What's an event in Linkbreakers?

Think of events as the digital breadcrumbs that every QR code interaction leaves behind. Each scan, each click, each moment someone engages with your campaigns generates an event that captures not just what happened, but the rich context surrounding that interaction.

Understanding the event concept

Events represent the atomic unit of interaction in Linkbreakers analytics. When someone scans your QR code, an event gets created that captures everything relevant about that specific moment: who scanned it, when it happened, what device they used, and where they were located.

Events versus visitors and scans

The relationship between events, visitors, and scans creates a hierarchy of analytics understanding:

• Events: Individual QR code scan actions with complete contextual data
• Visitors: People who generate events, potentially across multiple interactions
• Scans: The action of reading a QR code, which creates an event

This structure means one visitor can generate multiple events over time, and each event represents a distinct scan action with its own timestamp, device information, and context.

Event lifecycle and processing

When someone scans your QR code, a sophisticated processing pipeline kicks into action:

1. Event creation: Initial event record with basic scan information
2. Device tracking: Device fingerprinting and identification
3. Visitor linking: Association with existing or new visitor profiles
4. Geographic enrichment: Location data enhancement based on IP address
5. Analytics processing: Aggregation and reporting pipeline updates
6. Webhook delivery: Real-time notifications to configured endpoints

This pipeline ensures every scan generates comprehensive data while maintaining fast response times for the scanning experience.

Event data structure and information

Events capture comprehensive information about each QR code interaction, providing rich context for analytics and business intelligence.

Core event attributes

Every event includes fundamental information about the interaction:

• Unique identifiers: Event ID, link ID, and workspace ID for data organization
• Temporal data: Precise timestamp of when the scan occurred
• HTTP context: Request method (GET, POST, etc.) and entry point information
• Relationship links: Connections to visitor profiles, devices, and lead scores

This core data provides the foundation for all event-based analytics and processing.

Device and technical information

Events capture detailed technical context about the scanning environment:

• Device characteristics: Platform (mobile/desktop), browser type, operating system
• Network information: Internet service provider and connection details
• Geographic data: Country, region, and city based on IP geolocation
• Technical metadata: Screen resolution, device capabilities, and other fingerprinting data

This technical information enables sophisticated audience analysis and campaign optimization based on how people actually interact with your QR codes.

Behavioral and interaction context

Beyond technical details, events capture behavioral insights:

"Events don't just tell you someone scanned your QR code; they reveal the story of how, when, and why that interaction happened."

Behavioral context includes:

• Action classification: Whether this is a first scan (ACTION_SCAN) or return visit (ACTION_RESCAN)
• Session information: How this event relates to other recent interactions
• Workflow progression: Which step in your campaign workflow triggered the event
• Engagement quality: Time spent, actions taken, and interaction depth

This behavioral data transforms simple scan counting into meaningful engagement analysis.

Event types and classification

Different types of events provide varying levels of insight into visitor behavior and campaign performance.

Primary action events

The most common event type occurs when someone scans a QR code for the first time:

• ACTION_SCAN events: Initial interactions with your QR codes
• ACTION_RESCAN events: Subsequent scans from the same visitor
• Cross-campaign events: Visitors scanning multiple QR codes within your workspace

This classification helps distinguish between new audience acquisition and existing visitor re-engagement.

Workflow interaction events

Complex QR code campaigns with multiple steps generate various interaction events:

• Form submission events: When visitors complete contact forms or surveys
• Step progression events: Movement through multi-stage workflows
• Goal completion events: Achievement of specific campaign objectives
• Abandonment events: Incomplete workflow interactions that reveal optimization opportunities

These workflow events provide granular insight into how visitors navigate your campaign experiences.

Integration and system events

Events also capture system-level interactions relevant to campaign management:

• API-triggered events: Programmatic interactions through the Linkbreakers API
• Webhook delivery events: Successful or failed attempts to notify external systems
• Data export events: When event data gets extracted for external analysis
• Campaign modification events: Changes to QR code configuration or workflow settings

These system events provide audit trails and operational insights for campaign management.

