In this article, we’ll provide an overview of what Events are in Crowd and how you can use them to enhance your user insights.
What are Events?
As users interact with your website, various actions occur—they might click buttons, scroll, or navigate between pages. Your site may also trigger actions like tracking form submissions, monitoring page load times, or detecting user exits. These actions are examples of Events, which can be used to capture specific sessions and filter collected data for deeper insights.
To use Events in Crowd, these actions need to be sent from your website to Crowd via the Crowd Events API. This API is available on all pages containing the Crowd tracking script. You’ll need to write custom JavaScript code on your site to send Events to Crowd, which may require a web developer depending on your technical expertise.
Haven't started capturing events on your website? See how to set up events here.
Do Not Pass Personal Identifying Information as an Event
Personal-identifying information (PII) should never be used as Events in Crowd. To connect session data with specific users, explore the User Attributes feature instead.
How Can Events Be Used?
Events sent to Crowd via the Events API can be utilized in the following ways:
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Triggering Session Capture: Events can initiate session capture for Recordings, which also impacts related features like Heatmaps. Note that Crowd automatically starts capturing data once the tracking script is installed, but Events allow you to refine which sessions are prioritized.
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Filtering Recordings and Heatmap Data: Filter sessions by Events to focus on specific user interactions. For example, view sessions where a particular Event occurred at any point during the session.
Limitation: Heatmap Screenshots
It’s not possible to trigger a Heatmap screenshot based on an Event. However, you can filter Heatmap data to include sessions where the Event occurred, showing aggregated user behavior across those sessions rather than at the exact moment the Event fired.
Use Cases
Below are common use cases for Events in Crowd (not an exhaustive list).
Event: logged_in
Description: Fire this Event when a user logs in to prioritize session capture for logged-in users and focus Recordings and Heatmaps.
Event: variant_x
Description: Fire this Event based on the A/B test variant loaded in the browser to filter Heatmaps and compare user behavior across page variants.
Event: started_chat
Description: Fire this Event when a user opens a chat widget to filter Recordings and analyze sessions of users who used chat.
Event: saved_to_wishlist
Description: Fire this Event when a user adds an item to their wishlist to compare users who save items with those who don’t and identify conversion opportunities.
Event: error_occurred
Description: Fire this Event when your site generates an error to filter sessions and help identify and fix UX issues.
Event: form_submitted
Description: Fire this Event when a user submits a form to analyze successful form submissions and identify drop-off points.
Event: page_load_slow
Description: Fire this Event when a page takes longer than a set threshold to load to filter Heatmaps and assess user behavior on slow-loading pages.
Event: user_exited
Description: Fire this Event when a user navigates away from a key page to study exit patterns and improve retention on critical pages.
Event: video_watched
Description: Fire this Event when a user watches a video to completion to compare engaged users with others and enhance content strategy.
Event: clicked_cta
Description: Fire this Event when a user clicks a primary call-to-action button to evaluate CTA effectiveness and optimize placement or messaging.
Event: scrolled_80_percent
Description: Fire this Event when a user scrolls 80% down a page to measure deep engagement and filter sessions showing high content consumption.
Event: hovered_product
Description: Fire this Event when a user hovers over a product image or card to understand product interest and explore behavior before clicks.
Event: pricing_viewed
Description: Fire this Event when a user views the pricing page to segment users with purchase intent and analyze conversion paths.
Event: search_used
Description: Fire this Event when a user uses the site search function to evaluate search behavior and uncover intent-driven sessions.
Event: signup_started
Description: Fire this Event when a user initiates signup but hasn’t completed it to identify friction points and improve onboarding.
Event: coupon_applied
Description: Fire this Event when a user applies a discount code to track promo usage and evaluate its impact on conversions.
Event: item_removed_cart
Description: Fire this Event when a user removes an item from their cart to analyze purchase hesitation and optimize cart experience.
Event: shared_content
Description: Fire this Event when a user shares content (e.g. via social media) to identify brand advocates and study virality triggers.
Event: subscription_upgraded
Description: Fire this Event when a user upgrades their subscription to study triggers for upsell and refine pricing strategy.