Overview

Legacy v. Universal beaconsStandard/Universalbeacons offer a streamlined and efficient way to manage ad tracking by simplifying the beacon structure and reducing the number of requests sent, compared to legacy beacons which track each load at the individual product level.Legacy beacons differ from standard or universal beacons in how they handle tracking and data capture. While Standard/Universal beacons aggregate product-level data at the placement level, Legacy beacons send an additional OnLoad beacon for every single product, leading to different implementation and performance considerations.

Migrating from Legacy to UniversalWe strongly recommend using Universal Beacons for new integrations. If you are already integrated with Legacy beacons, you can find in this section information on how to migrate to Universal beacons.

Key Differences

Feature Comparison

Feature	Legacy beacons	Standard/Universal beacons
Data transmission	Sends an`OnLoad`beacon per product	Includes product data at the placement level
Performance impact	Higher network requests and load	More efficient, fewer requests
Implementation complexity	Requires per-product tagging	Consolidated tracking logic
Use case	Legacy setups requiring detailed per-product tracking	Modern implementations optimizing efficiency
Feedback mechanism	No feedback on missing products	Supports status codes for suppressed/not rendered products
Optimization potential	Limited visibility into why products didn’t appear	Enables fill rate optimization and revenue improvement

Legacy beacons fire an OnLoad event for every product on the page.This means:

Each product gets a separate beacon request.
Increased network load due to multiple requests.
No feedback mechanism to indicate why certain products didn’t make it onto the page, limiting optimization potential.

Key Features of Universal Beacons

Minimized response:
- Product-level OnLoadBeacons are removed, leaving just a single OnLoadBeacon at the placement level. This simplifies the overall tracking process.
Reduced requests:
- By having a single OnLoadBeacon per placement, the total number of beacon requests is minimized, leading to less network traffic and improved performance.
Feedback mechanism:
- Universal beacons include a feedback mechanism to report on why certain products were not rendered.
- This allows for detailed reporting and better optimization of the overall fill rate - leading to more revenue.

Trigger the other beacons normallyWhile the Universal beacon simplifies the tracking process, it’s important to remember that other product-level beacons (such as OnView, OnClick, OnBasketChange, and OnWishlist) still need to be triggered as normal. These beacons ensure that specific interactions with individual product tiles are accurately tracked and reported.

Examples

Legacy Response Example

Here is a sample response leveraging Legacy beacons with individual OnLoad events at the product level:

{
  "status": "OK",
  "placements": [
    {
      "viewHome_API_desktop-Flagship": [
        {
          "format": "FS",
          "products": [
            {
              "ProductId": "16823",
              "ParentSKU": "16823",
              "OnLoadBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=QsXdZsmn8ymw-ZAyoPB7JotDztSi_0h8ukCql_43BN14xQI0N4K965e1ZNo-tbt57lI78UI_MtKxer7GC5FeX08sJ1nUHXbjEIMA6_dUuO5PA-8RjllhHyX2KQfnsf75aMWwjiHRjwPLCxABBToVaBbkbLfowCECV59opCCaIQrc5YqrmzlX2PfC9vwEnI5kV8D8xAzQm7fpjaJQDx5boDFNxO_-F4iHw8Wn-hhWwNpk4A-f_v0CbonMh5Y6BdqlR17Ifya79Shdiwqqnkymbrafif72JStptOVo5cWhttQTw7EyQ8XVKaobUz6IwK1dxWrVdBNmrNcm8WYERKUpndEW160cdbECv9CRV2tXjiLPEDUW-2cGQlAfbSGJQGEzukBHzsRLVM0_iyZsalNJHg&ev=4",
              "OnViewBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=s4MUgb0p2qiOW6OXiDQ9tl3s-sHHnt2WXqEoCFO8R3FKGSf3dJWtjvWJEO7oKG19T75RS1_tbsMbbQCZmgXk29dnbhUX1BJOFSzGWXdpHb3Cvj_qbatHmoLwpWIpki6xbLOPpdjwesx9gx3WSrajV0KwNtGRCWlILLZMBTSBiBzXrbnR0pmTkyJwdxHN-xR70VuGcOCWXcoDxFcgXs2x7mjF7Bwo8Rv7ncoIDJuh1rSGX_eUE_2fu5s1COjtAtjOF9IpByRHiUzfTBkOoLLNMlCo6CrLo3cksFuFvJ93xiMx3oGp2g-WPejLjeIlBuYP_3Ps6tkScZNxUz1I8YwSqgeLWUmvyV0DnAKZH-JcXGhn7Rd2R2FClEFuXoBYtrFj1LTlhf_q9_KMBgQ3NvH4uQ&ev=4",
              "OnClickBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=IZWg4EkEK2twk5A7D_FAZVTkQxrW_ZFxNplIQ6Bmm5D_XAvAlG6HlVf-rJGM0cc20c_yhL-uslQy9FlYrfiD-U7iN0q9ldQKcxiKGu36ld2oFSR3uS87hWKeOz27ZMUChe8wack-2c0_zcRnyKhzmD-T0E-87RgHDBMNewjwnbNQLbjRpI7Ho6ox7Hsjp4Pb389yx3uDTNJ4rX8P_K3IhmgVpqCUH_h7DmntcCIATWySeiJECSBIizJ_MUSyzDdb88Fbj0frlauQ5J6vjhO32igX_HmfCtolAOuKVTQMJK5z4C_ZWlEDtXNR2rYdC6nCMBYh7gcbR-XQJZBsn3K9slOS67lQJ5Y8LsCtuAyxqPkonbjuF7vKMQdqXI-ukbuscGoVFz030rvZbabkjs6AQQ&ev=4",
              "OnBasketChangeBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=84B7sn1OYECasc1VjXL4JFN1RFip8yb42Dt90z7yfYSFQ5cKQhvDw9-KEFdvsSrmaZbxrW24g1xK24fQDXRm5vqlRpQ84UbJ1Voua3k3K0DhhlpLvUZf8MCcY7G8R4J-8l1Thhy9vAgaQ9Reh2l_pKtn0G9yobBXdzdG5b_ZM6CuF7a4c2fwvZoo-oFtZisOQq2yw2D0O0leQYlofB74IsGCoo_x2vpUL5xlPtA4GvBK9LURx9waJZ9bSC1VScEd5yJDPGw0cAGHlZJ67IwybQTi36v23TGej0cEimkaEAZeE6HsR4a-w1ALeVFzNl_uaHwDYx9pqhG3vIHzwbBG8nbBy8gQTI7fLA6NZBZMmLchZBW2ZBv8PzkkndgxAP5_RWZNYRp8HSdqHnL6vM9j0A&ev=4",
              "OnWishlistBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=p-qo5UOTqS4wf7Xr1RzsVOdHHhtWkTjtnyS7LFTEVS7gzTgX1yp4AkZzq4ABrxS_-n3CvbV7MEflqu8jW7lHyftktBXZj4736aIGbBvQQK8zss9Pcvb44_tuPWaUO6K6XxEGo72DhlU9SVxL5ggENsS5x8RcRVxL20B4na9cJrbZ_PGXyVyBLrdmmkdn29ToWhDWpdSxA0op5nk8c9UU0IVgpWC3ZOepgB2toTH9AyIZi1zcwxEutGpQ2ptLrS0hVSyVxPWIWFsLr6F49fWje0rB-klFEjPjPj6D9zMgdT3I89UQL8Jaim0q_C_vqgOO3FG5ecwigCvS-j3kDWEThDlOVYg9QTUlupSrtP9T3K1Zdl0I4RQeP2s5oF9L7GdvX73_K7Zeb_5DZqCOEpfFqw&ev=4"
            },
            {
              "ProductId": "19494",
              "ParentSKU": "19494",
