Scenario-Driven User Engagement¶

Waulter's Scenarios are designed for consent collection — but the same targeting engine can power creative engagement strategies that turn the consent interaction into a genuine conversation with your visitors.

The core idea¶

The forceStartCB flag in a scenario rule forces the consent banner to appear even when the visitor already has valid stored consent. Combined with scenario targeting rules (URL, custom fields, pageview count, etc.), this lets you trigger the banner under specific conditions you define.

This means you can use the banner not just for cookie consent, but as a contextual touchpoint that adapts to what the visitor is doing on your site.

Use case 1: Whitepaper or resource download gate¶

Scenario: A visitor lands on a blog post and has already accepted cookies. When they click a whitepaper download link, you want to offer them additional content in exchange for opting into marketing communications.

How to implement:

1. Create a scenario rule targeting url contains /resources/whitepaper
2. Set forceStartCB: true
3. Configure the matched configuration with a custom banner text: "You're about to download our industry report. Would you also like to receive insights and updates from us?"
4. Map the "Marketing" purpose to this interaction

Result: The visitor sees a contextual prompt exactly when they're most engaged — downloading valuable content. This is far more effective than a generic banner on page load.

Use case 2: Loyalty program opt-in¶

Scenario: After a visitor has viewed 5+ pages (indicating genuine interest), prompt them to join your loyalty program or newsletter.

How to implement:

1. Create a scenario rule: pageview > 5
2. Set forceStartCB: true
3. Use a configuration with tailored text: "You seem to be enjoying our content! Join our loyalty program for exclusive offers and early access."
4. Link the "Personalisation" purpose to loyalty tracking

Result: Instead of bombarding first-time visitors, you engage only those who have demonstrated interest through their browsing behaviour.

Use case 3: Post-purchase upsell consent¶

Scenario: A customer completes a purchase and lands on the thank-you page. Prompt them to opt into remarketing and personalised recommendations.

How to implement:

1. Create a scenario rule: url contains /thank-you or customField1 equals "purchased"
2. Set forceStartCB: true
3. Configure banner text: "Thank you for your order! Would you like personalised product recommendations and exclusive deals?"
4. Enable "Remarketing" (PU072) and "Ad Personalisation" (PU074) purposes

Result: You capture marketing consent at the moment of highest satisfaction — right after a successful purchase.

Use case 4: Seasonal campaign or policy update¶

Scenario: You've updated your privacy policy or launched a seasonal campaign and need existing visitors to re-consent.

How to implement:

1. Create a scenario rule that targets all pages (or specific campaign URLs)
2. Set forceStartCB: true
3. Update the banner text to reference the change: "We've updated our cookie policy for the holiday season. Please review and confirm your preferences."

Result: Compliant re-consent collection with a branded, campaign-relevant message rather than a generic legal prompt.

Use case 5: A/B test different value propositions¶

Scenario: Test whether visitors respond better to a privacy-focused message or a benefits-focused message.

How to implement:

1. Create two configurations with different banner texts:
2. Config A: "We respect your privacy. Choose which cookies you'd like to allow."
3. Config B: "Allow cookies to get personalised recommendations and faster checkout."
4. Create a scenario with a mod rule: pageview mod 2 equals 0 → Config A, else → Config B
5. Track consent rates per configuration in Statistics

Result: Data-driven optimisation of your consent messaging, directly measured through Waulter's built-in analytics.

Use case 6: Dynamic consent incentives¶

Scenario: Offer visitors tangible value in exchange for consent — discount codes, downloadable content, or exclusive access. This turns the consent decision from a compliance obligation into a value exchange.

Examples:

How to implement:

1. Create a configuration with your incentive message as a Special Message
2. Set a Campaign ID to identify this incentive (e.g. discount-10pct, whitepaper-q2)
3. Create a scenario rule targeting the relevant pages (e.g. url contains /shop or customField1 equals "new-visitor")
4. Use forceStartCB: true if you want to re-prompt visitors who previously rejected

Measuring results:

Track the special_functions event in GTM to measure incentive performance:

• Impression rate — how often the incentive message is shown (track via Waulter:Open with the scenario's configuration)
• Conversion rate — percentage of visitors who consent after seeing the incentive (compare consent_decision: 'allow' vs total impressions)
• Redemption rate — if offering a code, track how often it's used in your checkout system
• A/B comparison — use the mod operator in scenario rules to split traffic between incentive and standard messages, then compare consent rates

See Special Messages for the full setup and event reference.

Key principles¶

Technical setup¶

For each use case above, you need:

1. A dedicated configuration with the appropriate banner text and purposes
2. A scenario rule with forceStartCB: true and your targeting conditions
3. Statistics monitoring to measure the impact

See Scenarios for the full rule syntax and DEV & Testing Workflow for how to test scenarios safely before going live.