Event analytics and insights

Event data powers sophisticated analytics that reveal campaign performance patterns and optimization opportunities.

Time-series analysis

Event timestamps enable comprehensive temporal analysis:

• Hourly patterns: Understanding when your audience is most active
• Daily trends: Weekly patterns that inform campaign timing
• Seasonal variations: Long-term engagement cycles and campaign planning
• Real-time monitoring: Live campaign performance through the analytics dashboard

This temporal analysis helps optimize campaign timing and predict engagement patterns.

Geographic and demographic insights

Event location data reveals audience distribution and regional performance:

1. Geographic heat maps: Understanding where your campaigns achieve strongest engagement
2. Regional performance comparison: Optimizing campaigns for different markets
3. International expansion insights: Identifying opportunities for global campaign scaling
4. Local optimization: Tailoring campaigns for specific geographic audience preferences

Geographic analysis becomes particularly valuable for campaigns with physical touchpoints or regional marketing strategies.

Device and platform analysis

Technical event data reveals how audiences interact with your campaigns:

• Mobile versus desktop usage: Understanding preferred interaction methods
• Browser compatibility: Ensuring optimal experience across different platforms
• Operating system trends: Audience technology preferences and capabilities
• Network performance: How connection quality affects engagement success

This technical analysis ensures campaigns work optimally for your actual audience's technology environment.

Event aggregation and reporting

Individual events get aggregated into meaningful metrics that drive campaign optimization decisions.

Real-time aggregation

Events flow into real-time reporting systems that provide immediate campaign visibility:

• Live scan counts: Current activity levels across all campaigns
• Performance dashboards: Real-time metrics for active campaign monitoring
• Alert systems: Automated notifications for unusual activity patterns
• Trending analysis: Emerging patterns in visitor behavior and engagement

Real-time aggregation enables responsive campaign management and immediate optimization opportunities.

Historical trend analysis

Long-term event aggregation reveals patterns that inform strategic decisions:

• Campaign lifecycle analysis: How engagement evolves from launch through maturity
• Audience behavior evolution: Changes in visitor interaction patterns over time
• Seasonal performance cycles: Understanding predictable engagement variations
• Growth trend identification: Recognizing successful campaign scaling patterns

Historical analysis provides context for current performance and informs future campaign planning.

Cross-campaign correlation

Event data enables sophisticated analysis across multiple campaigns:

"Cross-campaign event analysis reveals audience journey patterns that single-campaign metrics cannot capture."

This analysis includes:

• Visitor journey mapping: How people move between different QR code campaigns
• Campaign synergy identification: Which combinations of campaigns enhance overall performance
• Audience overlap analysis: Understanding shared audiences across different initiatives
• Attribution modeling: Determining which campaigns contribute to conversion outcomes

Cross-campaign analysis optimizes overall marketing strategy rather than individual campaign performance.

Event-driven automation and integration

Events trigger automated processes that connect QR code campaigns with broader business systems.

Webhook event notifications

Events drive webhook notifications that integrate campaigns with external systems:

• Real-time lead notifications: Immediate alerts when visitors complete forms
• CRM synchronization: Automatic contact creation and update triggers
• Marketing automation: Email sequence initiation based on specific event patterns
• Business intelligence: Live data feeds for executive dashboards and reporting

Event-driven webhooks transform static campaigns into responsive, integrated marketing systems.

Custom automation workflows

Sophisticated organizations build custom automation based on event patterns:

• Behavioral triggers: Automated responses to specific visitor interaction sequences
• Performance optimization: Dynamic campaign adjustments based on event analysis
• Audience segmentation: Automatic group assignment based on event characteristics
• Conversion tracking: Goal achievement monitoring and attribution analysis

These automations enable campaigns that adapt and optimize automatically based on actual visitor behavior.

Event data export and external analysis

Event data can be exported for advanced analysis in external business intelligence and analytics platforms.

Export formats and options

Comprehensive export capabilities support various analytical needs:

• CSV exports: Complete event datasets for spreadsheet analysis
• API extraction: Programmatic event data retrieval for custom applications
• Real-time streaming: Live event feeds for immediate processing
• Filtered exports: Specific event subsets based on time, geography, or campaign criteria

These export options enable event data integration with existing analytical workflows and business intelligence systems.