              "OnLoadBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=BN_gK-f37PyfgYjOzzGJ-n_zBfXG6R7uh8_1dWWggfz_RPiKweR-HHP6-mLGDYuRmnT99Di5vWvwhi7RATE7cheBD9gGOWxwvB7WSCrPbMfrCOCKKmWfinrNluiYn0Z6WP7FOw4pkC7JJw1TCL3auxkjCWUBB743qsW8DbtAL-zo1QCNWtVlG2wSDIOnPNXPnB6qLvdJOSXtce8RPMiWb4x2Opkrp0Ai4Ku2n3oWE0KnbGyJOI4STAl4jl0uhezUO7tSsrruHeGvfFo1Uo5QYqFmRU_-yM9eghfKAtRWm8qSui7hHfuDt5_qyhMunvaTqiirEVeXppIFf4_3E9CRJPRmjAjh4KO4trCAcUOAy8c-2BMKr2Z-iSj7a6hO8ZA9cqxqPSkvZ3HxvxItciagNw&ev=4",
              "OnViewBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=y5-OVUh7SAs63ua-tXWrE-hKBle8TbRjb7ITYuhBBqSTmkBxrXnxnPmHXVAby_gDc5aCqM3rF66tJY5CzFAxdIPOU9hujzb22R6nC5s4BNOmZHySBOwv-Omfsj02E1_vyAmov2TmeZofRM_ixmc7Gb-9vnD-Nya8Jus1kOLcoMF_wSDrMSlHxOpm6-fnqVEpEgnPkW4gPokouZC-bL-UPKxQM8SxsNCeaJimBcu2Pund-1SkkkK95O-qq4kboHjwnfmIijOHtFe0Xfsjsqscxy2Akz860toeZn-KISs8YBrOJBUdm82c1bHrZ5LB7NPR1iDOtzwe2ef_at96hCHoyrh-4e0v2o2jGqaoUG-E_ITG_Z2j01xs00dMqyKoPn4VEp7AzvO_ogH3sosgrBwnBg&ev=4",
              "OnClickBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=GR3fsa56mrEr8_rFee3jXYX46r69EHtPMAhvltFZM3TrjpzouRWR4ZOgWCegEKcH0C-wfg7JBqJEpDoxsTpPhvlm7stXwjqYgSItt95pkeuie8YEqLgGJGBeY-ljC8sO4JKbMjtY3eMrR8Esw7zM1paZGzYUpple4AAfTdbT1L03tLKgfz4dFcGO9_Q91smQvneqseV8qmUjcbkroMcC8-0NNPWRzPT6QnucQlsBZuiFgDvTrpUrvbwgS41hh8KW1anp5FFqFHyL2jSM0lH0lHahdo4hxxJyWOoIceGSNfGE0-nwMHmvmqeqszbmgrMfz_C5fpSsa_M8fOVBg-7g3iZcGTFDZ33WgTQnqt7VCfV1xRwUVvBSrg3klW0wgeNDrSuEJzCtlkv8pV3pupD2-Q&ev=4",
              "OnBasketChangeBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=Bvr2njkxIMlNUUbyH6ubRMJqIgw6p7mQjYr7z3tr3W1elo-OkTojl7W6yJUkRb14EiWFtJG8Jo8OeUhy-ArRym5HceeaM-vRFpFOv7weYyYe565sLG5bQBdZhXHJASWBVXobBZ4PCxniZVp-JNpCB2aU-btujaeNfeayNwtHpV24p-SkxauLgOXRy_FIlSjmZkJkGIRukzRMwxWKh55W43LxVr-2uVtOqq6Tg8QLJOneRks0noLnlOST-l2hHMJxJqK-AModUnuY5T8sn3s6x6epRtRMfDoi5MOkJooju16qurFbT6qyGNFSb_hMf82IfdA86pjRpeWJ9DBC3UAZF_bhgTZVjnX1qwHVF_GR3i-kRbNHt30BvZFMJwjO09BqMVx8bZKZaOR5iHMbHIkogA&ev=4",
              "OnWishlistBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=jMoh1dvUxY5LlNEdfXlGZmXRCxi5QSVhFfgptMG1pGyeAYbZ2jvsYVhDqTrFvbLIM7kHi2y1RHXzmNPfHvZifBQpW9sh26BRsuVLdljLruxfxZT_Wtyi4D1KcCA3A09vz4mCIm1MuzHlXTPN-y7oTJqPajjzkeSJSDQFbX-hYEANVbIKhjPET7udRb8R34MtYZQFuqgOuWpCXqPh0JdQSDX9DuLewmI3ZfznR9IeWAwCPMZjiVAZ8KPR6Gy-SsaoLumggq-ikAj3svtK419b47u2ukbW_5S4pZeaq8glbE6nNLpUQdt5k9Drp9echMVY2Y6YkYlvHipFlLqdmrEjKYQ6_oEVVIooxSUt97nUfeQE653nmSN9RlHDfCw8AaaEjaiINAd82jyoMbOD9BezBg&ev=4"
            },
            {
              "ProductId": "15742",
              "ParentSKU": "15742",
              "OnLoadBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=XjYI_CHw2MrAK4ghgIwJ3Z-DI5SysXYoIb7BRgiYdZcLg_SFvE-zbgguqtkD-jSzspd922QHs4R3UPDRxixLH0w9Xy-2SEwq9LLhR0VTZGbnI9-pX8hNDyx8wV-AkbHRH3G5DF11ib1fX3F0FOw5c0JRN3rrGqMDukAneIN0j9jb3Hoc9zJwtojkktzS_5TgXL_zsh28qUz4ZtrspPJRZ47kuC-f2wUGtbHoxRIKbvCvvppWjT0_sx6CuL7oYoSPQ9B_pKHjPEaY0POS57ci-zAIoeyuS5QKDnrdKls8g1y2BaTVSRcW9pk2BOdEP689GYZQTy9oZisachqXR_pEIZ0YeYa3g8-Ygp_p3tnNaDiFgpdzdFdCCVF3w2n0CKWtszqMmFqJnmXZP1342v-zWg&ev=4",
