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What is Session Replay? Definition, Use Cases, and Privacy Concerns
Session replay is a reconstructed recording of a visitor's session on a website or app. It can show clicks, navigation, scrolling, form interactions, layout changes, and points of friction.
Session replay helps teams understand what happened before a drop-off, error, or support complaint.
Session replay use cases
Session replay is useful for:
- Debugging broken flows
- Understanding funnel drop-off
- Reviewing onboarding friction
- Investigating JavaScript errors
- Finding confusing UI
- Improving forms
- Supporting customer issues
- Validating product changes
It is most useful when connected to events, errors, and analytics context.
Privacy considerations
Session replay can capture sensitive information if configured carelessly. Teams should mask inputs, avoid recording secrets, respect consent requirements, limit retention, and use replays only where they are needed.
Not every website needs session replay on every page.
Session replay and analytics
Analytics tells you what happened at scale. Session replay helps explain individual examples. Together, they can turn a funnel drop-off into a concrete product fix.
Swetrix offers privacy-conscious session replay workflows for teams that need to debug user journeys without turning analytics into invasive surveillance.
Related terms: funnel drop-off, JavaScript error, custom event, and data retention.
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