Data Connections &Liquid

Optimove's Dynamic Personalization Stack

One template. Real-time external data. Infinite personalization — for every customer, every time.

Data Connections

What It Is

Pull Real-Time External Content Into Every Campaign

Data Connections lets you fetch live content from any external source — CSV files, REST APIs, loyalty platforms, internal databases — and inject it directly into your marketing templates before every message is sent. No manual updates. No multiple template versions.

Fetch external content before sending — templates always stay up-to-date.
Use one dynamic template across many campaigns and audiences.
Access real-time data beyond batch processing or stored customer attributes.
Bring in AI-powered product recommendations from Optimove Personalize (formerly Opti-X) in non-image format.
Use placeholders to pass dynamic parameters (location, category, status) per customer on the fly.

How It Works — End-to-End Data Flow

🗄️

STEP 01

External Source

CSV, JSON,
3rd-party API,
Optimove Personalize Placement

→

🔗

STEP 02

Data Connection

Configured in
Optimove Personalize admin
or via API

→

✏️

STEP 03

Template

Insert formula
inline or via
Formula Builder

→

🚀

STEP 04

Campaign Send

DC fetches
live data
at send time

→

📬

STEP 05

Customer

Receives a
personalized,
up-to-date message

Data Connections — Architecture Overview

Creation Methods

Manual — Optimove Personalize Admin Interface

Upload CSV or JSON files directly. Connect an existing Optimove Personalize Placement. Good for periodic updates.

API

Automated — API Methods

Auto-upload CSV/JSON or connect directly to a 3rd-party API. Supports placeholders.

Supported Channels

📧

Email

📱

Mobile App

Push

💬

SMS

🌐

Web Push

Browser

Real-World Use Cases

🎰

iGaming

Daily jackpot prize amounts automatically inserted into every player email.

🛍️

Retail / eCommerce

Daily bestsellers or limited-time offers pulled fresh from your catalog.

📦

Post-Purchase

Real-time order status displayed automatically in post-purchase messages.

🎁

Promotions

Each customer receives tailored offers and visuals pulled from your systems.

Data Connections vs. Data Ingestion — Key Distinction

Data Ingestion

Data Connections

Imports customer attributes — email, location, preferences.
Stored as part of the customer profile in Optimove.
Used for segmentation and targeting at the audience level.
Batch-processed — not real-time per send.

Integrates external content — images, promos, product data.
Fetched at send time from external sources — always current.
Injected directly into campaign templates.
Supports real-time, dynamic, and AI-powered content.

Liquid Templating

What It Is

One Template Language for All Channels

Liquid is an open-source templating language that Optimove uses to personalize cross-channel campaign content. Build one reusable content layout and automatically fill it with the right data for each person based on rules. Starting in 2026, Liquid replaces the legacy template language in Optimove.

Unified Syntax

Single language replaces fragmented rules. Every campaign on every channel follows the same logic.

Industry Standard

Widely used across the CRM ecosystem. Reduces learning curve and aligns Optimove with the market.

Advanced Power

Nested conditions, AND/OR logic, data formatting filters — impossible in the legacy system.

The 3 Core Liquid Components

Component 01

Output Tags {{ }}

Display data directly inside your message. Wrapped in double curly braces. What's inside is evaluated and printed.

output-tags.liquid

{{ customer.first_name }}
{{ customer.email }}
{{ customer.loyalty_points }}
{{ customer.city }}

Result

Each variable is replaced with the customer's actual data when the message renders.

Component 02

Logic Tags {% %}

Control what gets shown — hide or display content based on rules. Wrapped in curly brace + percent sign. Never renders output directly.

logic-tags.liquid

{% if customer.tier == "GOLD" %}
  Enjoy your 20% reward!
{% elsif customer.tier == "SILVER" %}
  Almost Gold — keep going!
{% else %}
  Join our loyalty program.
{% endif %}

Result

Each customer sees only the content block that matches their tier — in one template.

