Customer.io

In the Communication section within Integrations, you can connect your Customer.io account to Superwall:

Features

• Real-time Event Tracking: Subscription events are sent immediately to Customer.io as they occur
• Multi-Region Support: Choose between US and EU data residency to comply with data regulations
• Flexible Revenue Reporting: Report either gross revenue or net proceeds after store fees
• Sandbox Environment Support: Separate API key for testing without polluting production data
• Anonymous User Handling: Configurable behavior for users without an identified app user ID
• Custom Event Names: Remap default event names to match your existing Customer.io conventions
• Automatic User Identification: Smart routing between userId and anonymousId based on user state

Configuration

Required Settings

Optional Settings

Example Configuration

{
  "integration_id": "customerio",
  "region": "US",
  "api_key": "your-pipelines-api-key",
  "sales_reporting": "Revenue",
  "sandbox_api_key": "your-sandbox-pipelines-api-key",
  "anonymous_user_behavior": "send",
  "eventNameMappings": {
    "sw_trial_start": "trial_started",
    "sw_subscription_start": "subscription_started",
    "sw_renewal": "subscription_renewed"
  }
}

Getting Your API Key

The Customer.io integration uses the Pipelines API (part of Customer.io Data Pipelines), not the Track API. To get your API key:

1. Log in to your Customer.io account
2. Navigate to Data Pipelines in the left sidebar
3. Go to Sources
4. Click Add Source and select HTTP
5. Name your source (e.g., "Superwall Events")
6. Copy the API Key displayed after creation

Important: The Pipelines API key is different from the Track API credentials (Site ID + API Key). Make sure you're using the correct key from Data Pipelines.

Event Mapping

Superwall subscription events are transformed into Customer.io events based on the event type and subscription period. All events are prefixed with sw_ by default.

Trial Events

Intro Offer Events

Subscription Events

Other Events

Event Properties

Each event sent to Customer.io includes comprehensive properties from the original Superwall event, plus additional formatted fields for revenue tracking.

Standard Properties

All events include the complete Superwall event data:

Revenue Properties

When the event has a non-zero price, these additional properties are included:

Revenue vs Proceeds

The sales_reporting setting controls which amount is sent:

• Revenue: The full price charged to the customer (e.g., $9.99)
• Proceeds: The amount after store fees are deducted (e.g., $8.49 after Apple's 15-30% commission)

User Identification

Customer.io uses either userId or anonymousId to identify users. The integration automatically selects the appropriate identifier based on user state.

Known Users

For users with an originalAppUserId set in Superwall:

{
  "userId": "user_12345",
  "event": "sw_subscription_start",
  "properties": { ... },
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Anonymous Users

For users without an originalAppUserId, the behavior depends on anonymous_user_behavior:

When set to "send" (default):

• Events are sent with an anonymousId constructed from the store and transaction ID
• Format: $STORE_NAME:originalTransactionId

{
  "anonymousId": "$APP_STORE:1000000123456789",
  "event": "sw_subscription_start",
  "properties": { ... },
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

When set to "dontSend":

• Events from anonymous users are skipped entirely
• Useful if you only want to track identified users

Sandbox Handling

The integration supports separate handling for sandbox (test) events:

With Sandbox API Key Configured

When sandbox_api_key is provided:

• Production events use the main api_key
• Sandbox events use the sandbox_api_key
• Both are sent to Customer.io but can be routed to different destinations

Without Sandbox API Key

When sandbox_api_key is not provided:

• Production events are sent normally
• Sandbox events are skipped entirely
• This prevents test data from polluting your production Customer.io workspace

Data Residency

Customer.io offers data residency in two regions. The integration automatically routes to the correct endpoint:

Choose the region that matches your Customer.io workspace configuration. Using the wrong region will result in authentication errors.

Custom Event Names

Use eventNameMappings to rename default event names to match your existing Customer.io conventions:

{
  "eventNameMappings": {
    "sw_trial_start": "Started Free Trial",
    "sw_subscription_start": "Subscribed",
    "sw_renewal": "Subscription Renewed",
    "sw_subscription_cancelled": "Subscription Cancelled",
    "sw_refund": "Refund Processed"
  }
}

Only events you specify in the mapping are renamed. All other events keep their default sw_ prefixed names.

Testing the Integration

1. Validate Credentials

The integration validates credentials by sending a test event to Customer.io. If the API key is invalid or the region is incorrect, you'll receive an authentication error.