              "OnViewBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=nA2BvAMRGhTnq4v2AWuk3BNlPZna1pHKObORJAkN7oW6vUC_e70WtzBFKV40CyiVAX_Dl8i38Bouu9GWQambqmxwZDQgcrWgHE7AOTGMr229QTu9ZpkAAJiuvLLgLp1BdieXDoQUH7Mr5tj_JNcD8ufIW3V6qBEXsg_FB8rzmTbwaQ8Pzx5E0ukEYUUqVHBZmqS7jZqo0jfmihYR9X6U0_ayKed1mps5qHH8k9MeF6T_bMCZt7aN9ipLLPxRPOmgt-852ZDiaixUr-f0qFxFs9XobID5y5mO7TJX2dKjQjVyTeoxSfXkjdQN8JX5SYwuDtl_8k4qExzr6zZ1oL5acfimqVPrixtdBWP3DKILdDwumWp31ZdPxTq9JPbNUyE919WZLeoblsCk8Kcp5t2eYw&ev=4",
              "OnClickBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=NhGtK-T_dijg2M8c4LyLStkPbVv7l1C525iJEsTLvLaooegslXLpxbwPoIeWSfy9U2Re1Zd-l_K8UjsfBvHe6aizQ7UQsZ562DLuXGFebWcMflPhmLZ3Fy_LIH1plFbg9KmOYHhCDyeioUvBdZhqZSOeYper5LOOKP57Ld4QMh-fCtWzv0ScZpM8oWMDJMVLTF1SuT2bLFs9ZRfmNCNnu6obAecVxvv31Iod7010gme-pnvA4gImYh1rCIVZ95ISx0FmjVVw-Im5fVbjgKF2p4m8q-DPM8cpS_LvS6stnoOPi2DLDb-TM07sS4GyzB0KGIfKkMeaVBOSNvTYY4JeSJ6qGASrd2osYVFgW3l1jfB7oqkyPpRjkTCh-V4gc7xjPD01sNmqL9BOM9-jWrOO3Q&ev=4",
              "OnBasketChangeBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=65vo05e5FJF5RdRTgEI508JGOmZzDY2210JZqqjV1L20AgkC6dXSadUc6VrIOpxvs0_kzeBSNfJgwKlRoiqbuBGWKIAFnfLm3d5vSzefbV_ZSddTOsb-ZX6yNf8oxxo2EIur4BM_nu8Mu_eh4UsLK1Mq1AeEmvQ6ZJEDf9Yz4l2ouG2JrQf2NW-lyO5SI9vyKuA3SNx2S2Sf_pRP4cbGuGpfRQXxHLV_K1VXoMpJW9reKlzQv8_u7A6XdEgyX3GwVM4AITNMA6PbNsKKQdTER3ywdDyydPiAdA7jg9UOMP098RYzYi43XZPpLbLyOxvaqdKVLYyq8UBME6E6Wr7eC267SQiJn8r-jqffU6iUfH4WgUMRtOQwfbx0hGH4yJJu8y0v5JAxwxAld5VwEfP30Q&ev=4",
              "OnWishlistBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=RbrsRpZFm59CHAoMg0iamPzWIAOB-61izO9f1XjyUSq5GuyvZLEhy1sc7r9qWO1WWT-eZIgPp46p6J56FEodBIbdnKL844tC0f-i3pKSz26rsL1kIepzVOtAMgm_1UCCc1q2iFXeRSIPmgS1IejfR6ToEtRgylUhxjJWBEAzA1wOtSFAbOX6j3YbtqjLMRsaxgKdvSPC2h_agZ8v5JoC5zpL70crF5JhLdojd42VCzv9STkVcISbDvCovbveL92KA_GfB-NDt4mIN8_NHHZeM2_szqLeVdbv82A759STYaSZD0AzA4OFcYnGtBYplYgxK8pqgJMYPZ9yob_las_A9AHE-AUkJYKoRZDvlETUHon0p8TlYQXkpDqnVP_maU6BIpUMmmfe5NJzdwk9pSrPJQ&ev=4"
            }
          ],
          "products_order": [
            {
              "products": [
                "16823"
              ],
              "isMandatory": false
            },
            {
              "products": [
                "19494"
              ],
              "isMandatory": false
            },
            {
              "products": [
                "15742"
              ],
              "isMandatory": false
            }
          ],
          "rendering": {
            "desktop_background_image": "//retailmedia-static.azureedge.net/creativeassets-live/d6bfdeefc36e382e53befaeed8d1dc53f07110131a75b275c48fdbf279f4e853.jpg",
            "desktop_background_image_alt_text": "",
            "mobile_background_image": "//retailmedia-static.azureedge.net/creativeassets-live/71a4499cd0f16fe4f1ecd475b7b90e63188f45b212e1cce3bd1aae5a148e34d9.jpg",
            "mobile_background_image_alt_text": "",
            "optional_footer_type": "file",
            "optional_footer_redirect_url": "www.criteo.com",
            "optional_footer_redirect_target": "_blank",
            "optional_footer_redirect_url_app": "www.criteo.com",
