send congratulations message

**Real example:**

```
When: User adds product to cart
Wait: 2 hours
If: User has NOT completed purchase
Then: Send push notification "Your cart is waiting! 10% off if you order now"
```

### **2. Analyze User Journeys**

Understand how users move through your product:

**Conversion funnels:**

```
Homepage View → Product View → Add to Cart → Purchase
    100%            45%            18%          12%
```

See exactly where users drop off and optimize those steps.

**User flows:**
Track the most common paths users take from signup to conversion.

**Cohort analysis:**
Compare user behavior by signup date, acquisition source, or plan type.

### **3. Measure What Matters**

* **Activation rate**: % of signups who complete key actions
* **Retention**: How many users come back day 1, day 7, day 30
* **Feature adoption**: Which features are used most (and by whom)
* **Time to value**: How long until users get their first "win"
* **Revenue metrics**: Conversion rate, average order value, lifetime value

***

## What You Can Build

### **Product-Led Growth (PLG) Playbook**

* **Activation tracking**: Measure "aha moment" completion (e.g., "Created First Report")
* **Usage-based pricing**: Trigger upgrade prompts when users hit plan limits
* **Expansion revenue**: Identify accounts ready for upsell (usage patterns + firmographics)
* **Referral loops**: Track invite-sent → invite-accepted → activated-user flows

### **Retention & Churn Prevention**

* **Health score models**: Combine engagement metrics (login frequency, feature usage) into churn risk score
* **Early warning system**: Alert CSM when enterprise accounts go dormant (7-day no-login)
* **Win-back campaigns**: Automated sequences for churned users with personalized offers
* **Cohort retention analysis**: Compare retention by signup source, plan type, or onboarding path

### **Conversion Optimization**

* **Funnel analysis**: Identify drop-off points in signup → activation → payment flows
* **A/B test measurement**: Event-based cohort assignment and conversion tracking
* **Multi-touch attribution**: Credit marketing channels based on user journey touchpoints
* **Lead scoring**: Behavioral scoring (page views, feature trials) + firmographics (company size, industry)

### **Lifecycle Marketing**

* **Onboarding sequences**: Trigger step-by-step emails based on product usage milestones
* **Engagement campaigns**: Re-activate dormant users with personalized content
* **Upsell automation**: Triggered campaigns when users demonstrate high engagement
* **Customer delight**: Milestone celebrations (1-year anniversary, 100th project created)

***

## How the System Keeps Your Data Safe

### **Never Lose an Event**

* Events are saved immediately when tracked
* If your internet drops, the SDK stores events locally
* When connection returns, all events are sent automatically
* Even if Zixflow has an issue, events wait safely until everything's back

### **Fast & Reliable**

* Your app gets instant confirmation (no waiting)
* Events appear for use within 2-5 seconds
* System handles high traffic without slowing down
* No impact on your app's performance

### **Privacy & Security**

* All data encrypted during transmission (bank-level security)
* Stored securely with access controls
* GDPR/CCPA compliance support
* User deletion and data export capabilities
* You control what data gets tracked

***

## Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics, here's where to go next:

### **Deep Dive into Concepts**

* [Understanding Events](/documentation/events/understanding-events) — Event types, naming conventions, best practices
* [Users & Identity](/documentation/events/users-and-identity) — How anonymous visitors become identified users
* [Profile Attributes](/documentation/events/attributes) — What to track about users vs what they do

### **Implementation Guides**

* [E-commerce Tracking](/documentation/events/scenarios/ecommerce) — Track product views, purchases, abandoned carts
* [Mobile App Analytics](/documentation/events/scenarios/mobile-app) — Screen views, push notifications, in-app behavior
* [SaaS Product Analytics](/documentation/events/scenarios/saas) — Feature adoption, trial conversions, user onboarding

### **SDK Integration**

* [SDK overview](/documentation/sdk/flutter/introduction) — Install and integrate Zixflow by platform ([JavaScript](/documentation/sdk/javascript/introduction), [React Native](/documentation/sdk/react-native/introduction), [Flutter](/documentation/sdk/flutter/introduction), [iOS](/documentation/sdk/ios/introduction), [Android](/documentation/sdk/android/introduction))

### **Technical Reference**

* [Data Journey](/documentation/events/data-journey) — What happens to events after you track them

***

## Getting Help

### **Documentation**

* Browse all event guides in the [Documentation](/documentation/events/getting-started) section

### **Support**

* Contact your account team for implementation help
* Share specific use cases for custom tracking guidance
* Report documentation errors or gaps

***

**Ready to dive deeper?** Continue to [Understanding Events →](/documentation/events/understanding-events)