2. Verify in Customer.io

After sending test events:

1. Go to Data Pipelines → Sources → your HTTP source
2. Click on Events to see incoming events
3. Verify event names and properties match expectations

3. Test Scenarios

Verify these scenarios work correctly:

• Production event with known user (should use userId)
• Production event with anonymous user (should use anonymousId or skip)
• Sandbox event with sandbox API key (should send to Customer.io)
• Sandbox event without sandbox API key (should be skipped)
• Event with custom name mapping (should use remapped name)
• Revenue event (should include price, currency, product_id)
• Non-revenue event like cancellation (should not include revenue properties)

Best Practices

1. Use separate sandbox credentials: Configure a sandbox_api_key to keep test data separate from production, or leave it blank to skip sandbox events entirely.

2. Choose the right sales reporting: Use "Revenue" for customer-facing metrics and "Proceeds" for financial reporting that accounts for store fees.

3. Handle anonymous users thoughtfully: If your app requires login, use "dontSend" to avoid cluttering Customer.io with unidentifiable users.

4. Keep event names consistent: If you have existing events in Customer.io, use eventNameMappings to maintain naming consistency across your data.

5. Verify your region: Ensure your region setting matches your Customer.io workspace location to avoid authentication failures.

6. Test with sandbox first: Always test your integration configuration with sandbox events before going live with production data.

Common Use Cases

Win-Back Campaigns

Trigger automated campaigns when users cancel:

1. Listen for sw_subscription_cancelled events
2. Create a segment of recently cancelled users
3. Send a series of win-back emails with special offers

Trial Conversion Optimization

Improve trial-to-paid conversion:

1. Track sw_trial_start to begin a nurture sequence
2. Send educational content about premium features
3. Trigger a special offer before trial expiration
4. Track sw_trial_converted to measure success

Churn Prevention

Identify and engage at-risk subscribers:

1. Monitor sw_billing_issue events
2. Send immediate notification to update payment method
3. Follow up with helpful support content
4. Track resolution with subsequent sw_renewal events

Revenue Analytics

Build comprehensive revenue reporting:

1. Segment users by subscription status
2. Track lifetime value using revenue properties
3. Analyze conversion rates by cohort
4. Measure impact of promotional offers via offer_code

Troubleshooting

Events Not Appearing in Customer.io

Possible causes:

• Incorrect API key (make sure you're using Pipelines API key, not Track API)
• Wrong region selected (US vs EU mismatch)
• Sandbox events without sandbox API key configured (events are skipped)
• Anonymous users with dontSend behavior (events are skipped)

Solution: Verify your API key is from Data Pipelines → Sources → HTTP, and check that your region matches your workspace.

Authentication Errors

Possible causes:

• Using Track API credentials instead of Pipelines API key
• Region mismatch between configuration and Customer.io workspace
• API key has been revoked or regenerated

Solution: Generate a new HTTP source in Data Pipelines and use the fresh API key.

Missing Revenue Properties

Possible causes:

• Event has zero price (cancellations, expirations)
• Refund events (price is negative, still included but as negative value)

Solution: Revenue properties (price, currency, product_id, subscription_id) are only added when the price is non-zero. This is expected behavior.

Wrong Event Names

Possible causes:

• Event name mappings not configured
• Typo in mapping configuration

Solution: Check your eventNameMappings configuration. Keys should be the default event names (e.g., sw_trial_start), and values should be your desired custom names.

Rate Limits

Customer.io's Pipelines API has generous rate limits suitable for high-volume event ingestion:

• Requests: 500 requests per second per source
• Payload size: 32KB per request

The integration sends one event per webhook, well within these limits. If you experience rate limiting, contact Customer.io support to increase your limits.

API Reference

Endpoint

POST https://cdp.customer.io/v1/track      (US region)
POST https://cdp-eu.customer.io/v1/track   (EU region)

Authentication

Basic Authentication with the Pipelines API key as username and empty password:

Authorization: Basic base64(api_key:)

Request Format

{
  "userId": "user_12345",
  "event": "sw_subscription_start",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "properties": {
    "productId": "com.app.premium.monthly",
    "price": 9.99,
    "currency": "USD",
    "store": "APP_STORE",
    "environment": "Production",
    ...
  }
}

Response

Success: 200 OK with empty body or acknowledgment

Errors:

• 401 Unauthorized: Invalid API key or wrong region
• 400 Bad Request: Malformed request body
• 429 Too Many Requests: Rate limit exceeded