            "optional_footer_media_file": "//retailmedia-static.azureedge.net/creativeassets-live/4ba277a9762360ac4ca6f933d522da5bfb7a7937c3491e3887291e994e512005.pdf",
            "border_color": "#CCCCCC"
          },
          "OnLoadBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=kwp2GQrVizyjE_f5R4AKDxHZ_SVwv_cfy0nnuxGkZI4uv3YzfiEKFcBm3Rs5_fdFRGzlWsjGIawBFDQswMswBhq7yK14eKmK4cNZAPnq0etO07G-53EGqVKmlCUIqFt_HLAE2h0KJZSn_d4ozkI900RUgu-L-97OWqk_mrnkpvN-eFxXG8CM19U4n4S1QChcpDyMg1_qrbjK8lvNsCyAYioy8D-YBwHbXlMDcljf1B7Vx9-pyh4m9CMuWDuVLOcjtZ3fJ3ls9_j1bD1eEG41oHOq4dO6DS3HuTaLRTPVDHkFP8ck_WxJYyo7OSO98AB98AqM1Ra_WG9WTeJ8xTVLxBu5hF9yVdBjnZbXAyhF88_Ktm0B74rTMkB7qkHBLRvsaZh2UTESdH7nD_wP2wnjVO-McJ0mDQUFiBUzPOljik0OJA61fsKSTES4AvHr4VEVdYMZSA09obJWFwbCUMweFhLdURgHrtHOXqSXbqXTZBDx1jGocZHEwqD5nsJMdqebDg0_CEg8HBqoCZLfQI6Yfw&ev=4",
          "OnViewBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=qrL1X0gCc0_99xluW-KXwEkCluMc7SLNbBgcDjm5todnq1SSYEcQOpthqyD69N3LbepzaFyoER1z3e7K0Y0Uv7c1fXuvlYMEkdn4Q-dx7wjkFHO_DsQwNSkSJTCk_6DKNjyksXYnzyKmuEP2AUuhfFeMPSfdtR_ogYx3YIxI4lej2XBnHXw7CH-6aS0UvfPItwL2CoTCwKmQIkQyRmp6PKCPe9di9n1YmlaQJ_o_y6MMwOC89kH6LYgNtWlIzkEa5NBzoAI41pgLJ5V1E4zqh6TKbWkQnHuEZWZE6HWtuxF7zj4zFfKXsWtOh8uGKiy-PkWbVS6n3ziq-x8Y6Z6bhbCs2DVu61eIsVLi9N-7lBwJvZRyk72tRHoSLQefIZ4teQsey0f8LoBixDIDvDFLMqtNT6UtF0kAdvVf1sGBnIGdYOskJmBpun_-5AxQ7JYYEKY8UgCuHRzuStz5kYAj6Q&ev=4",
          "OnClickBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=SufwIvPHzAmyrws2Pgfyn0bOJ6OnniYbQfms_juqg1zhFOP8_X3Xpm1lZJC6O88f4c-jZg7RWVr4cYTOtb2-bZFwabzexJlZTOft3sHibcR0uMRdSzGrPpL0bl9zg6nH0zEo0BP_hVrLTgI8jNesN9RTeuEhSWdnKOcuO-p-rVwzyxmWlh-OmeQ_di2GrQsWIa8SOcnIiJnhTtDerJp4lYF3DHqA08xh0WqQO3y431Y0cAgYSFjQX-GCA57zd36gJ1C_-T2TlDtiaH0LA1vVJplIa6c3OgbDUJuJlSfW3947jn2gRHQMoDDxWyuTKR1A3QBKpSlxF9hpqc1FA6n_8Wk7_DOr001RLLVrnjSOmWPKLqkrFiu_BN9RR8rymj7bvV1wD2vXjrBY_hI8V-LiSQ&ev=4",
          "OnFileClickBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=sloVjDHD68JAycBoAJGWQyFIP0DqMYoAFJSP31JQMX-u2zibhPNIgYJyzM8jtfZSVWvTguYgX_L1liSpZKPDs5IFswQ65p8x6fY7r4SqOXke00gRuROKj9aEPXRTHLYyKUHX8giA0ensbt3KM-v4qMvJZoOKVBv2_27zEAhrPt4Zz6V0Y4kRTqJRaXXvSY5IyDvm2Vj-yGYY1-es5XNN_4K5rAXRYZZJn0n9nOwXe17MepTt5MXMqwrhot37Fcjbu5ww_HkGvFQMTTB3MCgEnEnMcyxYzHUV3nC0jJr5X42-8ny3baUynPFUnuKwSfzSGQL5_5PoOr5aIZnnzzbLCMbbzcn1AgLbSpsskwxnxdtt9-TZ1IUfCGQpWw4cB0Eb7Kax5CWgZbvYj1__gqZkJvwK47N_ebBHVS9XuqWNVVY&ev=4",
          "OnBundleBasketChangeBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=6VUW1JJpcvC_2wJVOVs98zWwE58TE9NI_wWrdaOcnG6_HeWHFLog-1xP5F2v_zpXjCcrN6M7-PvXziHAb4BVZ5f7Tg7Rt-jhO7IkPhWVjrXE78djmHEhmgdUt9gFsFj4_4B_rYL5ZRa3QdlHns6BMntz39iElN0GnaTidmVd9aSWYM0Mw0DhT1DfvEisOsu4Dp87VFwJCRXqQB9J7tLlIEnf_m3KFvXdjImQ2x0yDUzAkVPwY_Ley-Vs3iSioioVl74xuW6rz9q2rDUCSC-B1TQETO3VmZd23H2BjrI5bF9IIShOiQG0SMtsYjHvFimInAJ9gmSbZLPi0QhopALOixXc79OJH7HbRv3DyF2ThXQX-A4F1dgXHjkk3IxY2fef803yG_Hdkbdw_UJ-rg__HQ&ev=4"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "page-uid": "954ae0b4-c0c4-4898-9c18-bdd154eb9353"
}

