select_item Event

The select_item event tracks when a user clicks on a product within a list — such as a category page, carousel, or search result. It's essential for measuring product interest and list performance.

The select_item model

This model describes the selected item and its list context.

Properties

Name
event
Type
string
Description
Must be set to select_item.
Name
user_id
Type
string
Description
Unique ID for the user selecting the item.
Name
session_id
Type
string
Description
ID of the current session.
Name
item_list_id
Type
string
Description
ID of the list the item was selected from.
Name
item_list_name
Type
string
Description
Name of the item list (e.g., Trending, Search Results).
Name
ecommerce.items
Type
array
Description
Array of one or more selected items (usually one).
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_id
Type
string
Description
Product or SKU ID.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_name
Type
string
Description
Product name.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_brand
Type
string
Description
Brand of the product.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_category
Type
string
Description
Product category.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_variant
Type
string
Description
Variant like color or size.
Name
ecommerce.items[].price
Type
float
Description
Price of the item.
Name
ecommerce.items[].index
Type
int
Description
Index of the item in the list (0-based).

Push event to the dataLayer

dataLayer.push example

dataLayer.push({
  event: 'select_item',
  user_id: 'user-777',
  session_id: 'session-abc',
  item_list_id: 'featured_summer',
  item_list_name: 'Featured Summer Picks',
  ecommerce: {
    items: [
      {
        item_id: 'SKU-7890',
        item_name: 'Beach Umbrella',
        item_brand: 'SunCoast',
        item_category: 'Outdoor',
        item_variant: 'Striped Blue',
        price: 39.99,
        index: 2
      }
    ]
  }
});

Best Practices

Trigger this on actual interaction (click or tap), not just on hover.
Keep your list context (item_list_name, index) consistent with view_item_list.
This event is crucial for click-through analysis.

Use Cases

The select_item event supports:

Click-through rate measurement
On-site merchandising effectiveness
Audience segmentation by product interest
Dynamic creative optimization for product ads