Adobe Experience Platform destinations allow you to activate your unified customer profiles and audiences to external platforms for advertising, personalization, analytics, and more. This guide covers all destination types in AEP and provides setup guidance for the most popular integrations.
Understanding AEP Destination Types
AEP destinations are categorized by their connection method and use case:
| Destination Type | Data Transfer | Latency | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming | Real-time API | Minutes | Ad platforms, personalization |
| File-based (Batch) | CSV/Parquet export | Hours | Data warehouses, email |
| Edge Personalization | Edge Network | Milliseconds | Same-page personalization |
| Dataset Export | Full dataset export | Hours | Analytics, data lakes |
Advertising Destinations
Connect audiences to major advertising platforms:
Google Destinations
- Google Ads — Customer Match audiences for search and display
- Google Display & Video 360 — Programmatic display campaigns
- Google Ad Manager 360 — Publisher ad serving
Google Customer Match Setup
- Navigate to Destinations → Catalog → Google Ads
- Click "Set up" and authenticate with Google account
- Select Customer Match audience type
- Map identity fields (email, phone, address)
- Activate desired segments
Meta Destinations
- Facebook Custom Audiences — Retargeting on Facebook/Instagram
- Facebook Conversions API — Server-side event tracking
Other Advertising Platforms
- The Trade Desk — Programmatic buying
- Amazon Ads — Amazon DSP audiences
- LinkedIn — B2B advertising
- TikTok — Short-form video ads
- Snapchat — Social advertising
- Pinterest — Visual discovery ads
Identity Requirements for Ad Destinations
Most advertising destinations require hashed identities (SHA-256). AEP automatically hashes sensitive data before sending to platforms that require it.
Cloud Storage Destinations
Export audiences and datasets to cloud storage:
Amazon Web Services
- Amazon S3 — Object storage exports
- Amazon Kinesis — Real-time streaming
Microsoft Azure
- Azure Blob Storage — Blob exports
- Azure Event Hubs — Event streaming
- Azure Data Lake Gen2 — Data lake storage
Google Cloud
- Google Cloud Storage — GCS bucket exports
- Google Pub/Sub — Message streaming
- BigQuery — Data warehouse export
Other Storage Options
- SFTP — Secure file transfer
- Snowflake — Data cloud export
- Databricks — Lakehouse platform
Personalization Destinations
Enable real-time personalization across channels:
Adobe Solutions
- Adobe Target — A/B testing and personalization
- Adobe Journey Optimizer — Cross-channel journeys
- Adobe Campaign — Email campaigns
Edge Personalization
- Custom Personalization — Your own personalization server
- Same-page evaluation — Real-time segment qualification
⚠️ Edge Segmentation Requirements
Edge personalization destinations require edge segmentation to be enabled. Only segments using simple criteria (profile attributes, single events) qualify for edge evaluation.
Email Marketing Destinations
Sync audiences with email platforms:
- Adobe Campaign — Enterprise email marketing
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud — Multi-channel marketing
- Oracle Eloqua — B2B marketing automation
- Oracle Responsys — Cross-channel campaigns
- Mailchimp — SMB email marketing
- Braze — Customer engagement
CRM & Sales Destinations
- Salesforce CRM — Sync profiles to Salesforce
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 — CRM sync
- HubSpot — Inbound marketing CRM
Analytics & BI Destinations
- Adobe Analytics — Send segment data to Analytics
- Pendo — Product analytics
- Amplitude — Behavioral analytics
Destination Setup Best Practices
1. Identity Mapping
Always map the correct identity namespaces:
- Use the destination's preferred identifier
- Map multiple identities for higher match rates
- Ensure hash type matches destination requirements
2. Segment Scheduling
- Streaming: Automatic, near real-time
- Batch: Schedule during off-peak hours
- File exports: Consider downstream processing needs
3. Data Governance
- Apply appropriate data usage labels
- Review destination-specific policies
- Ensure compliance with privacy regulations
Troubleshooting Destinations
Common Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Low match rates | Identity mismatch | Verify identity mapping and hash types |
| Activation failures | API errors | Check destination credentials |
| Delayed data | Batch scheduling | Review export schedule |
| Missing profiles | Segment criteria | Verify segment qualification |
For detailed troubleshooting, see our AEP Destination Activation Troubleshooting guide.
Related AEP Guides
Need Destination Setup Help?
WegWorks specializes in AEP destination configuration, audience activation, and campaign optimization. Contact us for expert guidance.