Advanced analytics applications

Event data supports sophisticated analytical applications:

• Machine learning models: Predictive analytics based on historical event patterns
• Customer journey analysis: Multi-touchpoint attribution and path optimization
• Campaign ROI calculation: Complete funnel analysis from scan to conversion
• Audience behavior modeling: Understanding and predicting visitor engagement patterns

Advanced analytics transforms event data into strategic business intelligence that drives optimization and growth.

Event privacy and data protection

Event processing respects visitor privacy while capturing necessary information for campaign optimization and business intelligence.

Data minimization practices

Event collection follows privacy-conscious data minimization principles:

• Essential information only: Events capture only data necessary for functionality and analysis
• Automatic anonymization: Personal identifiers separated from analytical data where possible
• Consent-based collection: Additional data collection requires explicit visitor consent
• Purpose limitation: Event data used only for stated campaign and analytical purposes

These practices ensure event tracking provides value while respecting visitor privacy expectations.

Compliance and regulatory considerations

Event processing implements features that support privacy regulation compliance:

• Data subject rights: Event data access, correction, and deletion capabilities
• Lawful basis documentation: Clear justification for event data collection and processing
• Cross-border transfer safeguards: Appropriate protections for international event data movement
• Audit trail maintenance: Comprehensive logging of event data processing activities

Compliance features ensure event tracking operates within applicable privacy regulations and organizational policies.

Programmatic event management

Technical teams can leverage event data programmatically for sophisticated integration and automation scenarios.

API-driven event analysis

The events API enables comprehensive programmatic event management:

• Event retrieval: Query events based on time, geography, campaign, or visitor criteria
• Real-time monitoring: Programmatic access to live event streams
• Batch processing: Efficient handling of large event datasets for analysis
• Custom integration: Event data integration with existing technical infrastructure

These capabilities enable sophisticated automation and integration workflows based on event data.

Performance monitoring and optimization

Programmatic event access enables advanced performance monitoring:

• Campaign health monitoring: Automated detection of performance anomalies
• Optimization automation: Dynamic campaign adjustments based on event analysis
• Capacity planning: Event volume monitoring for infrastructure scaling decisions
• Quality assurance: Automated validation of event data integrity and completeness

This monitoring enables proactive campaign management and optimization based on comprehensive event analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between an event and a scan?

A scan is the physical action of reading a QR code, while an event is the comprehensive digital record of that scan including all contextual information like device details, location, and timing.

How long are events stored in Linkbreakers?

Event retention depends on your subscription plan and workspace settings. Data is kept as long as necessary for legitimate business purposes with options for longer retention on higher-tier plans.

Can I export event data for analysis in external tools?

Yes, events can be exported in CSV format or accessed programmatically through the API for integration with business intelligence tools, CRM systems, and custom analytics platforms.

Do events include personal information about visitors?

Events include only technical information necessary for functionality plus any data explicitly provided by visitors through workflow forms. Personal identification requires visitor consent.

How do events relate to visitor profiles?

Events are linked to visitor profiles, enabling analysis of individual visitor journeys across multiple interactions. One visitor can generate many events over time.

Can I filter events based on specific criteria?

Yes, events can be filtered by time period, geographic location, campaign, visitor characteristics, and other criteria through both the dashboard interface and API queries.

What triggers event creation beyond QR code scanning?

Currently, events are primarily triggered by QR code scans and workflow interactions. Future platform development may include additional event types for other visitor actions.

How accurate is the geographic information in events?

Event location data uses IP geolocation which is accurate to city/region level. Exact address information isn't available without explicit visitor location sharing permission.

Can events be modified or deleted after creation?

Events are immutable records of visitor interactions and cannot be modified. However, they can be deleted as part of data retention policies or privacy regulation compliance.

How do events integrate with webhook notifications?

Events trigger webhook notifications when visitors complete workflow milestones, enabling real-time integration with external systems based on visitor actions captured in event data.