Universal Beacon

Call example

Here’s an API call example using curl. Notice the forceuniversal=1 parameter:

curl -X GET "https://d.us.criteo.com/delivery/retailmedia?criteo-partner-id=108341&retailer-visitor-id=456&customer-id=789&page-id=viewHome_API_desktop&event-type=viewHome&verbosity=min&forceuniversal=1" \
-H "Referer: https://www.criteo.com" \
-H "X-Forwarded-For: 123.456.789.012" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.124 Safari/537.36"

Response example

{
  "status": "OK",
  "placements": [
    {
      "viewCategory_API_desktop-InGrid": [
        {
          "format": "sponsored_products",
          "products": [
            {
              "ProductId": "18980",
              "ParentSKU": "18980",
              "OnLoadBeacon": "",
              "OnViewBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=N-ShKii9k_Ssq07X2u05ueDtr86KFpQ_fGxGemRVh6ynpV--gKQpqQ5FXWm2jih5WL-bJVGa3yAsWPQVjU2j5fMqwDUfn1fdsUIoSDT5aKRthW6ML3ccNRI7cI2keo4TJgYLwuz51QkBM3s7Gf4hg0es63qyxhLUeWUwEF_rqySkHbAZPRg5wvmgzp8wzv7R-m4660kCeescoV-uFJDx_GzYou_DTSF6_UGzyx__SGbxr9eqRigYDK5mFvmfJsYIZrcmIjLjWRFzoD4ugdSv5JpubyCKzl-GBXVaP6Hfr7CkM4rG7p7LdJw5lFzMqARAt1INGfz5ZPcjuS2bDAvxdGsiJPtTAlXnTkUQs3wtKStMerGH5fCT27l38O5QVY5u4L2OPtiQpk3OqSK8Q3RTLixQDeLXlJpD8-Z96hZYYmUFI-O0TcfLNaaZr-0In_ewBqFK13lJ-CnXDlhTh7f6eg&ev=4",
              "OnClickBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=A1-el1RLyd3kFjXa3kxK-mDkA47htch79hUhLlQaPmUSgbOXU6lLZ0DHwMY1Hl4_obWgi1d2vI5egrxczuXkfLngIppGvApAysqR8j6Dh_woNs2GQus0Ktazq10P_j0Lh1Ea24r7x3GQpobN_DU5j1yWZKT27-qC1MY6FlbUuz6FsGLmsx-1pqVWoMGaDmRpMw9RyaVeuRTGyYS162s74rVAFrUzucXTrnpZjNkteFFa_oqCTpd1YAh2dNnblhUsMHbrQ0qWd6JfF4Ojz5sZa5OsjZCEMDnwOxU-aCSpzvjvVmSdgt3EMuVY_P-KCP66v_Ug9_L8EIaUe8Bep-_o7fuHhPlFb7PeXFBC7mQLjXBZOATK8u0LzK9aqK6hpSXgWnwOnVWjeRlCX7r6la3Z1kZF5Es52ZE2cnZYtII6aZoQxiK4jzCZ6fooBtolurDqmS-RbUMLqxC304rmuueUhHOS4f7rlcr2oU_rnqaxhRw&ev=4",
              "OnBasketChangeBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=G6d-bdVBQpa5bEP11vwqrODaP4mhmyTo-2uemQywvvI6JZF83Goi6-hMhjduPGEVaqceFsVZK8fPyHmXNx9ocWPBZHbWoFNldhYyac22vfs_5FJ0NhjHLq78ZcV2x6fTc5fZgQ73gMWGz6cpRFkZHMlB2IQLD3e-Td-Ho3YP3fUNNKQzM-yHc4RUcKsjZyQoncKScCDYr7jQe5OmPwl03gCu1XdUDMbz5-OB9APu-V8Y4lGza8rEF9Me--77mPi2NF0raPy-aI0mccj_tlJQtmJedxNGzPmf_kDDukbxYoU9sTT9SKOWEjdErAFQ2UVumUCoBv7s_BYjw8G2aNcU0mREFzTZwj9hq5vXb5ln4-0q-5sIuc-rb1MdaJjvIsF3Ci4omovDooeZ6Xqadoh0Q_Oc8gHlJNH9o2WXDXXxjskKjUQEvNC1c_TbI5s5xcNtyrG7WX80Dc3pVO9_Sd2hThATt2gLVHijo36dXFdMa-8&ev=4",
              "OnWishlistBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=llE74E1HyOfUwQrToJb5mqlLadGyJnAK5HdkKyVKtWfEP3chiF9GFpgmecYRXOvQMSgXYkuTlmJ_CkjdH4nVDqPxwZbFsT8wMy5kFa7hEDjlrRN65xmQQqvuLw-BQRd53WPXUp2d8UaMBVHT6Km5ANS5iFGHQwtMkjlU5PoIpLnDWZOmaf2nH3Xu5ZIwa3nINGkENMF31_70elrw29z21ZoLcOY1AF2Gk7IkYU-SgB3AqPTwuIKKqpB8eHcvL3vCCzNElLi5tOVORBzYJall-YPHOpv1mdxo1aKQhPMthEez5uSGvA-TGEs0gTuF5KRPSAt1ZKO5oh920pdAY_05vQNGq3IpKWnoK-68OjeiISw8eX2EJlXeaIX2-TzMQx3yVK1NT3fngVwiBFTDzKjtMhfiUA8vyQI19HiEU8LjWyEUIuW_H4PvbzBvxJQzPYyjuNdtZD8CrmAOaU13tdQtRezHbr_khkWCWXdhrsF_BzE&ev=4"
            },
            {
              "ProductId": "17942",
              "ParentSKU": "17942",
              "OnLoadBeacon": "",
              "OnViewBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=fLTthwnThahZxZmquoRxO-4LQQQcFn6KKTt17T3aiS7iUbli5dwRpCcpaeY773cvWSkPywYkzUdnbQLSpiSMtmJtA9-UByhDcxIiVGprTEVXecfxibQ2t8tha_mD82PaP7bcWtEGhTIPB_7Sh4uMbRDsJvZXFkNDmeBUtYjYH1OayWORT19m1bK9xs7NOmhq8XWTYpV0eoySr197uJXr_tC1tTJsLpw9B1gdLJWE5eWYfvFyiALBOZb2SIzZW4Ebpj89NWCTQG1YWkBXZaLzeVWPTIG1T6xmPsm5ohEqZ1I7kMWrKlAc9pMIKLtm0QGTKPJG1JFuScRv79SF7fVIGCPMmD_HKWhoaVmOfhmvlKChqZIUaobEg-tnpRVlwJAjMv1vs4yQyfjdBPm9TWt353fZtgZC4O25iNEZVLodencliMRmN-bD1MqObqYBvV2ZU-94PxCF84kwSncvMLw4Kg&ev=4",
