Iterable

Overview

Iterable is a growth marketing platform specializing in cross-channel campaign orchestration across email, push notifications, SMS, and in-app messaging. Unlike simple email service providers, Iterable's web SDK instruments behavioral events on websites to build real-time user profiles, trigger automated lifecycle campaigns, and personalize messaging content. The platform is particularly popular with consumer apps and e-commerce brands that need to send behavior-triggered messages — abandoned cart emails, win-back sequences, onboarding drips — based on what users do on their site or app.

What This Script Does

Iterable Web SDK loads JavaScript from Iterable's CDN or, increasingly, via a proxied first-party domain. The SDK initializes with a project API key and begins tracking immediately on load.

Automatic page tracking: On initialization the SDK fires a pageView event capturing the current URL, page title, referrer, and UTM parameters. In single-page applications with routing integration, each navigation fires a new pageView event.

Custom event instrumentation: Sites instrument custom track() calls for business-relevant events — productViewed (with product ID, category, price), addedToCart (cart contents, total value), checkoutStarted, orderCompleted (order ID, revenue, items). These events are sent to api.iterable.com via HTTPS POST requests and immediately become available as campaign triggers within Iterable's workflow builder.

User identification and profile enrichment: The identify() call links an anonymous browsing session to a known user profile (by email or user ID). Once identified, all subsequent and prior anonymous events within the session are merged into the user's profile. Iterable stores cumulative behavioral history — pages visited, products viewed, purchases made, email opens, link clicks — to build a rich user profile used for segmentation and campaign personalization.

Cookies and local storage: The SDK sets a iterableEndUserId entry in localStorage (no expiry) and may set a itbl_profile cookie (typically 1-year expiry, first-party) to maintain anonymous visitor identity across sessions. The anonymous ID is a UUID generated on first visit and preserved until the user clears storage or is identified.

Campaign triggers: Connected Iterable campaigns can fire immediately when tracked events arrive. A visitor who adds a product to cart and then abandons the session will trigger an abandoned cart email sequence within minutes if Iterable's workflow is configured accordingly. Email open tracking, link click tracking, and reply handling are also instrumented client-side.

Consent & Compliance

Iterable is classified under marketing and analytics consent categories. The marketing classification dominates because the primary purpose of the web SDK is to collect behavioral data that directly drives marketing campaigns — triggered emails, SMS sequences, and push notifications.

Under GDPR, Iterable processes behavioral data for marketing automation purposes, which requires explicit consent under Article 6(1)(a). The identification of anonymous sessions with known user profiles constitutes personal data processing from the moment of identification. User profiling using behavioral event history for campaign personalization engages GDPR Article 22 considerations around automated decision-making. The ePrivacy Directive requires consent for the itbl_profile cookie and localStorage entries used for cross-session identity persistence.

Under CCPA/CPRA, behavioral data collected for marketing automation and campaign targeting constitutes personal information. Sharing this data with Iterable (a third-party processor) for commercial messaging purposes must be disclosed in privacy policies, and California residents have the right to opt out of sale or sharing.

Iterable is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Data transfers to the US from EU/EEA rely on Standard Contractual Clauses. Iterable participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Iterable's DPA is available on their website.

IAB TCF purposes applicable to Iterable's marketing functions include Purpose 1 (Store and/or access information on a device), Purpose 3 (Create a personalised ads profile), and Purpose 4 (Select personalised ads) if retargeting integrations are configured.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes. Iterable's web SDK begins collecting behavioral data and setting persistent storage identifiers immediately on load. Its primary purpose is marketing automation — driving triggered email, SMS, and push campaigns based on on-site behavior. This is marketing activity that requires prior informed consent under GDPR and ePrivacy. Block the script until the visitor grants marketing consent.