Component 03

Filters |

Transform data before displaying it — format dates, capitalize text, set fallbacks. Used inside Output tags, separated by a pipe character.

filters.liquid

{{ customer.first_name | default: 'there' }}

{{ customer.DOB | date_format: "MMMM d" }}

{% assign disc = customer.points | divided_by: 100 %}

{{ customer.city | default: 'your area' }}

Result

Falls back to "there" if no name; formats date as "January 15"; computes discount from points.

Liquid — Template Processing Flow

Liquid In Action — Full Real Example

■ email-birthday.liquid

Hi {{ customer.first_name | default: 'there' }}!
We noticed your birthday is coming up on {{ customer.DOB | date_format: "MMMM d" }}.
{% if customer.tier == "GOLD" and customer.opt_in == true %}
  As a Gold member, enjoy a special birthday bonus: 20% off your next deposit!
{% elsif customer.tier == "SILVER" %}
  You're on your way to Gold! Here's a 10% birthday treat on us.
{% else %}
  We have a birthday surprise waiting — log in to claim it.
{% endif %}
— Result for Alex (GOLD, opted in):
  "Hi Alex! We noticed your birthday is coming up on January 15.
   As a Gold member, enjoy a special birthday bonus: 20% off your next deposit!"

Liquid vs. Legacy Syntax — What Changed

Feature	Legacy Syntax	Liquid (New)
Logic Depth	Single condition only	Nested conditions supported
AND / OR Combinations	No AND/OR support	Full AND/OR logic
Data Formatting	Limited	Extensive filters — Date, Case, Math
Variable Assignment	Not supported	{% assign %} for runtime variables
Language Standard	Proprietary	Industry-standard Shopify Liquid

LCDC — How Data Connections & Liquid Work Together

Data Connections

The Pipe 🔗

Fetches external real-time content from outside Optimove — jackpot amounts, product data, order statuses, AI recommendations — and makes it available inside your template at the moment of send.

CSV / JSON Files 3rd Party APIs Optimove Personalize / AI Recs

Liquid

The Engine ⚙️

Renders the fetched data dynamically inside the template — with conditions, formatting, fallbacks, and variable assignments — so each customer sees exactly the right content based on their profile and the live data.

{{ output }} {% if/else %} | filters

Combined Flow — iGaming Jackpot Example

Data Connection fetches live jackpot data at send time

A Data Connection configured to your API retrieves at the moment of send: jackpot_amount = "$2,500,000", bonus_code = "SPIN50". The data is always fresh.

Liquid template renders it conditionally per player

The Liquid engine checks each player's favorite_game and tier, then uses the live jackpot data from step 1 to render the exact right message for them.

Every player receives a unique, real-time email

Alex sees: "Today's jackpot: $2,500,000 — use code SPIN50!" Maria sees tournament buy-ins. One template. Zero manual versions.

LCDC — End-to-End System Flow

Combined LCDC Code — Data Connection + Liquid Together

Purple = data_connection.values

Hi {{ customer.first_name | default: 'there' }}!
{% if customer.favorite_game == "slots" %}
  Today's jackpot on {{ customer.favorite_game }}:
  {{ data_connection.jackpot_amount }}
  {% if customer.tier == "GOLD" %}
    Your exclusive bonus code: {{ data_connection.bonus_code }}
  {% endif %}
{% elsif customer.favorite_game == "poker" %}
  A new tournament just opened!
  Buy-in: {{ data_connection.tournament_buyin }}
{% endif %}

Beta Access & Availability

Data Connections is in Closed Beta — request access through your CSM. An Optimove Personalize account is created for you (no full Optimove Personalize license required). Liquid is in Beta for Email — contact your Customer Success Manager to enable it. Both work natively across Email, Mobile App Push, SMS, and Web Push Notifications.

Documentation & Guides

Getting Started with Data Connections

Data Connection Use Cases

Getting Started with Liquid

Data Connections &Liquid

How It Works — End-to-End Data Flow

Real-World Use Cases

The 3 Core Liquid Components

Getting Started with Data Connections

Data Connection Use Cases

Getting Started with Liquid

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