              "OnClickBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=lI3GHpBoheOYxgnBViG67fpkTrw8kGQ7hm1tqpEI0GfPoq0ZXAaRa99aJTvj_wYLcl7-Ry8NuO5PMFiQXKFznTc6TeTTJ8SSHH_N7Je8CedTwns9XEoho5-LfcWaj3M2Zk1sC3G0a6R60QJJERbCp31okNm2g8818uOCqS7BV1cf75UgrumTVSQfUQhhnBQ6ESRGBFAcF5f5ZvNOaBnuZ0EtucRL8hbXAeD7kwjDK1ApsP0i3v9ypLC0QVHtLvs7MSCRr_g34wsv3agyKwvBHzOd7RICfF_D9tvuKQPb4h7PyunhUxxItZN14uXoEmWQV-ynFNqgCY9p5awKMAzsoW-b0DEsvj7iecSW0FyTwaAZwSbIq-Nt3YCVgNnAdYf8xX_4LsSH6jSJlpU6iloE7B1IkjQX3Gtg5-5HtzJaKjir1Aw9JFotkASjJtARNbLTSkN3J4tsrTzLRC6UeyTmPXo23E0ZoNW9F8ZFi8fNMho&ev=4",
              "OnBasketChangeBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=v79SCFQ5rlZ06qfqbHTvHRI56ohUDws-T9P5N9apIOgcRdkrBziCUKcHiq5KkeOEuL-RQCLyHc-xAlzBraVbqAXbs7c46JlrafCN_15KruMeYcPR8bCje3K03ZUn5cv-lsAZ9_H4dWIMPyWUNgydktwDU25azhp-cjnZpuyI6ujH570_pG8EbDJ5SR6aqwDSN5yIvJABECIFVLjdoRP8_ytn2uOpvWScwIvxZ0au2lI99SZrnmIRGvZHjQ9FFCnhPbEwbK31faEddmznNhgUyYF8EaPf0-_-fYtnHr9UlY3sBkc48HPtMayh4HYI46AlXUvo0o-cNLmasf9MkdTL2ijVX1oAK52awmixwj9vaBk2OKnNWJZWB6091KlAZURFeMqIPOycFFGlJeIeKNEQfjyI751COVd58zhJn7GYs-3eeQ0457ZG2C1dbdYDKCtyEcDvSQCPk0kpwIDIct1iDz7ZHEz9O8a1u8pYrZPe8WY&ev=4",
              "OnWishlistBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=Ax9-lQKiaVUcRjjo7M3cDjg_VrBsdnBp1bK7wjsbOK7K_rsibtceyPvPzjnEue7xan_ATFRNWKy8flZBD2m21LSTMHVJblmpC5IfnTdDXe8ZmJvwTSMfLvenm_ujIBX8xCWJQcaqVsKsdEEfrVizfWstwVTsOZQX1UAVd2HEYen4MOPuSE0G11GQrosJo-tzxmepOCZGiBpGUZAucoXXDZ_ZDqEm2ViZYLuK_962PqHLdJXSkXEDk4y_aQlefQ-FGPD916VqgWr9ei-l6I79ncLg7syeJvaDcN6cQT7qL3bc7Bfk3EWtt6aaavMBEm7oUHegZzA6_VLN602sxxoKvDoZWyclgFTPCaFjd7hPES0Z6NpFHT1hE57yfeTAJ_3-KkO55dJmnO_3XfnGqwZ0cBWAuTqyingLmvChHipXll1LqosFX0m8mLu4VZWqlNE9yWysFUb66vQbP0m7t9c5Iop6Potp32jgNshJYTxSvec&ev=4"
            }
          ],
          "rendering": "",
          "OnLoadBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?fid=1205&hl_qs_cmp=UuI4LMFkkrnpRE7z0TTT2aB3hglrxPB48XVDytIQlDZQLu7zkeGnv5Pm8-9K52-rZMkBTkaJIN38mgFfgl76hS3XO696Yui-e2tHR5cWRRsT1iXNoTTyFlJJLK6NDdOH2ePUCKu6gSfHVCFHrK6Ba2LAFqCeheNd7y40wNl-gDIsEE59q_YqQUxaFIxJOSWC6Lyj9fybBf4HWGuxS3bEuSuV4TXXkZQCiAi8suL3-Qo55_JVtrASEvhNxlw0JxlCYrx_thqBP-5x17jUH_NXKlUQeqGoDGaXRqSPKlM19u3dE8rd0M3Ba7BoPY-MjCegdw5kCmVRijvrH3531RPfvaEcIeEPsrOzNMwCA_l2chvHj-IheszCtRQdxWJ7sRyOLzf3y1nO3KrWMywSJJpcHx-Vf-AJc9S_g3Nk_UdkD8aE8PWnIgN8dlkJwo9Av-4JV0FnlwWNwAn2Ygi8xUIakcAYNlam4lsdamE-ewgLPQbjByEagJyeFQtjSg_h3YFAd9njdtkziKNrtmYaigCVpKbzTp34NWWN_Zap-nKsC1lQY2_LlZkpMq0Qq0npF7xc&ev=4&criteopartnerid=108341&nolog=1&action=universal&origc=A&pid=0c3bf1f4-0c32-4efd-8373-1a2c86e08c8d&rn=1455740606&u=1&rm_e=pgzSPvrz-PTX8wOho1D1Q7_zwuTI_ReutLMUwY4-l47Mg_FiEPUZ_Cr_W4tzu7wm3s5zBFHpufuvfUJoPhiipBZPSsbFuLRGG29IjBQ8X8KGdGXPvJAsLK3r8LcmIKibowD8NG90b7BvoRq0LAAo7q0lYUKnAaE7npmoUaT-VWE6_VKwDqMmQn5KLdyxnnmUs4IB5AQpHrdniJyojUYXFVzDillJ0LlCEo1Xxls6aWBYojCMAuJCtfrcnTMcXRwjTy9pCwZa5TqGCZfEz1asOjQ19zodBr5kylGDDkg9zrgUSHVwy62nIryQl2CbU-4PyTqRcmdz9OR8KLkPrW6Y5Kfwqm7LblMB8eHX-swUb8i_IJf-iFZPZlQFvI9gU5oe",
          "OnViewBeacon": "//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?rm_e=nWCQ1D0YYYhNJ8RFe0gsAZTX1U0Hj8qndrHlfVeZe4BbiY1IQAoQI0xfYPOGW1DT9KUN2gqqO_9jIXgOG0k1y7vn835cr7HP59D0jWg6_ZkgmUUehUA0ejDIGIXSps-Bi5wBnXv7BCKyk8_Soi3Lze4_qg1cwE3wq-2w5VPbeI64peSegx-l-RGNDRdCMTYxk3pl459LIHV4gQtd2jSf5SZQSkFfEPnhZTJjAdd5U0wF7JRDgAUC79-cobFO4IgJJMmB8PlG9iQzYJHHWZ9erWhHqG5O3ISpk3yermUywv4OTwxcKWTCJY3skBtdOxZo2BH9B0wYW3abEGNXNPBlLCnyHdDcEGCYeXRk1gWy5BnqtFY7xK8kVP_5-v_6OqankRl5JCDI__Z2JEmB-Nrq_Q&ev=4",
          "OnClickBeacon": ""
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "page-uid": "b24d9dea-aa9e-4c3c-a203-9d7f72c3db1c"
}

Notes on the Response

OnLoadBeaconsat the product level are empty:
- Notice that the OnLoadBeacon for each product is empty. This is expected as there is only one OnLoadBeacon at the placement level when leveraging universal beacons.
SingleOnLoadBeacon per placement
- The OnLoadBeacon at the placement level contains all the necessary information, significantly reducing the number of beacons sent.
Action parameter
- The OnLoadBeacon at the placement level includes the parameter action=universal, indicating that the response is using universal beacons.

Handling non-rendered Products

For SKUs that were not rendered, you must append additional parameters to the universal OnLoadBeaconto avoid inaccurate impression and attribution counts. Here’s how to handle unrendered products:

Specify unrendered SKUs: Use the ex parameter to list the SKUs that were not rendered.
Add exclusion reasons: Use the st parameter to specify the reasons for each unrendered SKU.

Example

"//b.us5.us.criteo.com/rm?fid=1205&hl_qs_cmp=UuI4LMFk...&action=universal&ex=17942|18980&st=3|302"

Status codes

Please refer to this page for a full list of status codes.

Migrating from Legacy to Universal beacons

To migrate from Legacy beacons to Universal beacons, you will need to coordinate with your Technical Account Manager (TAM).

Here’s how you can make the transition:

Enable theforceuniversal parameter in pre-production
Add the parameter &forceuniversal=1 to all API calls in your pre-production environment.
QA
Collaborate with your TAM to test the new beacon logic in the pre-production environment to ensure it functions correctly.
Deploy to production
Once the QA phase is successful, release the new logic into the production environment with the &forceuniversal=1 parameter included in all API calls.
Internal update
Criteo will update your internal configuration to automatically send universal beacons in your ad responses, eliminating the need for the &forceuniversal=1 parameter.
Parameter removal
You can then remove the &forceuniversal=1 parameter from your API calls at your convenience.

Start here

Feed & Product Data

Requesting Ads

AD Rendering

AD Tracking

Commerce Video

QA checklists

OneTag JavaScript

Google Ad Manager (GAM)

Legacy & Universal Beacons

Overview

Key Differences

Feature Comparison

Key Features of Universal Beacons

Examples

Legacy Response Example

Universal Beacon

Call example

Response example

Notes on the Response

Handling non-rendered Products

Example

Status codes

Migrating from Legacy to Universal beacons

What’s next

​Overview

​Key Differences

​Feature Comparison

​Key Features of Universal Beacons

​Examples

​Legacy Response Example

​Universal Beacon

​Call example

​Response example

​Notes on the Response

​Handling non-rendered Products

​Example

​Status codes

​Migrating from Legacy to Universal beacons

​What’s next

Overview

Key Differences

Feature Comparison

Key Features of Universal Beacons

Examples

Legacy Response Example

Universal Beacon

Call example

Response example

Notes on the Response

Handling non-rendered Products

Example

Status codes

Migrating from Legacy to Universal beacons

What’s next